Donna Summer: She could sing anything, anywhere, with anyone, at any time.

 [AUG 13] Happy Saturday all! First up - a very good friend of mine is expecting a baby very very soon. And when it happens, I will be traveling to take photos of the newborn.  So if the next update is late (or possibly the one after that, but I think we are looking at sooner rather than later), it means I am out of town taking baby photos for the weekend and will get to the update when I get back.   So don't freak out.  :-)

[AUG 13] Let's get the sad news out of the way first. As I'm sure all of you know (unless you've been hiding under a rock all week), Dame Olivia Newton John passed away after a very long battle with cancer.  She and Donna crossed paths several times - photos of the 2 of them have been circulating on Facebook. Both participated in the Spirit Of The Forest project in 1989,  and before that they did the 1979 Music For Unicef: A Gift Of Song concert. There are lots of clips of that online,  but here's one from the finale where both Donna and Olivia are onstage at the same time.  My condolences to Olivia's family, friends, and fans.

[AUG 13] Also lost this week, fan artist Raffaele D'Adamo.  He was the founder of the Friends Unknown group on Facebook and was best known for his  Donna art that he shared freely with fans in the group.  Condolences to all who knew and loved him.  It's another reminder guys, that nobody is promised a tomorrow. So make the most of today.

[AUG 13] In happy news  (and yes we need some of that!), Johnnyswim has a bunch of autumn tour dates coming up.  They will be (mostly) touring the northeast coast of the US at the end of September/Beginning of October.  Check their website for dates and cities, and if you plan to attend one or more of the shows - grab your tickets as soon as you can! They sell out fast.  :-)

[AUG 13] I think that's it for this week - Bruce and the Swims are all on a well deserved family vacation (watch their Instagrams for photos), so I don't expect much news next weekend either.

[AUG 13] So what do we want to watch on YouTube this week? Well, we might as well start with Donna's song from the UNICEF concert.  And here's a short rehearsal clip from that show. with a little bit of a German interview at the end.  As long as we are looking at rehearsal footage, here is some from Divas 2000. (The audio is a little rocky in places.) And here is a short fun outtake from the No More Tears recording session that might make you smile. (It's the beat him up with a stick part for those who are familiar with the outtakes.) I got no more rehearsal stuff so let's move on to some unreleased tracks. I just ran into Valley Of The Moon again tonight which was fun!  And then there is Run With It,  Adonai, and the demo for Begin Again.  (A little editing and that song could have been a dance hit!) And finally - a short clip of Only Love.

[AUG 7]  Greetings all!  Let me start with a time sensitive item for Johnnyswim fans.   Tickets for their performance at Silobration are now on sale. The show is not until October 29, but get your tickets early because they will sell out. Also, (and I hope Amanda isn't reading this) Amanda has a milestone birthday coming up on Thursday. Abner posted in a secret video that he would like to surprise Amanda with a bunch of videos of fans just saying "I love you Amanda".  If that's something you want to do, the place to upload is here.  But shhhhh! It's supposed to be a surprise.

[AUG 7]  Here's an interesting site I discovered recently thanks to some Facebook friends.  It's WorldRadioHistory.com and it is an archive  of tons and tons of music public publications going back decades! Just as an extreme example, when I clicked on Billboard Magazine they had issues going back to 1894 and no, that is not a typo!  When you click on a magazine title, it brings you to a page of the dates they have, and clicking on any of those brings you to a PDF file of the issue in question.  I found the site because someone kindly posted the direct link to the issue of Billboard that had a celebration of Donna's 20 years  in music. (The September 2, 1994 issue to be exact.) The site is a fun playground to explore!

[AUG 7] As you all know by now, Beyoncé  used I Feel Love in her new song Summer Renaissance. I know some of you weren't thrilled with the language in the album version of the song (too many sexy motherf-----s). There is now a clean version out on YouTube that you can listen to instead.  And with a clean version maybe now we can hear it on the radio or TV... Here's hoping!

[AUG 7] Bruce Sudano fans - he performed a new song in Boulder recently, and he gave us a sneak peek on Facebook. The song is Two Bleeding Hearts.

