Summer, Donna (1948-2012), was a popular American singer and songwriter. She became known as the “Queen of Disco” because of her many disco hits in the late 1970’s. Summer won five Grammy Awards for her music.
Summer was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on Dec. 31, 1948, in Boston. When she was 10 years old, she began singing in a church choir. In her late teens, Gaines began singing in a rock group and later moved to New York City. In 1968, she moved to Europe and performed for a year in a German production of the musical Hair. She later became part of the company presenting the musical in Vienna. Gaines performed with the Viennese Folk Opera and later returned to Germany. In 1971, her single “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses” was released under the name Donna Gaines.
In 1972, Gaines married Helmut Sommer, an Austrian actor. They divorced in 1974, but she kept Sommer’s last name and changed the spelling to Summer for her stage name. Summer continued performing in stage musicals and as a studio vocalist in Munich. In 1974, she teamed up with the producers and songwriters Giorgio Moroder, of Italy, and Pete Bellotte, of the United Kingdom, to record the single “The Hostage.” It became a hit in Western Europe. That year, Summer’s first album, Lady of the Night, was released in Europe. In 1975, with Moroder and Bellotte, Summer co-wrote and recorded “Love to Love You Baby.” It became an international hit and propelled Summer to stardom.
In 1978, Summer acted in the motion-picture musical Thank God It’s Friday, in which she performed the song “Last Dance.” It won the 1978 Academy Award for best song. Summer also won a Grammy Award for the song for best female rhythm and blues vocal performance. She also won Grammy Awards for best female rock vocal performance for “Hot Stuff” (1979), best inspirational performance for “He’s a Rebel” (1983) and “Forgive Me” (1984), and best dance recording for “Carry On” (1997).
Summer’s other hits include “I Feel Love” (1977); “MacArthur Park” (1978); “Bad Girls” and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough),” a duet with the American singer Barbra Streisand (both 1979); and “She Works Hard for the Money” (1983).
Summer died on May 17, 2012. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
