| George Michael | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name |
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou |
| Born | |
| Origin | |
| Genre(s) |
Pop, Pop rock, Dance-pop, Blue-eyed soul, Rhythm and blues, Funk |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instrument(s) | |
| Voice type(s) | |
| Years active |
1981-present |
| Label(s) | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | |
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Greek: Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου) (born June 25, 1963) best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning, English[2] singer-songwriter, who has had a career as frontman of the duo Wham! as well as a soul-influenced, solo pop musician. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide[3], encompassing 12 British #1 singles, 7 British #1 albums, 10 US #1 singles, and 2 US #1 albums. His 1987 debut solo album, Faith, has sold over 20 million copies to date[4].
Wham!
It was not until he formed the duo Wham! together with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981 that success came to Michael. The band's first album, Fantastic, was released going to number 1 in the UK, and within a year, they had released their classic debut single, "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)". Their second single, "Young Guns (Go For It!)", became the first in a string of Top 10 hits in the UK singles chart. They followed with titles such as "Bad Boys", and "Club Tropicana". Their second album Make It Big was their breakthrough, eventually selling 6 million[citation needed] copies in the US alone and made them international superstars. Singles from that album included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Freedom", "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants", and "Careless Whisper", which was released as a Michael solo effort.
George also sang on the original Band Aid recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas" and donated the profits from "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants" to the charity. In addition, he added background vocals to David Cassidy's 1985 hit "The Last Kiss", as well as Elton John's 1985 hits "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up".
Wham!'s tour of China in April 1985, the first visit to China by a Western pop act, generated enormous worldwide media coverage, much of it centred on Michael. The tour was documented by celebrated film director Lindsay Anderson and producer Martin Lewis in their film Foreign Skies: Wham! In China and contributed to Michael's ever-widening fame.
With the success of his solo releases "Careless Whisper" (1984) and "A Different Corner" (1986) stories of an impending Wham! split intensified, and Wham! separated in the summer of 1986 after a farewell single, "Edge Of Heaven", an album, plus a sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium that included the world premiere of the China film. The Wham! partnership officially ended with the little-known single "Where Did Your Heart Go?", which reached a peak position of #50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1986.
Solo career
George Michael desired to create music targeted to a more sophisticated audience than the duo's primarily teenage fanbase. The first step of his solo career, in early 1987, was a duet with soul music icon Aretha Franklin. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" was a one-off project that helped Michael achieve an ambition by singing with one of his favorite artists, and it reached number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.
For Michael, it became his third consecutive solo number-one in the UK from three releases, following 1984's "Careless Whisper" (though the single was actually from the Wham! album "Make It Big") and 1986's "A Different Corner". The single was also the first Michael had recorded as a solo artist which he had not written himself. The co-writer, Simon Climie, was an unknown at the time, although he would go on to have success as a performer with the band Climie Fisher in 1988. With this song, George won a Grammy Award in 1988 for Best R&B Performance - Duo or Group with Vocal..............