[AUG 7] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Last week we celebrated Live & More Encore, so this week why don't we look at some of the interviews from then. First up, as much of the 1999 Behind The Music special as I can find on YouTube.  It's a pretty good chunk of the show, but not the whole thing unfortunately.  (You know how it goes - clips come and go.) Then we have Donna's first appearance on The View, an appearance on UK This Morning, an appearance on Laat de Leeuw (it's funny!), an appearance on Queen Latifah's show,  a short interview from Brazil,  Donna on Oprah,  and finally Donna's second appearance on The View.

[JUL 31] Happy Sunday all!  Tomorrow is the start of a new month, so you know what that means - time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are dancing to 1999's Live & More Encore. 

[JUL 31] Well I guess the big news this week is from Beyoncé.  Her new album is out now and the last track samples I Feel Love.  The Today Show posted a story about it (as did weaa.org and many other places), Bruce tweeted:  "Big thank you to Beyoncé, Ricky Lawson and team for kindness and respect for Donna Summer…" If you want to hear the song, YouTube has it.  You know, they put I Feel Love on the I Remember Yesterday album as a nod to the future. 45 years later the song is STILL relevant  to the music scene.  Amazing!  :-)

[JUL 31] In the land of silly factoid articles, we have an article called "Is Donna Summer still alive" on fresherslive.com.  The article is exactly what you expect, and [SPOILER ALERT] the answer to the titular question is  "No".  But they will let us know if they get any updates.... maybe they think she's coming back?   Oh the questions I would ask if she did!  LOL

[JUL 31] In fan video/mix news, we have a new Suecase Hall video that is completely appropriate for the weather lately - well for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere anyway.  It's Summer Fever the 2022 Heatwave mix which is over 9 minutes of Donna goodness.  :-) The video also ends with  a quote onscreen from Beyoncé  from May 17, 2012.

[JUL 31] Musical fans, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical will be playing on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Prima in August. The press release lists the actors playing the 3 Donnas - in the role of Diva Donna is American Idol's Kimberly Locke.  So if cruises are you thing, and you are a Donna fan, I think you know what cruise to book.  LOL

[JUL 31] Speaking of cruises - Bruce Sudano fans will want to check out the 2023 On The Blue Cruise January 28 to February 2, sailing out of Miami.  Bruce will be playing that with a ton of other great artists.  Details are on the cruise's website.

[JUL 31] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Well, since Live & More Encore is the Summer Fever Pick, we might as well start off with the full show.  (MacArthur Park still brings me right back to that night - I have a big grin on my face right now just remembering it!) Then we have rehearsal footage with Tina Arena,  and rehearsal footage of I Don't Wanna Work That Hard.  Up next is the video for I Will Go With You,  Love Is The Healer live from Divas 2000,  Part 1 of the interview Donna did for VH1 while rehearsing the show, and part 2 of that interview. Finally,  as a bonus, we have the Studio 54 version of Love On And On.

[JUL 23] Happy Saturday all! I hope you are doing well with the crazy heat that seems to be hitting so many places lately.  Who knew Hot Stuff was actually a weather forecast?  LOL

[JUL 23]  Rolling Stone has published it's list of the top 200 dance songs.  Yes, Donna made the list.  She 's there with Last Dance at #200, and again with I Feel Love at #1.  As much as I feel like Last Dance should have been higher up, I am amused that Donna acts as the bookends to the list.  :-)

[JUL 23] SmoothRadio.com posted an article with facts about Donna.  Long time diehard fans won't find anything new there, but it's a nice quick overview for someone who is more of a casual admirer. MSN has a similar sort of thing done as a slideshow. (The title is pure clickbait though.)

[JUL 23]  In the Donna's music is everywhere category, Beyoncé has a new album coming out July 29.  It's called Renaissance, and reports say that the closing track, Summer Renaissance, samples I Feel Love.  Donna, Giorgio and Pete are all listed in the credits.

[JUL 23] In the land of unusual covers, a band called Me First and the Gimme Gimmes did a cover of On The Radio that... is nothing like Donna's version.  LOL  This has much more of a rock beat to it.  I think it's one of those things you guys will either love or hate. I have  to say that I always find it interesting to hear a completely different take of a song. Sometimes you find something that is unexpectedly wonderful, and sometimes you find things that make you wonder if you are living in an insane asylum!  LOL

[JUL 23] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce did a session with LR Baggs at SoundCheck Nashville.  He did 3 songs for them: Things Are Changing, Shadowland, and Fatal Love.  They are done as an acoustic session with Bruce and his guitar with Randy Mitchell and his guitar.  Catch all 3 videos on the LR Baggs site.

