200 Favourite Music Acts. This post: #4- DONNA SUMMER.
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200

FAVOURITE

MUSIC ACTS

 

#4

DONNA SUMMER

Donna Summer may have been crowned the Queen of Disco, but this was never a title that sat comfortably with her. While she is best remembered for trailblazing dance classics such as "Love To Love You Baby", "I Feel Love" and "Hot Stuff", her catalogue boasts deep cuts that span genres as diverse as: gospel, funk, country and R&B. 

Summer was born LaDonna Gaines in Boston, U.S.A. in 1948. She started singing at a young age in a church choir and eventually worked in various stage shows. While performing in Europe, she met and married Helmut Sommer. The marriage did not last, but she kept the Anglicized form of his surname.

Another chance meeting would kick-start her career. In 1974, she met songwriter/ producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. 

The trio transformed Euro-Disco with groundbreaking songs that saw Summer relocate to America. "Love To Love You Baby" was followed by a string of chart hits including "MacArthur Park", "Heaven Knows", "Bad Girls", "On The Radio" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". The latter was a #1 duet with Barbra Streisand. She married fellow singer Bruce Sudano in 1980.

Summer was astute enough to sense when disco's halcyon period was ending. She cleverly made the switch to new sounds and scored more chart hits such as "The Wanderer", "State Of Independence", "Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)", "She Works Hard For The Money" and "This Time I Know It's For Real".

While the hits dried up in the 1990s, Summer did continue issuing worthy tracks that included "Love Is The Healer", "Carry On" and "I Will Go With You (Con Te Partirò)".

Her 2008 album 'Crayons' would be her final studio album. In 2012, Summer succumbed to lung cancer on May 17. Shortly after, she was finally given her due with an induction in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. A musical of Summer's life opened on Broadway in 2018.

Caffe` Latte`on Spotify

This countdown is on spotify, featuring the latest update and the entire list at:

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5 DIANA ROSS    6 STEVIE WONDER    7 THE SUPREMES    8 WHITNEY HOUSTON

9 ARETHA FRANKLIN   10 MARVIN GAYE    11 GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS 

12 K.D. LANG    13 QUEEN    14 MICHAEL JACKSON    15 BEATLES    

16 FLEETWOOD MAC    17 ALICIA KEYS    18 BILLY JOEL    19 ROY ORBISON  

20 SIMON & GARFUNKEL    21 ROBERTA FLACK    22 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

23 AGNETHA FALTSKOG    24 TEMPTATIONS    25 GEORGE HARRISON    26 BEYONCE’

27 BRUNO MARS    28 KATE BUSH    29 R.E.M.    30 MARCIA HINES    31 DONNY HATHAWAY

32 PAUL McCARTNEY    33 THE JACKSONS    34 PRINCE    35 TINA ARENA    36 ETTA JAMES

37 PAUL SIMON    38 MADONNA    39 INXS    40 FRANKIE VALLI / THE FOUR SEASONS   

41 RENEE GEYER   42 GEORGE MICHAEL   43 DIONNE WARWICK   44 CROWDED HOUSE   

45 JAMES BROWN    46 EARTH, WIND & FIRE    47 EAGLES    48 DAVID BOWIE   

49 OTIS REDDING    50 FOUR TOPS    51 ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA    52 BOZ SCAGGS   

53 JOHN LENNON    54 ROLLING STONES    55 MACKLEMORE    56 PET SHOP BOYS   

57 KYLIE MINOGUE    58 ADELE    59 NIRVANA    60 POINTER SISTERS

61 TRAVELLING WILBURYS    62 CHER    63 JOHN LEGEND    64 BLONDIE   

65 THE POLICE    66 TINA TURNER    67 STYLE COUNCIL    68 FREDDIE MERCURY

69 JANET JACKSON    70 THE WEEKND    71 RANDY CRAWFORD    72 BEE GEES

73 BETTE MIDLER    74 U2    75 CARPENTERS    76 SHIRLEY BASSEY    77 DAFT PUNK   

78 PAT BENATAR    79 LENNY KRAVITZ      80 ROXETTE    81 CHIC     82 MARK RONSON

83 JIMMY SOMERVILLE  84 GIORGIO MORODER    85 THE BLACK EYED PEAS   

86 ALCAZAR   87 INDIA,ARIE     88 LIONEL RICHIE      89 DUSTY SPRINGFIELD    90 STING

91 KATE CEBERANO    92 DANNY SAUCEDO      93 OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN     

94 ROD STEWART       95 MARY J. BLIGE    96 SANTANA    97 CARLY SIMON

98 EMINEM       99 TAMMI TERRELL    100 FRANK SINATRA    101 JENNIFER HUDSON    

102 BEACH BOYS    103 CHAKA KHAN    104 JOE JACKSON       105 MIKA                             

106 CHRISTINA AGUILERA      107 DAVID GUETTA      108 DESTINY’S CHILD

109 JAMIROQUAI      110 ALISON MOYET      111 LED ZEPPELIN      112 STEVE WINWOOD

113 COMMODORES      114 COLDPLAY      115 SIMPLY RED      116 ONE DIRECTION

117 CAROLE KING      118 R. KELLY      119 EMELI SANDE`      120 QUINCY JONES

121 LADY GAGA      122 ELVIS COSTELLO      123 RAY CHARLES      124 ED SHEERAN

125 NATALIE COLE     126 SMOKEY ROBINSON     127 KANYE WEST     128 ELVIS PRESLEY

129 ERIC BENET      130 SAM SMITH      131 JAMES TAYLOR      132 STEELY DAN

133 IKE & TINA TURNER      134 DES’REE      135 ACE OF BASE      136 VAN MORRISON

137 SAM COOKE      138 THE DOORS      139 AMY WINEHOUSE      140 PHARRELL

141 GEORGE BENSON      142 MINNIE RIPERTON       143 VILLAGE PEOPLE

144 CURTIS MAYFIELD      145 FOREIGNER      146 EURYTHMICS      147 TOTO

148 BARRY WHITE      149 CARL RISELEY      150 TONI BRAXTON     151 NEIL DIAMOND

152 HALL & OATES     153 LUTHER VANDROSS     154 ERIC CLAPTON     155 THE O’JAYS

156 RUMER      157 SLY & THE FAMILY STONE      158 LITTLE RICHARD

159 HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES      160 CHRIS ISAAK

161 MICHAEL McDONALD      162 GLORIA GAYNOR      163 TWENTY ONE PILOTS

164 BEN E. KING     165 MEAT LOAF     166 JAMES REYNE     167 JOAN ARMATRADING

168 SADE    169 A-HA    170 GLEN CAMPBELL    171 DIRE STRAITS    172 COLD CHISEL

173 LINDA RONSTADT      174 ANTHONY CALLEA      175 LISA STANSFIELD

176 EN VOGUE      177 MICHAEL BUBLE`      178 TRACY CHAPMAN      179 DRAGON

180 OLETA ADAMS      181 LITTLE RIVER BAND      182 SOPHIE ELLIS – BEXTOR

183 THE RONETTES      184 CERRONE      185 MODELS      186 SCISSOR SISTERS

187 DARREN HAYES      188 PETULA CLARK      189 MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS

190 LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY      191 ART GARFUNKEL      192 THE REELS

193 JANIS IAN      194 JOHN PAUL YOUNG      195 S CLUB 7      196 CHARLIE PUTH

197 THE MARVELETTES      198 ICEHOUSE      199 LEO SAYER      200 LIZA MINNELLI