| Releases | ||
|---|---|---|
| ↙Studio albums | 5 | |
| ↙Compilation albums | 2 | |
| ↙Extended plays | 1 | |
| ↙Singles | 34 | |
| ↙Video albums | 2 | |
| ↙Music videos | 27 | |
Albums
Studio
| Year | Information | Chart positions | Certification | Worldwide sales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 1987 | Faith
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RIAA: Diamond[1] BPI: 4x Platinum[2] ARIA: 5x Platinum[3] IFPI: 2x Platinum[4] |
21 million |
| 1990 | Listen without Prejudice, Vol. 1
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RIAA: 2x Platinum[1] BPI: 4x Platinum[2] ARIA: 2x Platinum[3] IFPI: 2x Platinum[4] |
8 million |
| 1996 | Older |
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RIAA: Platinum[1] BPI: 6x Platinum[2] ARIA: 5x Platinum[3] IFPI: 5x Platinum[4] |
12 million |
| 1999 | Songs from the Last Century
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RIAA: Not released[1] BPI: 4x Platinum[2] ARIA: Not released[3] IFPI: 2x Platinum[4] |
4 million |
| 2004 | Patience
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RIAA: Gold[1] BPI: 3x Platinum[2] ARIA: 2x Platinum[3] IFPI: 4x Platinum[4] |
6 million |
Compilations
| Year | Information | Chart positions | Certification | Worldwide sales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 1998 | Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael
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RIAA: 2x Platinum[1] BPI: 7x Platinum[2] ARIA: 4x Platinum[3] IFPI: 5x Platinum[4] |
15 million |
| 2006 / 2008 |
TwentyFive
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RIAA: TBC[1] BPI: 2x Platinum[2] ARIA: Platinum[3] IFPI: 2x Platinum[4] |
2 million |
Extended plays
| Year | Information | Chart positions | Certification | Worldwide sales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 1993 | Five Live |
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IFPI: 5x Platinum[4] | 5 million |
Singles
Solo
| Year | Title | UK | U.S. | U.S. Dance | U.S. R&B | U.S. AC | GER | AUS | France | UWC | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Careless Whisper" 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - | Make It Big |
| 1986 | "A Different Corner" | 1 | 7 | - | - | 6 | 7 | - | 16 | - | The Final |
| 1987 | "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (with Aretha Franklin) | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | - | 1 | Aretha |
| "Jive Talkin'" | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Boogie Box High | |
| "I Want Your Sex (from Beverly Hills Cop II)" | 3 | 2 | 1 | 43 | - | 3 | - | 11 | 1 | Faith | |
| "Hard Day" | - | - | 5 | 21 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Faith" | 2 | 1 | 17 | - | 5 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 1 | ||
| 1988 | "Father Figure" | 11 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 18 | - | 37 | 1 | |
| "One More Try" | 8 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 22 | - | 5 | 1 | ||
| "Monkey" | 13 | 1 | 1 | 8 | - | 24 | - | 34 | - | ||
| "Kissing a Fool" | 18 | 5 | - | 33 | 1 | 44 | - | 45 | - | ||
| 1990 | "Praying for Time" | 6 | 1 | - | - | 4 | 19 | 16 | 19 | - | Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 |
| "Waiting for That Day" | 23 | 27 | - | - | 22 | - | 50 | - | - | ||
| "Mother's Pride" | - | 46 | - | - | 41 | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Freedom! '90" | 28 | 8 | 16 | - | 27 | 41 | 18 | 23 | - | ||
| 1991 | "Heal the Pain" | 31 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Cowboys and Angels" | 45 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 36 | - | ||
| "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (with Elton John) | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - | Duets | |
| 1992 | "Too Funky" | 4 | 10 | 20 | - | - | 12 | 3 | 5 | - | Red Hot + Dance |
| 1993 | "Somebody to Love" (with Queen) | 1 | 30 | - | - | 42 | 21 | 19 | 16 | - | Five Live |
| "Killer" / "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" | 1 | 69 | 5 | 88 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1995 | "Jesus to a Child" | 1 | 7 | - | 22 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 2 | Older |
| 1996 | "Fastlove" | 1 | 8 | - | 44 | 25 | 1 | 10 | 1 | ||
| "Spinning the Wheel" | 2 | - | 44 | - | - | 67 | 14 | - | 7 | ||
| 1997 | "Older" / "I Can't Make You Love Me" | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Star People '97" | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 64 | - | - | - | ||
| "You Have Been Loved" / "The Strangest Thing '97" | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1998 | "Outside" | 2 | - | 3 | - | - | 30 | 13 | 26 | - | Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael |
| 1999 | "As" (with Mary J. Blige) | 4 | - | - | 57 | - | 38 | 45 | 27 | - | |
| 2000 | "If I Told You That" (with Whitney Houston) | 9 | - | - | - | - | 58 | 37 | - | - | Greatest Hits |
| 2002 | "Freeek!" | 7 | - | - | - | - | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | Patience |
| "Shoot the Dog" | 12 | - | - | - | - | 44 | 36 | 59 | 25 | ||
| 2004 | "Amazing" | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | 19 | 6 | 37 | 5 | |
| "Flawless (Go to the City)" | 8 | - | 1 | - | - | 54 | 26 | - | 31 | ||
| "Round Here" | 32 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2005 | "John and Elvis Are Dead" 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2006 | "An Easier Affair" | 13 | N/R | - | - | - | 44 | 36 | - | 2 | Twentyfive |
| "This is Not Real Love" (with Mutya) | 15 | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Twentyfive / Real Girl |
Footnotes:
- 1 Although a solo recording, "Careless Whisper" was released in the U.S. as "Wham! featuring George Michael".