[JUL 23] I think that brings us to YouTube. Tonight I couldn't decide what I was in the mood for, so I randomly searched for Donna and this 1995 concert from Brazil popped up. So let's hang around Brazil for awhile (no passport needed!)... Next up is Donna on the Jô Soares show from 1995,  Donna live in Brazil in 1992,  and of course a fan video for Driving Down Brazil.  As a bonus, I have I Feel Love from the Brazilian production of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

[JUL 17] Greetings all and Happy Sunday! I am back from vacation and trying to find out all the Donna stuff I missed.

[JUL 17] Let's start off with Donna Summer Ave. in Boston. You guys all probably saw the street sign being held by various family members at the Donna Summer Disco Party in Boston last month. well, now the sign is up for real on the corner of Parker Hill and Huntington.  If you are a local, go check it out, or if you aren't in Boston, check out the photo on the Mission Hill Main Streets page on Facebook.

[JUL 17] Fans of the song Starting Over Again will want to look at this article on WideOpenCountry.com. The article gives a brief history of the song - but ignore the article tile asking who sang it better. The author actually gives no opinion on that and just sticks to the facts.

[JUL 17] In remix news, Q has continued his Other Side Of The Rainbow project with his  Novelty Mix of Melanie.  Check it out on YouTube.  (It's a nice mix and a very cute video!)And if you missed any of his previous offerings, just explore his channel - he's posted them all.

[JUL 17] Bruce Sudano face - Bruce is hitting the road again!  Look for dates in mid-September in Cambridge, New York, and Annapolis. If you need something to hold you over for now, Bruce was live on his couch again on Facebook with a new song called Under The Gun.

[JUL 17] Johnnyswim fans - check out their new posts on YouTube: Hanging My Heart On You and Bullet. Both were taken from their last Live From The Back Yard concerts.

[JUL 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Lets celebrate the Summer Fever Pick this time. So first up is the 1991 concert from Japan. It's the whole show with a very blonde Donna.  Then we have the official video for Work That Magic - this one is remastered so it may be better quality than you usually see. Up next is Heaven's Just A Whisper Away (my favorite from that album!),  a Suecase Hall video for When Love Cries,  and another one for Let There Be Peace.  (Sadly that's a song that never loses its relevance.  There is always somebody fighting somewhere... sigh)

[JUL 7] Happy Thursday all!  I'll be away starting Saturday, so you get an early update - not that there is a lot new since Sunday.

[JUL 7] Johnnyswim fans - I know this will come as no surprise to you, but they will be performing at Silobration in Waco, TX again this year.  It runs the weekend of October 27 to 29 and tickets will go on sale to the general public on July 14. I believe you get early access on July 12 if you sign up for Magnolia perks.  Should be a really good time - Drew Holcomb will be there as well, and of course Chip and Joanna Gaines will be there.  And you know they are all good friends, so they will probably having more fun than should be legally allowed!  LOL 

[JUL 7] In the Donna's music is everywhere category,  on The Today Show the other day, hosts Hoda and Jason sang a bit of Bad Girls.

[JUL 7] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since I'm going away, let's do songs with place names (none of which I am visiting next week.  LOL)  So we have  In A New York Minute,  and Georgia On My Mind live in concert.  Then we have To Paris With Love,  and Tokyo - both are audio only studio versions. Up next is a fan video for Driving Down Brazil,  and an acapella  version of Don't Cry For Me Argentina from a TV appearance.  And now I'm off to get ready to head off to Another Place And Time.  ;-)

[JUL 3]  Greetings all and happy Birthday to Canada and to the USA. Happy July to everyone else! Since it's a new month, you know it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick.  This month it's time to go blonde and celebrate Mistaken Identity.   ;-)

[JUL 3] Let's start off this week with an article celebrating the 45th anniversary of I Feel Love. (Yikes! I'm old!  LOL) The article is on The Quietus and features an interview with Pete Bellotte.  Far Out Magazine also has an article out celebrating the song, and so does UltimateClassicRock.com.

