Donna Summer: How she became the Queen of Disco
Selling over 100 million records worldwide
There's a good reason that Donna Summer is known as the Queen of Disco. A truly iconic singer and performer, Donna is behind some of the most beloved disco hits of the 70s and 80s, she has lived on through her music, and in 2024 she was honoured with a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Here, we take a look back at her career beginnings, how she became famous and her legacy. Find out all about Donna Summer right here on Magic...
Who was Donna Summer?
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, singer Donna Summer gained prominence during the late 70s disco era, where her music gained a global following, earning a total of 42 hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 within her lifetime, with 14 of those falling in the top-ten.
How did Donna Summer become famous?
Donna Summer’s performance debut emerged at just ten-years-old, when she replaced a vocalist who failed to appear at church. In 1967 she flew to New York City, where she joined the blues rock band Crow, however the group shortly dissolved.
She moved over to Germany after landing the role of Sheila in the Munich production of the musical Hair, where she eventually became fluent in German.
Her initial success however began when she met two German based producers; Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte during a recording session at Musicland Studios. The trio forged a working partnership and in 1974 Donna signed to their Oasis label.
She eventually gained a record label deal with the European-distributed label Groovy Records. It was here that her stage name Donna Summer emerged, following a spelling error on the record cover.
Donna became the first artist to achieve having three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on Billboard's album chart: 'Live and More', 'Bad Girls' and 'On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II'. She became a cultural icon, with her prominence in the dance charts and has since become an inspiration to many pop stars including Madonna.
When did Donna Summer pass away?
After a years-long battle with cancer, Donna sadly passed away on May 17, 2012 aged 63. She will forever be remembered as perhaps the greatest singer in disco history. However, she was so much more, she was a vocalist of incredible range and power.
Not long before her passing, she had announced that her foremost life aspiration was not related to singing but that of love, "What I aspire to in my life, truly, is to be loving."
You can hear Donna Summer on the Magic playlist.
Take a look at some of the best artists of the 1980s:
Cher
Of course the goddess of pop is included in our top 80s artists. During that decade Cher bought us massive hits such as 'Dead Ringer for Love', 'I Found Someone' and obviously, the huge 'If I Could Turn Back Time'.
Cyndi Lauper
80s fashion icon, Cyndi Lauper, first hit the airwaves in 1983 with her smash hit 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. The 80s were a big decade for Cyndi as she followed her incredible first single with tracks such as 'Time After Time', 'True Colours' and 'I Drove All Night'.
Bob Marley
Jamaican singer, songwriter, and musician, Bob Marley, is considered one of the pioneers of reggae. In 1980 Bob Marley and the Wailers released 3 HUGE tracks to kick off the decade, 'Could You Be Loved', 'Three Little Birds' and 'Redemption Song'.
Eurythmics
Pop duo Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart formed Eurythmics at the start of the 80s and it wasn't long before they released some of the biggest tracks of the decade, including 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)', 'Here Comes the Rain Again' and 'Would I Lie To You?'.
Fleetwood Mac
Making their debut in the 1970s, by the 80s Fleetwood Mac were already a big name on the charts. It was in the 1980s that they released albums 'Mirage' and 'Tango in the Night' hitting the charts across the globe.
Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie is one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s. His ballads 'Endless Love' and 'Hello' were some of the most successful tracks of the 80s. Lionel was not just about the ballads though, as his songs 'All Night Long' and 'Dancing on the Ceiling' were also some of the biggest hits of the decade.
Whitney Houston
The queen of ballads, Whitney Houston, is regarded as one of the most successful and influential vocalists of all time. You'll know Whitney from her huge songs 'Saving All My Love For You', 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' and incredible tracks from the film The Bodyguard, 'I Have Nothing' and of course 'I Will Always Love You'.
Prince
Prince is still to this day widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. As well as being a vocalist, he often played most or all instruments on his recordings. The 80s was a huge decade for Prince with the releases of 'Kiss', 'U Got The Look' and the huge 'Purple Rain'.
ABBA
We don't need to tell you how successful ABBA were as a band, the music speaks for itself! The incredible album 'Super Trouper' was released in 1980 and gave us some of the biggest tracks of the decade including; 'The Winner Takes It All' and 'Lay All Your Love On Me'. Their final single 'Thank You For The Music' was released in 1983.