- 2 "John and Elvis Are Dead" was a digital only release, and thus was not eligible to be included in the British singles chart.
- N/R = Not released
DVD
- Ladies & Gentleman: The Best Of George Michael
- Release Date: December 13, 1999
- Content: Promotion videos for "Outside", "Fastlove", "Spinning The Wheel", "Freedom 90", "Killer" / "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone", "Too Funky", "Faith", "I Want Your Sex", "Jesus To A Child", "Waltz Away Dreaming" (with Toby Bourke), "Father Figure", "Older", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" (with Elton John), "Kissing A Fool", "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (with Aretha Franklin), "Somebody To Love" (with Queen), "Monkey", "One More Try", "Star People 97", "I Can't Make You Love Me", "A Different Corner", "You Have Been Loved", "Careless Whisper. Also includes interview with Michael and discography.
- Twenty Five
- Release Date: November 13, 2006
- Content: Promotion videos
- DVD 1: "Club Tropicana" (WHAM!), "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" (WHAM!), "Freedom" (WHAM!), "Last Christmas" (WHAM!), "Everything She Wants" (WHAM!), "I'm Your Man" (WHAM!), "The Edge of Heaven" (WHAM!), "Careless Whisper", "A Different Corner", "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (with Aretha Franklin), "I Want Your Sex", "Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", "Monkey", "Kissing a Fool", "Freedom '90", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (live with Sir Elton John), "Too Funky".
- DVD 2: "Fastlove", "Jesus to a Child", "Spin the Wheel", "Older", "Outside", "As" (with Mary J. Blidge), "Freeek!", "Amazing", "John and Elvis are Dead", "Flawless (Go to the City)", "Shoot the Dog", "Roxanne", "An Easier Affair", "If I Told You That" (with Whitney Houston), "Waltz Away Dreaming" (with Toby Bourke), "Somebody to Love" (live with Queen), "I Can't Make You Love Me" (live MTV Unplugged), "Star People" (live MTV Unplugged), "You Have Been Loved" (live MTV Unplugged), "Killer/Papa Was a Rollin' Stone", "Round Here".
- read more at:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Michael
- George Michael's Official Website
- George Michael's Official Store
- http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/George-Michael-Lyrics/E0FEE70C01EEF9EA4825699D0029A343
Click to watch:
I be loving you always # PRAYING FOR TIME # I Can't Make You Love Me # A Different Corner
| Minnie Riperton | |
|---|---|
 Minnie Riperton | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Minnie Julia Riperton |
| Also known as | Andrea Davis |
| Born | November 8, 1947(1947-11-08) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | July 12, 1979 (aged 31) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genre(s) | Soul, R&B, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1962–1979 |
| Label(s) | Chess, GRT, Epic, Capitol |
| Website | www.minnieriperton.com |
Minnie Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer and songwriter noted for her five-and-a-half octave vocal range, with her 1975 single "Lovin' You."
As a child, Riperton studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago's Lincoln Center. As a teen, Riperton sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group the Gems. Her early affiliation with the legendary Chess record label afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for such acts as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters. While with Chess, Riperton also sang for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection from 1967 to 1971. Riperton reached the apex of her short career with her number one hit single,"Lovin' You," in the spring of 1975. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album "Perfect Angel."
In 1976, at the age of twenty-eight, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy. In 1977 Riperton became the first black female to serve as spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and to receive the Society's Courage Award from then-President Jimmy Carter. On Thursday July 12, 1979, at the age of 31, Riperton lost her valiant struggle with cancer. She died peacefully in her husband's arms while listening to a recording of a song Stevie Wonder had written for her. On Sunday July 15, 1979, Riperton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, following a funeral service attended by more than five hundred mourners. In addition to her musical legacy, Minnie Riperton is survived by her husband, Richard Rudolph; son, Marc Rudolph; and daughter, Maya Rudolph, a cast member of Saturday Night Live.