[JUL 3] Boston Globe finally has an article about Parker Hill Ave in Boston being renamed to Donna Summer Ave.  (I say "finally" because even the Globe admits that there have been a few things going on in the US and abroad that have dominated the news cycle.) They ended the article with the best line: "England has its queen. We had ours, and she lived on Donna Summer Ave."  :-)

[JUL 3] Just a little fun note - if you have been listening to the radio this weekend,  the various oldies stations that play Casey Kasem's American Top 40 have been running the countdown from June 30, 1979.  That was a good one - Donna was at #2 and #3 with Hot Stuff (down from #1) and Bad Girls (up from #5). Casey made a big deal out of the fact that the whole top 5 was female acts  AND that Donna had 2 songs in the top 3. (That was a new chart record - Donna was the only woman at that time with that distinction. Ans only a couple of men had pulled it off by then too.)  If you have SiriusXM you might be able to catch the show on demand on 70s on 7. (I have so many fond memories of lazing in bed on a Sunday morning listening to Casey on the radio counting down the hits.)

[JUL  3] Johnnyswim fans - you may remember that awhile back our favorite duo did an EP with Drew Holcomb called Goodbye Road. Well, they announced on Instagram that a Goodbye Road part 2 is now in the works.  So that is something to look forward to!

[JUL 3] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since it's July 4, let's start off with this one: Freedom (The Power To Be Myself), and then we have another lost track, We're Gonna Win. This one isn't a lost track, but it speaks to me today - The Power Of One.  And another that speaks to me lately: Begin Again. And finally God Bless America.  No wait... all those I Feel Love articles? I HAVE to add an I Feel Love link here too.  LOL

[JUN 26] Happy Sunday all! This is a pretty  quiet week.  Either people are resting up from their big Donna party in Boston last week, or they are out protesting recent political events here in the US. (Google it if you don't know. I won't get into it here because politics almost always makes me cranky! And besides, this should be a happy place to escape reality for awhile.)

[JUN 26] So, in the land of Donna, Amazon is selling an "adult celebrity coloring book" of Donna. 40 pages for you to color!  But before you run over there to buy it, it's got only 2 reviews and both are bad.  LOL If the cover is anything to go by, you could just  turn your favorite photos of Donna into "drawings" in Photoshop or a similar program and then color those to your heart's content. (It's not overly hard to do - there are probably a million YouTube videos showing you how it's done.) Actually I just checked the pictures posted with one of the reviews...  The 1 star reviews do now do the awfulness justice!  LOL  Seriously - if you want to color, make your own pages.  LOL Oh and in the interest of full disclosure - my Amazon link is a paid one. But I will be really disappointed if I actually make any money from that link!   LOL Check it out for laughs only.

[JUN 26] For something more fun,  an article from last year has been a recent topic on the forums. It's an article on PopSmarts.com examining Donna's vocal range. I can tell you Donna had an awesome voice. This article will explain with all the appropriate technical terms exactly why Donna's voice was amazing.  Music nerds will love it.  :-)  (And when I say nerd - I mean it as a term of endearment.  I myself am a proud nerd in many different categories.  LOL)

[JUN 26] And that brings us to YouTube.  Let's see, I just stumbled upon this extended clip of Donna performing  with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. This is the same show that gave us the symphonic version of I Will Live For Love.  This clip is about 15 minutes of pieces of that show, including parts of some hits, an extended Amazing Grace, and of course I Will Live For Love.  From there  dive into a YouTube free fall to Donna's performance of Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl, and then her cover of Nature Boy also at the Hollywood Bowl. Next YouTube suggested a Photoshop video, but we'll skip that and go to Anyway At All performed on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Then we have Donna on American Idol's 2008 finale, and MacArthur Park from a 2004 episode of American Idol.  And then just because I like it, Donna and Barry having to much fin with Could It Be Magic.  :-)

[JUN 26] Oh and  just a heads up on the next few site updates. I think next weekend will probably be on time even though it's a holiday weekend here (and my Dad's birthday - Happy 82nd Dad!) But then the following weekend I am going on vacation with friends so if I don't do an update early (we'll see how much news there is)  then the weekend of the 10th will be skipped and you will see something sometime the following weekend - or right after the weekend. So if you don't see me on the regular schedule - don't freak out!  :-)  (And if any house robbers are reading this - my house will not be empty while I'm away. I have other family members staying home to guard my Donna treasures!  Plus my attack cat who will definitely shed all over you! LOL)

[JUN 19] Greetings all! Happy Father's day to all the dads out there!  And Happy Juneteenth to my American friends!

