Donna Summer

Donna Summer was a singer-songwriter who is most recognised for her prominence in the 1970's pop era. From Boston, Donna first became interested in music through singing in her church choir. Summer became drawn in by the 1960's radical ways of living and became the lead of psychedelic rock band Crow. She then became part of a touring production of the musical Hair and spent several years living in Germany where she became fluent in the language and married Helmut Sommer- his surname inspired her stage name.

Among some of her biggest hits are 'Love to Love You Baby', 'I Feel Love', 'Hot Stuff' and 'No More Tears (Enough is Enough)'. This string of hits caused her to become known as the 'Queen of Disco'. She also became an icon in the gay community due to her appearances at the Studio 54 club in New York.

Donna has won 5 Grammies in her lifetime and is considered to be a musical legend by people such as Elton John, Gloria Gaynor, Barbra Streisand and Barack Obama.

In 2012, Donna died from lung cancer. She was thought not to be a smoker and she believed that she contracted the disease from poisonous particles from the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Donna's mother also died from the disease in 1995.

Over 35 years in the industry, she had a total of 31 number one hits on the Billboard Pop/R&B,Disco/Dance Album charts combined. She is ranked at number 24 in the 50th anniversary edition of Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 Artists of All Time.