Some months after her "Andrea Davis" singles hit the radio, Riperton joined Rotary Connection, a funky rock-soul group creation of Marshall Chess, the son of Chess Records founder Leonard Chess. ...........................
The band consisted of Riperton, Chess, Judy Hauff, Sidney Barnes and Charles Stepney. While in Rotary Connection, she met her future husband and songwriting partner, Richard Rudolph. The group released their debut in 1967, and eventually five more albums, 1968's Aladdin, the Christmas album Peace, Songs, and finally 1970's Dinner Music and "Hey Love."
"Come To My Garden"
Riperton's first solo album, Come To My Garden (1970)--produced, arranged, and orchestrated by Charles Stepney--was released on GRT Records. She was presented as a solo artist by Ramsey Lewis on Saturday, December 26, 1970 at Chicago's famed London House. She performed several numbers from the album accompanied by Charles Stepney, the album's producer. Although commercially unsuccessful, "Come To My Garden" was considered a masterpiece by critics.
"Perfect Angel" and "Lovin' You"
In 1973, a college intern for Epic Records found Minnie in semi-retirement. She had become a homemaker and a mother of two in Gainesville, Florida. After he heard a demo of the song "Seeing You This Way," the rep took the tape to Don Ellis, VP of A&R for Epic. Minnie signed with Epic Records, and the family moved to Los Angeles, California. The subsequent record, Perfect Angel, turned out to be one of Minnie Riperton's best selling albums. Included were the rock-soul anthem "Reasons," the second single, "Take A Little Trip," and the third single, "Seeing You This Way."
Sales of the album started out slow. Epic was ready to move on to the next record, but Rudolph convinced them to release another single. With the fourth single "Lovin' You," the album caught on, and in April 1975 the song went to the top of the charts in the US, number two in the UK, and number three on the R&B charts. Perfect Angel went gold, and Minnie Riperton was finally revered as the "lady with the high voice and flowers in her hair." The album also featured the song "Every Time He Comes Around," with Deniece Williams singing the background vocals.
Riperton's daughter is Saturday Night Live actress Maya Rudolph, who was a child when "Lovin' You" was recorded. According to the liner notes from Riperton's Petals compilation CD, the melody to "Lovin' You" was created as a distraction for Maya when she was a baby, so that Minnie and Richard Rudolph could spend time together. Maya Rudolph can also be heard in discussion with Teena Marie on the final track "Too Many Colors (Tee's Interlude)" of Teena's 1980 album "Lady T."
Later career
After Perfect Angel, Riperton and Richard Rudolph started on Riperton's third album, Adventures in Paradise (1975). Leon Ware co-wrote the title song, "Adventures in Paradise", and co-produced the album. The album was a modest success. Despite the R&B hit "Inside My Love" (a number five US R&B hit, later covered by Trina Broussard and Chanté Moore), the album didn't match the success of Perfect Angel. Her fourth album for Epic Records entitled Stay In Love featured another collaboration with Stevie Wonder in the funky, disco tune "Stick Together." She also sang backup on Stevie Wonder's song "Ordinary Pain" from 1976's Songs in the Key of Life.
In 1978, Riperton's attorney Mike Rosenfeld and her husband orchestrated a move to Capitol Records for Minnie and her CBS Records catalogue. In April of 1979, Minnie released her fifth and final album, Minnie. Her last televised performance was on an episode of The Merv Griffin Show," (aired July 6, 1979), during which she performed "Memory Lane" and "Lover and Friend."
Illness and death
In 1976, Riperton revealed to Flip Wilson, who was guest hosting for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, that she had undergone a mastectomy due to breast cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, Minnie found out that her cancer had already spread to the lymphatic system. Despite her grim prognosis, Minnie continued touring in 1977 and 1978, and became the national spokesperson for the American Cancer Society 1978-79 campaign.
