Sing-a-Long Saturday – Donna Summer’s Sunset People

Jan 15, 2011 by Lisa Newton

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Do you remember the disco days?

I’m sure you a lot of you can recall spending your entire evening dancing to all hours of the night to a unique beat that begged your feet to more.

First starting in New York City and then Philadelphia during the last 1960s and early 70s, initially disco was a count-culture movement, mostly catering to both the African American and Gay communities.

Known as “The Queen of Disco," Donna Summer is a 5 time Grammy winner and has sold over 130 million records to date.

Born in Boston Mass, Summer was drawn to music for her entire life. As early as 1971, and at the age of 23, she released her own first single, a cover of Sally Go ‘Round the Roses.

Although it wasn’t a hit, by 1974, Summer found some success in Europe based on the strength of the song The Hostage.

Afterward, Donna Summer soon became a world phenomenon and musical icon.

Here is a list of some of her accolades:

One NAACP Image Award.
One time Juno Award nomination for Best Selling International Single,"I feel Love".
Three Multi-Platinum albums in the US.
Eleven of her albums went Gold in the US.
Twelve Gold singles.
Six American Music Awards.
She was the first female African American to receive an MTV Video Music Awards nomination. ("Best Female Video" and "Best Choreography" for "She Works Hard For The Money")
Academy Award for Best Original Song "Last Dance".
Two Golden Globe Award nominations (one win for "Last Dance" Song and one nominated for "The Deep" John Barry’s Song).

Summer has received five Grammy Awards.

1979 – Best R&B Vocal Performance (Female), Last Dance
1980 – Best Rock Vocal Performance (Female), Hot Stuff
1984 – Best Inspirational Performance, He’s a Rebel
·985 – Best Inspirational Performance, Forgive Me
1998 – Best Dance Recording, Carry On

Twelve Grammy Award nominations (total of seventeen).

1979 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), MacArthur Park
1980 – Album of the Year, Bad Girls
1980 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), Bad Girls
1980 – Best R&B Vocal Performance (Female), Dim All the Lights
1980 – Best Disco Recording, Bad Girls
1981 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), On the Radio
1982 – Best Rock Vocal Performance (Female), Cold Love
1982 – Best Inspirational Performance, I Believe in Jesus
1983 – Best Rock Vocal Performance (Female), Protection
1983 – Best R&B Vocal Performance (Female), Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)
1984 – Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), She Works Hard for the Money
2000 – Best Dance Recording, I Will Go with You (Con te Partiro) Source: Wikipedia

Today, Donna Summer is still going strong. In August 2010, she released a new single entitled, "To Paris With Love."

And now for a blast from the past–here’s Donna Summer performing parts of four of her biggest hits including “Sunset People,” straight from the Strip: