It was a one-two punch to disco this week as we lost both the woman many hailed as the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, and a man who certainly would be in the running for King of Disco, Robin Gibb.
Donna Summer died May 17th of lung cancer at the age of 63. A non-smoker, Summer believed her disease may have been due to inhaling the debris after 9/11.
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Summer began her career singing backup for Three Dog Night before breaking out on her own with the hit “Love to Love You Baby” in 1975. She continued to release singles, while not chart-toppers, at least ones that kept her in the public eye.
In 1977, she released “I Feel Love,” which shot to No. 6. She followed that up with “Last Dance,” which went to No. 3. “MacArthur Park” was her first No. 1 single, but certainly not her last. Both “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls” off the Bad Girls album both went to No. 1. Although known primarily for her disco music, she branched out in the ‘80s, having hits with “She Works Hard for the Money” and “On the Radio.”
Summer found success in Europe in the late ‘80s with hits such as “Dinner with Gershwin,” “This Time I Know It’s for Real,” and “I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt.”
During the ‘90s, she had three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Dance Chart with “Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved),” “I Will Go with You (Con te partirò),” and “Love Is the Healer.” Still making music in her ‘60s, she scored her last No. 1 hit on the Billboard Dance Chart with “To Paris with Love.”
While people often discount her as a mere disco queen, Summer was the first artist to have three double albums reach No. 1 on the Billboard album charts. She garnered 14 No. 1 hits during her career and received five Grammys.