Eventually the cancer took its toll, and by June 1979, Minnie was confined to bed. She entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California for the last time on July 10. On Thursday July 12, 1979, Minnie Riperton died peacefully in her husband's arms. Her family inscribed her headstone with a lyric of her most famous song, "Lovin' you is easy cause you're beautiful."[2]
Albums
- Come to my garden (GRT, December 26, 1970)
- Perfect Angel (Epic, August 9, 1974[3])
- Adventures In Paradise (Epic, May 22, 1975)
- Stay In Love: A Romantic Fantasy Set To Music (Epic, March 17, 1977)
- Minnie (Capitol, May 9, 1979)
- Love Lives Forever (Capitol, October 18, 1980)
Compilations
- Best Of...Hits, Live & Then Some (Capitol, 1981)
- Capitol Gold: The Best Of Minnie Riperton (Capitol, 1993)
- Her Chess Years (Chess, 1997)
- Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection (The Right Stuff, 2001)
- Les Fleurs: The Minnie Riperton Anthology (EMI, 2001)
Singles
- "Reasons"/"Every Time He Comes Around" (Epic, June 14, 1974)
- "Seeing You This Way"/"The Edge of a Dream" (Epic, August 21, 1974)
- "Lovin' You"/"The Edge Of A Dream" (Epic, January 13, 1975)
- "Inside My Love"/"Don't Let Anyone Get You Down" (Epic, July 15, 1975)
- "When It Comes Down to It"/"Minnie's Lament" (Epic, October 6, 1975)
- "Simple Things"/"Minnie's Lament" (Epic, January 19, 1976)
- "Adventures in Paradise"/"When It Comes Down to It" (Epic, April 7, 1976)
- "Stick Together"/ "Stick Together" (Part 2) (Epic, March 6, 1977)
- "Can You Feel What I'm Saying"/"Wouldn't Matter Where You Are" (Epic, June 25, 1977)
- "Young, Willing, & Able"/"How Can I Love You More" (Epic, September 16, 1977)
- "Memory Lane"/"I'm A Woman" (Capitol, April 8, 1979)
- "Lover and Friend"/"Return to Forever" (Capitol, August 26, 1979)
- "Here We Go"/"Return to Forever" (Capitol, August 5, 1980)
- "Give Me Time"/"Island in the Sun" (Capitol, January 18, 1981)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Riperton
- Minnie Riperton tribute website
- Minnie Riperton at Allmusic
- Minnie Riperton at Find A Grave
- 1968 photo: backstage at Washington University in St. Louis, performing with the band Rotary Connection
- http://www.metrolyrics.com/minnie-riperton-lyrics.html
| Donna Summer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | LaDonna Adrian Gaines |
| Born | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Origin | United States |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Rock, Dance, Funk, R&B, Soul, House, Disco, Hi-NRG, Gospel, Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1968 – present |
| Label(s) | Casablanca, Geffen, Atlantic, Mercury, Epic, Burgundy |
| Associated acts | Giorgio Moroder, Brooklyn Dreams |
Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who gained prominence during the disco era of music. Best known for a series of number one dance hit singles in the late 1970s, Summer was dubbed "Queen of Disco"[citation needed] and is one of the few disco-based artists to have longevity in the recording industry beyond the genre's era.[citation needed]
Summer was trained as a gospel singer prior to her introduction in the music industry, as were many then-contemporary music artists. However, Summer's notable songwriting capabilities, in addition to her collaborations with producer-songwriters Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, were able to set her apart from rivals in the industry.
Though she is most notable for her disco hits, Summer's repertoire has expanded to include contemporary R&B, rock, mainstream pop, and even gospel. Summer is one of the most successful female recording artists of the 1970s and 1980s, and still holds the record for having three consecutive double albums hit #1 on the Billboard charts. She also became the first female artist to have four number-one singles in a twelve-month period. According to her official MySpace page, Summer has sold over 130 million records worldwide [1]
On September 27, 2007, Summer was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but did not succeed in being inducted.[2]
In the summer of 1975, Summer approached Moroder and Bellotte with an idea for a song. She had come up with the lyric "Love to love you, baby" as the possible title for the song. Moroder was interested in developing the new disco sound that was becoming increasingly popular, and used Summer's lyric to develop the song into a disco track. He had the idea that she should moan and groan orgasmically, but Summer was reticent. Eventually she agreed to record the song as a demo to give to someone else (possibly singer Penny McLean). She has stated that she was not completely sure of some of the lyrics, and parts of the song were improvised during the recording. Donna later stated on a VH-1 "Behind The Music" program that she pictured herself as Marilyn Monroe acting out the part of someone in sexual ecstasy). Moroder was so astounded with Summer's orgasmic vocals that he insisted she release the single herself. The song, titled "Love to Love You", was released to modest success in Europe. When it reached America and the hands of Casablanca president Neil Bogart, however, he was so ecstatic over the demo that he asked Moroder to produce a twenty-minute version of the song. Summer, Moroder and producer Pete Bellotte cut a seventeen-minute version, renamed it "Love To Love You Baby", and Casablanca signed Summer and issued it as a single in November 1975. Casablanca distributed Summer's work in the US while other labels distributed it in different nations during this period.
