LaDonna Adrian Gaines, better known as Donna Summer, was a singer and composer from the United States who was born on December 31, 1948. She rose to prominence during the disco period of the 1970s and became known as the “Queen of Disco,” with her music having a global following.
She grew up in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. Her father was a butcher, and her mother was a schoolteacher. Summer made her performance debut at church when she was 10 years old, filling in for a vocalist who was unable to present.
She attended Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Boston, where she was popular and participated in school plays. Summer came to New York City just weeks before graduation in 1967 to join the blues rock band, Crow.
The band chose to disband after a record company rejected to sign them because they were only interested in the lead singer.
Why was Donna Summer the Queen of Disco?
Donna Summer was dubbed the “Queen of Disco” for her sensuous voice and throbbing rhythms, which helped define the genre.
She used to say she was raised on gospel music and grew up listening to rock ‘n’ roll. Her Grammys, however, were won by her dance hits.
