Donna Summer
Origin: Boston, Massachusetts, United States Years: December 31, 1948 - May 17, 2012
Donna Summer, born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts, became the undisputed "Queen of Disco" and one of the most influential artists of the 1970s and 1980s. After moving to Europe, she met producer Giorgio Moroder in Munich and began collaborating on electronic dance music, producing "Love to Love You Baby" (1975) and pioneering the first entirely electronic disco track with "I Feel Love" (1977). Throughout the late 1970s, she dominated the charts with albums like "Once Upon a Time" (1977) and "Bad Girls" (1979), breaking racial barriers in the predominantly white disco industry and becoming the first artist to have three consecutive double-platinum albums. With over 130 million records sold worldwide and five Grammy Awards, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Her influence extended beyond disco to dance music, electronic music, and pop, influencing artists from Madonna to Beyoncé, while her sexually liberated persona and chart dominance made her a cultural icon whose impact on music and fashion remains significant.
DiscoDance PopR&BSoulPopGospelElectronic Dance