"Love To Love You Baby" was Summer's first big hit in America, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1976 and becoming her first Number-One Hot Dance Club Play chart hit. The album (side one of which was completely taken up with the full-length version of the title track) was also released in late 1975 and was soon certified Gold for sales of over 500,000 US copies. The song was branded "graphic" by some music critics and was even banned by some radio stations for its explicit content. Time magazine reported that 22 orgasms were simulated in the making of the song, and some of the music press dubbed Summer "the first lady of love." Two successful, Gold-selling concept albums followed: A Love Trilogy which featured the single "Could It Be Magic" and Four Seasons Of Love which featured the uptempo "Spring Affair" as well as the ballad "Winter Melody" which was a top 30 hit in the UK - the first of Donna's singles to be be aired on Radio 1 and a hit on the US R&B charts.
The 1977 album I Remember Yesterday, another concept album, found the Summer/Moroder/Bellotte team combining the Disco sound with musical elements of the past, present and future. The song representing the future, "I Feel Love" became a landmark recording, giving Donna another Pop and R&B hit reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number one in the UK. "I Feel Love" earned her a second US Gold Single as well. The song's use of raw techno and electronic sounds was revolutionary and popularized synthesizers in dance, rock, and the burgeoning new wave.
Summer released another album in 1977, Once Upon A Time, a concept album telling a modern-day Cinderella "rags to riches" story through the means of electronic disco. Many critics dismissed the album in 1977, but it is now one of the most acclaimed dance albums by critics in general.
Crayons / Comeback
In May, 2008, Summer released her first album of new material in 17 years, Crayons, on Sony BMG imprint Burgundy Records. Remixes of the track "I'm A Fire" were serviced to US clubs as a promo on February 16, and the track reached #1[1] on the U.S. Dance Chart. The first official single, "Stamp Your Feet", was released on April 15, 2008. Summer performed "Stamp Your Feet" on the season finale of "American Idol" on May 21, 2008. Crayons debuted at #17 on the Billboard album chart, making this her highest debut on the US charts and her highest charting album since She Works Hard For The Money reached #9 in 1983. Summer has just become the first artist ever to have a #1 Billboard Dance hit in each of the past four decades. "I'm A Fire" and "Stamp Your Feet" are Donna Summer's 19th and 20th #1 Billboard single of her career and her 28th and 29th Top Ten Billboard singles. Crayons is also a global Top Ten hit, and on iTunes (Europe) the peak chart positions so far for Crayons are: France #9 (pop chart), Belgium #5 (pop chart), Italy #3 (pop chart) and #6 (overall), Spain #1 (pop chart) and #4 (overall), Sweden #4 (pop chart) and #9 (overall), Finland #7 (pop chart), Ireland #9 (pop chart), and Switzerland #9 (pop chart).
