Donna Summer

Donna Summer (born Donna Andrea Gaines on December 31, 1948) is an American pop music singer best known for a string of disco music hits in the 1970s that earned her the title "Queen of Disco".

Career

Summer was a rarity in the 1970s disco scene because her career began before the disco explosion and continued afterward. Even though she is one of the best-known artists of the disco era, Summer has covered different genres including R&B, rock and roll and gospel music, earning her Grammy Awards in those categories. Her work is still critically acclaimed and remains one of the few disco artists accepted by modern rock critics.

Related Topics:
Disco - R&B - Rock and roll - Gospel - Grammy Award

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Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Summer began performing in her church's choir. She later joined a rock group called the Crow. A few months before graduating from high school, Summer dropped out and joined the German productions of Hair, Godspell, and Show Boat over the next few years. She eventually settled in Europe, joining the Viennese Folk Opera and participating in numerous musicals.

Related Topics:
Boston, Massachusetts - German - Hair - Godspell - Show Boat - Europe

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After resettling in Munich, Germany, Summer married Helmut Sommer ("Summer" is an anglicization of his last name) and did various musical jobs in studios and theaters for several years. In 1971, Summer released "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", her first solo recording. The single was unsuccessful, however, and Summer had to wait until 1974 to launch a solo career.

Related Topics:
Munich, Germany - 1971 - 1974

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The group was conceived as an 11 person "multi-color, multi-voice pop chorus" which could perform anything from folk to soul to jazz. FamilyTree was the first group in Europe with their own personal choreographer.

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FamilyTree records are not easy to come by .... well not here anyway. Maybe you guys in Europe will have better luck! BUT - there is a new compilation CD in Germany that includes one of the FamilyTree songs "O Le Le Le".

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It seems to only be available through the Kristall Sound website -

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"http://www.kristallsound.de/html/hoerproben.html".

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The site is in German, so dust off your language skills, get an online translator to help, or use this as an excuse to invite over that cute German-speaking guy you've had your eye on for awhile..... ;-)

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You can hear a clip of the song on the website as well. But that's not all I have for you...... Guenter (the group's founder) sent a few pictures from back in the day

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