What we know about the queen of disco.
We know she was the queen of disco in the 70’s, but in reality, who was she? “Donna Summer was an American singer, a native Bostonian born on December 31, 1948”. She was the offspring of Mary Ellen Gaines a schoolteacher who, on that New Year’s Eve gave to her husband Andrew Gaines, a butcher that precious baby girl as a ‘present’ for the year ends.
From nearly the moment she learned how to talk, Donna sang ceaselessly. “From the time she was little, that’s all she really did,” her mother recalled. “She literally lived to sing … She used to go through the house singing, singing. She sang for breakfast and for lunch and for supper.””
We have learned also that she opted for and became one of the most successful music personalities worldwide with a total of about 130 million albums sold; but before all of that, she began her musical journey right at home-Boston, Mass. as a gospel singer. Then interestingly, she stepped into the rock and roll music world, a move that took her to the big apple.
Do you remember the famous singer Frank Sinatra’s song: New York, New York? “., you always make it there, you make it anywhere…,”
Thus, from New York, Donna went to Munich, Germany the city she spent times, lived, worked as (a singer, songwriter, thespian, painter.,) married, had her first daughter’s Mimmi, and so on. However, most of those achievements would have not been possible without the opportune step by which she was auditioned and successfully cast in the Hair production in 1967.
Those of us wo have been around, value all the juicy anecdotes related to Donna live, such as the following:
“Known as the “Queen of Disco,” Summer will be remembered as perhaps the greatest singer in disco history. But she was so much more: a vocalist of incredible range and power whose voice was equally at home in German-language show tunes, racy disco dance tracks and powerful gospel ballads.”
There have been lots more written about the versatile Donna summer, from the time of birth to her unfortunate death in Naples Florida, on May 17, 2012. If it happens that you are like I am fascinated about ‘legendary’ people, do some frequent readings; you will be amazed of about how much you would absorb.
And here is a song by the queen of Disco: I remember yesterday