Album charts
| Year | Title | U.S. pop | U.S. R&B | U.K. | Germany | Norway | Sweden | Japan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Love to Love You Baby | 8 | 6 | 16 | 23 | 9 | 7 | 64 |
| 1976 | A Love Trilogy | 18 | 16 | 41 | 24 | 9 | 8 | - |
| 1976 | Four Seasons of Love | 22 | 13 | - | 31 | - | 40 | - |
| 1977 | I Remember Yesterday | 9 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 77 |
| 1977 | Once Upon a Time | 16 | 13 | 24 | - | 9 | - | 31 |
| 1978 | The Greatest Hits of Donna Summer | NR | NR | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| 1978 | Live and More | 1 | 4 | 16 | - | - | - | 52 |
| 1979 | Bad Girls | 1 | 1 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 1979 | On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 42 | 39 | 29 | 20 |
| 1980 | Walk Away - Collector's Edition (The Best of 1977-1980) | 50 | 54 | - | - | - | - | 78 |
| 1980 | The Wanderer | 13 | 12 | 55 | 54 | 18 | 15 | 22 |
| 1982 | Donna Summer | 20 | 6 | 13 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 20 |
| 1983 | She Works Hard for the Money | 9 | 5 | 28 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 27 |
| 1984 | Cats Without Claws | 40 | 24 | 69 | 39 | 15 | 10 | 33 |
| 1987 | All Systems Go | 122 | 53 | - | - | - | 27 | 69 |
| 1989 | Another Place and Time | 53 | 71 | 17 | 49 | - | 16 | 92 |
| 1990 | The Best of Donna Summer | NR | NR | 24 | - | - | - | - |
| 1991 | Mistaken Identity | - | 97 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1994 | Endless Summer: Greatest Hits | - | - | 37 | - | - | - | - |
| 1996 | I'm a Rainbow | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1999 | Live & More Encore | 43 | 33 | - | 75 | - | - | - |
| 2003 | The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer | 111 | 65 | 6 | - | 27 | - | - |
| 2008 | Crayons | 17 | 5 | 7 | - | 7 | 4 | - |
Singles charts
| Year | Title | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. AC | U.S. Club Play | U.S. Dance Airplay | UK | GER | IRE | NL | JPN | AUS [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "The Hostage" | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | - |
| "Lady of the Night" | - | - | - | - | - | - | 40 | - | 4 | - | - | |
| 1975 | "Love to Love You Baby" | 2 | 3 | - | 1 | - | 4 | 6 | 11 | 17 | - | 4 |
| 1976 | "Could It Be Magic" | 52 | 21 | 47 | 3 | - | 40 | 23 | - | 2 | - | - |
| "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" | 80 | 35 | - | 1 | - | - | 42 | - | - | - | - | |
| "Spring Affair" | 58 | 24 | - | 1 | - | 39 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1977 | "Winter Melody" | 43 | 21 | 8 | - | - | 27 | - | 20 | - | - | - |
| "Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over)" | 104 | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "I Feel Love" | 6 | 9 | 45 | 1 | - | 1 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| "Down Deep Inside (Theme From The Deep)" | - | - | - | 3 | - | 5 | 25 | - | 6 | - | 70 | |
| "I Remember Yesterday" | - | - | - | 1 | - | 14 | - | - | 24 | - | - | |
| "Love's Unkind" | - | - | - | 1 | - | 3 | 18 | 2 | 32 | - | - | |
| "I Love You" | 37 | 28 | - | 1 | - | 10 | - | 16 | 6 | - | 47 | |
| 1978 | "Rumour Has It" | 53 | 21 | - | 1 | - | 19 | 21 | - | 22 | - | - |
| "Once Upon a Time" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 64 | - | |
| "Back in Love Again" | - | - | - | - | - | 29 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Last Dance" | 3 | 5 | 42 | 1 | - | 51 | - | - | 8 | - | 69 | |
| "MacArthur Park" | 1 | 8 | 24 | - | - | 5 | 39 | 7 | 9 | - | 8 | |
| "MacArthur Park Suite" | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1979 | "Heaven Knows" (With The Brooklyn Dreams) | 2 | 10 | 17 | - | - | 34 | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| "Hot Stuff" | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | - | 11 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 1 | |
| "Bad Girls" | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 14 | 9 | 23 | 7 | 35 | 14 | |
| "Dim All the Lights" | 2 | 13 | 44 | 54 | - | 29 | 25 | 30 | - | 70 | - | |
| "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (with Barbra Streisand) | 1 | 20 | 7 | 1 | - | 3 | 31 | 7 | 20 | 59 | 8 | |
| 1980 | "On the Radio" | 5 | 9 | 26 | 8 | - | 32 | 34 | 18 | 20 | 58 | 36 |
| "Sunset People" | - | - | - | - | - | 46 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Walk Away" | 36 | 35 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "The Wanderer" | 3 | 13 | - | 8 | - | 48 | - | - | 24 | 63 | 6 | |
