Donna Summer
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who gained prominence during the disco era of music. Best known for a series of number one dance hit singles in the late 1970s, Summer was dubbed "Queen of Disco" and is one of the few disco-based artists to have longevity in the recording industry beyond the genre's era.
Summer was trained as a gospel singer prior to her introduction in the music industry, as were many then-contemporary music artists. However, Summer's notable songwriting capabilities, in addition to her collaborations with producer-songwriters Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, were able to set her apart from rivals in the industry.
Though she is most notable for her disco hits, Summer's repertoire has expanded to include contemporary R&B, rock, mainstream pop, and even gospel. Summer is one of the most successful female recording artists of the 1970s and 1980s, and still holds the record for having three consecutive double albums hit #1 on the Billboard charts. She also became the first female artist to have four number-one singles in a twelve-month period. According to her official MySpace page, Summer has sold over 130 million records worldwide.
