Originally published by L.S. Media. May 18th 2012.
For lovers of disco, there was no one like Donna Summer. Shooting to fame in the early 70’s, her voice and personality suited the shift in popular music that was getting away from the rock dominated charts and over the period of five years would spawn a thousand different artists. None though would come close to her incredible output or her incredible sound.
Donna Summer died in the early hours of the 17th May at her home in Florida, U.S.A. at the age of 63. Born in Boston in 1948 and as a little girl seemed to live to sing. Her mother recalls of her, “She literally lived to sing. She used to go through the house singing, singing. She sang for breakfast and for lunch and for supper.”
The disco queen had battled cancer which she reportedly had feared had come from inhaling toxic dust in the aftermath of the Twin Towers attack in 2001.
Born one of seven children to Andrew and Mary Gaines, Ladonna Adrian Gaines made her debut at a church when she was ten, replacing a vocalist who had failed to show up. Her priest invited the young girl to come up on stage thinking that it might be “an amusing spectacle.” Despite her small frame, Donna’s voice regaled all those present and sounded more mature that her years suggested.
Fame beckoned, however it would take time for Donna to find her niche. After leaving her home weeks before graduation, she first founded a band in New York called Crow before heading to Germany in the counter-culture musical Hair. During her time in Germany she went on to participate in further musicals Godspell and Show Boat. In 1971 she released her first single, a cover of the Jaynetts’ song, Sally Go Round the Roses.
The first album was long coming, and despite a brief turbulent marriage to Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer which resulted in the birth of her first daughter Mimi, Lady of the Night was released in 1974. The real breakthrough came in 1975. Not put off by the limited success of the debut album, which didn’t get released in her native America, she pitched an idea for the song Love to Love You, Baby to Giorgio Moroder. It was an unequivocal success reaching number two in the Billboard charts and despite a B.B.C. ban because of the suggestive lyrics and background noises, reached a very health top five position.
Disco caught up with the 70’s and Donna Summer was exactly in the right place to take advantage of the new sound and with the release of the 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday and the catchy single I Feel Love, life would never be the same for the woman from Boston again. Other album followed, other songs taken to the extremes in the disco halls across the world but the phenomenon was short lived and thinking ahead of the game Donna Summer started recording songs that were a far cry from the songs Hot Stuff and Dim All the Lights. Donna carried on recording well into the start of the 21st century and although on this side off the Atlantic, her music never scaled the heights it once did, she was fondly remembered for outstanding contribution to music and many women singers and performers followed in her tremendous output.
Respects were paid from across the world of music and entertainment throughout the day with legendary producers, Quincy Jones and Giorgio Moroder leading the tributes.
Donna Summer,(Ladonna Adrian Gaines) Born Boston, Massachusetts December 31st 1948 – died May 17th 2012.
Ian D. Hall