Disco’s always in season
for Donna Summer

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

Even when little Adrian Donna Gaines opened her mouth to sing in church, a huge voice came out, stunning the parishioners in her Boston church.
That little girl grew up to become Donna Summer, and has since moved millions of others worldwide with her powerful voice.
Summer’s music career started in a rock band called The Crow. When the band broke up, she left school to be in the German production of the musical Hair. Remaining in Europe for the next seven years, she joined the Vienna Folk Opera Company and appeared in such productions as Porgy and Bess and Showboat. She also became the featured vocalist in German productions of Godspell and The Me Nobody Knows.
And it was while Summer was in Germany that she recorded the steamy Love To Love You, Baby in 1975, a tune which put her on a musical path that eventually led to superstardom.
Today, most people remember Summer as the "Queen of Disco," the artist who once defined the ’70s pop music generation. Some of her top hits include Last Dance, Hot Stuff, On the Radio and She Works Hard for the Money.
And although Summer enjoyed her royal title in those days, she doesn’t feel that it pigeonholed her image.
"No, not at all," said Summer, who will take the stage in the Circus Maximum Theater in Caesars Atlantic City for shows on July 27 and 28. "I didn’t allow it to have any kind of control over my life. Some people might think that title had some kind of restrictive hold on me, but I just go on doing what I’ve always done. I continue to do my thing."
Going with the musical flow, she says, has been easier because, three decades later, the roots of disco have blossomed into other styles.
"Disco never really died. I think it just fell asleep, took a long nap, and kind of morphed into a number of things," she said. "I think disco is at the source of a lot of things. Anything you can dance to or play in a club is disco. It’s not the style as much as it is the musical format that can be played and danced to. I don’t think disco will ever die. It has its own place, and always will.
Dance music, especially the music that Summer made, is happy music. "You know, you don’t usually dance when you’re feeling miserable. In fact, I just read somewhere that ‘When your heart is full of joy, your feet move.’ Now isn’t that really true?"
Currently working on a new record project, Summer said she’s feeling very excited about the venture, especially since she hasn’t felt like recording for many years.
"Since the market changed so considerably," she said, "it’s been a challenge to figure out how to work this market and make it work for you. Now I’m working with a lot of younger writers who have had successes on their own. I’m writing with them, and the new album will probably be released next spring."
Summer’s talent and sensational voice have been recognized with five Grammy awards, 11 gold albums and four No. 1 singles, among other recording feats. two platinum singles, and 12 gold singles. She is the first female artist to have three No. 1 singles in one year, and the only artist to date to have three consecutive No. 1 albums that went double-platinum (two million copies) in sales.
But don’t look at her as a one-sided individual, she insisted during a recent telephone interview, explaining that when she’s not singing she loves to decorate and paint (her paintings have sold in the thousands of dollars). She’s also in the process of putting together a foundation that she hopes will help feed, clothe and educate the less fortunate.
"That’s my primary goal in life," explained Summer, 58. "Just imagine how much brainpower we’re losing because all those people are not able to contribute. Just think what they could bring to the equation if they had the chance." ••
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