In 2021 the band delighted fans as they announced their reunion, with a brand new album called 'Voyage' and a digital concert experience. Although the group has officialy split for good fans are still able to watch their digital avatars perform at a custom built venue in London.
Madonna
Madonna, AKA the Queen of Pop, is regarded as one of the most significant figures in popular culture. Born and raised in Michigan, her first solo album 'Madonna' was released in 1983. Quickly followed in 1984 with 'Like a Virgin' and the Grammy Award winning 'Ray of Light'.
The signer is currently working on a film about her life, which she is writing and directing.
Madness
Hailing from North London, Madness were one of the most prominent bands of the 80s. The decade was filled with huge hits from the band including; 'Our House', 'It Must Be Love' and 'House of Fun'.
Billy Joel
Nicknamed 'The Piano Man' after his 1970s single of the same name, Billy Joel was already a big name in music when it came to the 80s. It was in this decade that he released the big hits 'Uptown Girl', 'Tell Her About It' and 'We Didn't Start the Fire'.
Phil Collins
First rising to fame with the band Genesis, the UK legend Phil Collins has had more US top 40 singles than any other artist in the 80s. As a solo artist during the 80s, Collins released the massive 'In the Air Tonight', 'You Can't Hurry Love' and the Number 1 ballad 'Against All Odds'.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is hailed one of the most successful musicians of all time, winning 25 Grammy Awards. It was in the first half of the 80s that he released the chart topping 'Master Blaster', 'Ebony and Ivory' and 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'.
Belinda Carlisle
Starting her career as lead singer of the Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle first released her solo work in 1986. It was shortly after in 1987 that Belinda released the huge track 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth'.
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman began her career in the later part of the 80s, bursting onto the scene with her self titled studio album in 1988 which went straight to Number 1. She is best known for her song 'Fast Car' from that same album.
Huey Lewis and the News
The American band released their first self-titled album in 1980 and from there they became one of the biggest bands of the decade. Release hit songs such as 'The Power of Love', 'Stuck With You' and 'Hip to Be Square'.
Tina Tuner
Widely referred to as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner rose to fame as the lead singer of Ike & Tina Turner before launching a successful solo career. In the 80s Tina released the massive hits 'What's Love Got to Do With It', 'Let's Stay Together', 'We Don't Need Another Hero' and so many more!
The Pointer Sisters
American R&B group, The Pointer Sisters released their first single in the early 70s but it was in the 80s that the girls really came into their own. The decade was home to the incredible tracks 'I'm So Excited', 'Jump (For My Love)' and 'Automatic'.
Queen
Queen are one of the biggest bands of all time. Forming in 1970, they were already hot property come the 1980s. It was in the 80s that Queen released 'Another One Bites The Dust', 'Under Pressure', 'Radio Ga Ga', 'I Want To Break Free' and many more incredible tunes.
Wham!
The English pop duo consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley formed in 1981. Wham! became of the most successful pop bands of the decade, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide. Some of their biggests hits include 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go', 'Club Tropicana', 'Freedom' and 'Careless Whisper'.
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in the late 70s. It was in the 80s that these rockers gave us the hit tracks 'Don't Stand So Close To Me', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'Every Breath You Take' and so many more!
Nick Kershaw
Nick Kershaw released thre hit albums during the 80s. They featured some of the biggest singles of the decade including, 'I Won't Let the Sun Go Down On Me', 'The Riddle' and 'Wouldn't It Be Good'.
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet came to prominence as half of the duo Yazoo but is better known for her work as a solo artist. During the 80s Alison released chart topping singles including; 'That Ole Devil Called Love', 'Is This Love?' and 'Love Letters'
UB40
UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in the late 70s. During the early 80s the band rose to fame with their hit singles 'Food For Thought', 'I Got You Babe' and the Number 1 single 'Red Red Wine'.
A-ha
The Norwegian synth-pop band, A-ha, was formed in Oslo in 1982. In 1985 they released their hit album 'Hunting High and Low'. This yielded two international Number 1 singles: 'Take On Me' and 'The Sun Always Shines on T.V'. The album also earned the band a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist.
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams first rose to fame in 1983 with his album 'Cuts Like a Knife'. The album featured the ballad 'Straight From the Heart', his first US Top-10 hit. His 1984 album, 'Reckless', made him a global star with tracks like 'Run to You' and of course , everyone's favourite - 'Summer of '69'.
Now read:
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Aretha Franklin: The story of the 'Queen of Soul'