| "Cold Love" | 33 | - | - | 8 | - | 44 | - | 30 | - | - | - | |
| 1981 | "Who Do You Think You're Foolin'" | 40 | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 100 |
| 1982 | "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" | 10 | 4 | - | 3 | - | 18 | - | 14 | 6 | 71 | 17 |
| "State of Independence" | 41 | 31 | - | - | - | 14 | - | 10 | 1 | - | 30 | |
| "I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Remix" | - | - | - | - | - | 21 | - | 18 | - | - | - | |
| "The Woman in Me" | 33 | 30 | 17 | - | - | 62 | - | - | 7 | - | - | |
| 1983 | "She Works Hard for the Money" | 3 | 1 | - | 3 | - | 25 | 11 | 26 | 17 | 52 | 4 |
| "Unconditional Love" (featuring Musical Youth) | 43 | 9 | - | - | - | 14 | - | 28 | - | - | 57 | |
| "Love Has a Mind of Its Own" (with Matthew Ward) | 70 | 35 | 19 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1984 | "Stop, Look and Listen" | - | - | - | - | - | 57 | - | - | - | - | - |
| "There Goes My Baby" | 21 | 20 | 17 | - | - | 99 | - | - | 31 | - | 52 | |
| "Supernatural Love" | 75 | 51 | - | 39 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1985 | "Eyes" | - | - | - | - | - | 97 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1987 | "Dinner with Gershwin" | 48 | 10 | 38 | 13 | - | 13 | - | 13 | 34 | - | - |
| "Only the Fool Survives" (with Mickey Thomas) | - | - | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1988 | "All Systems Go" | - | - | - | - | - | 54 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1989 | "This Time I Know It's for Real" | 7 | - | 2 | 5 | - | 3 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 34 |
| "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | 25 | 3 | 30 | - | - | |
| "Love's About to Change My Heart" | 85 | - | - | 3 | - | 20 | - | 11 | - | - | 83 | |
| "When Love Takes Over You" | - | - | - | - | - | 72 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "In Another Place And Time" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 22 | 24 | |
| 1990 | "State of Independence (re-issue)" | - | - | - | - | - | 45 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1991 | "Breakaway" | - | - | - | - | - | 49 | - | - | - | - | - |
| "When Love Cries" | 77 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Work That Magic" | - | - | - | - | - | 74 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1994 | "Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" | - | - | - | 1 | - | 21 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1995 | "I Feel Love (1995 Remix)" (with Masters at Work) | - | - | - | 9 | - | 8 | - | 24 | 26 | - | - |
| 1996 | "Whenever There Is Love" (with Bruce Roberts) | 109 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "State of Independence (1996 Remix)" | - | - | - | - | - | 13 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Does He Love You" (duet with Liza Minnelli) (1996 airplay-only) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1997 | "Carry On" (with Giorgio Moroder) | - | - | - | 25 | - | 65 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1999 | "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" | 14s | - | - | 1 | - | 44 | - | - | 59 | - | - |
| "Love Is the Healer" | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2000 | "The Power of One" | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2004 | "You're So Beautiful" | - | - | - | 5 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Dream-A-Lot's Theme (I Will Live For Love)" | - | - | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2005 | "I Got Your Love" | 17s | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | "I'm a Fire" | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | "Stamp Your Feet" | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 88 | - | - | - | - |
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_summer
- Official website
- Donna's Myspace Page
- Billboard Facts & Weekly Charts for Donna Summer
- All Music Guide biography
- Billboard Magazine biography
- Donna Summer at the Internet Movie Database
- Photographyes and singles "Donna Summer"
CLICK >> STAMP YOUR FEET : THE QUEEN IS BACK : I'M A FIRE ROCA SOUND : MR MUSIC
Donna Summer - Stamp Your Feet
Love To Love You Baby Video (( my favorite from the 70's 
))
You can download various Donna tracks via HMV.com however it seems 'Crayons' isn't available - hum
