Her birth name was LaDonna Adrian Gaines (I think--some of the sites don't exactly agree) in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was a butcher, and her mom was a schoolteacher. Her mom said of her that all she really did as she was growing up was sing. Her debut public performance was at her church at the age of 10. The singer who was supposed to sing did not show up, so the priest had her fill in, and everyone was absolutely blown away at the voice that bellowed out of her.
She was the first female singer to have back-to-back multi-platinum double albums as well as the first female artist to incorporate synthesizers. In addition to this, she was also the first female singer to create an extended play song. She was also the first female artist to have a Billboard number one album and single at the same time.
Her awards include an Academy Award for Best Song Last Dance, R & B Grammy Award for that same song, Rock Grammy for Hot Stuff, Inspirational Grammy for He's a Rebel, Best Inspirational Grammy for Forgive Me, and Best Dance Recording for Carry On.
I was first introduced to Donna Summer's music a few years ago when I ordered a recording of:
She played the role of Elizabeth, and I then realized that I heard her in a duet years ago with Barbra Streisand. There is a lot more I could tell you, but instead, I will leave you with some links for more information:
http://www.answers.com/topic/donna-summer
http://www.mahalo.com/donna-summer/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838595/bio
http://www.biography.com/people/donna-summer-9499073
I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't know who this was until I watched the video. She does have a nice voice.
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