[JUN 19]  Let's start with the bad news first for Johnnyswim fans. A couple of members of the touring team have come down with COVID. So... Boston and New Haven have been rescheduled.  Boston will now be on October 1 and New Haven will be October 2.  Tickets that were previously purchased will be honored for the new dates,  but of course if you can't make the new dates for any reason, contact your original point of purchase for a refund.  Speedy recovery to all those affected!

[JUN 19] Before COVID struck, Johnnyswim preformed Devastating on Good Morning America this past Thursday. You can watch it  on the GMA website.

[JUN 19] In the land of Donna Summer, QuizForFan.com has posted a 10 question Donna Summer quiz. It's good - not too easy and not too hard. And after you do that one, they have a couple of other Donna quiz/games linked on the same page. (Give them a shot - the lyric ones use some deep cuts so they can be challenging.)

[JUN 19] In the Donna is everywhere category, The NY Post published an article about Nile Rodgers in which he shares a few stories about songs her worked on.  He also tells a story about hearing Donna's recording of Love To Love You for the first time. Also, in this category, a recent episode of the TV Show First Lady has Betty Ford crashing a pool party where she gets wasted while jamming to Last Dance.

[JUN 19] And now the news you were expecting - Donna Summer Day in Boston! That was this past Thursday and it looks like a great time was had by all!  There were many highlights - Donna's sisters were there (more on that in a second), various other family members were there including O'Mega Red and Taihisha, lots of fans were there...  There was dance music playing all evening long, people dancing, AND Parker Hill Avenue, the street Donna grew up on, became Donna Summer Avenue! That is so cool! Bruce posted a photo on Facebook  of the surviving Gaines girls holding up the street sign. I would challenge you to name the sisters, but since they are all labeled in the picture, it wouldn't be much of a challenge.  LOL

[JUN 19] As I said, the Gaines girls were all there for the party, and Mary performed.  You can see a video of Last Dance, a video of MacArthur Park, a video of On The Radio, and a video of No More Tears on YouTube, and there are other videos on Facebook.  This is where it gets tricky - lots of people posted things and I am going to try to link a few here that are (currently) listed as public as opposed to videos restricted to people on the friends list.  So, Taihisha shared  short clips of On The Radio (and part 2 here),  and a clip of  No More Tears, plus some photos. There are a ton of other clips online posted by fans and family  - BUT in many cases you needs to be friends with the posters. Mary posted a couple of videos herself, and if you are in her group, a couple of fans posted things there. (Actually if you are in that group - look for a long live video posted by Gina. It has O'Mega Red performing and Mary's whole set.) Linda posted some stuff on her wall, and so did Dara - so if you are friends with either one, check out their feeds.  And moving off of Facebook, WGBH radio posted a few photos on their website, and News7 Boston posted a short article.

[JUN 19] Boston Magazine's contribution to  the Donna Summer festivities is this article answering the question, "What is the greatest Boston summer jam of all time?" The author (who is definitely one of us! ) picked the ENTIRE Live & More album. (The original 1978 one, just in case there is any confusion.)  He also mentions that his favorite  event in Boston is the Donna Summer Disco Party.  (Can I marry this guy?  LOL)

[JUN 19] So with that.. let's head over to YouTube and celebrate that very same Live & More album. First up, concert clips from the album, videos and photos, and a commercial for the album.  Then we have the 1979 concert from Japan - no, it's not the same as the album but it does have a number of the songs we got on Live & More plus the then new songs of Hot Stuff and Bad Girls.

[JUN 12] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start off this week with a Billboard article listing the top 34 disco songs of all time - as selected by Giorgio Moroder.  It's pretty solid list, but I notice that the top 6 all seem to have one thing in common... I wonder what that could be?  ;-)  (Spoiler alert - the top 6 are all Donna songs.)

[JUN 12]  Hey Boston - don't forget that you have the annual Donna Summer Disco Party on Thursday (June 16)!  Mary will perform, O'Mega Red will be there, and so will other members of Donna's family.  Go check it out - it's a free event!

[JUN 12] AmoMama.com posted an article about Donna and Bruce.  Long time fans won't find anything new, but it's a fun read.

[JUN 12] Speaking of Bruce, he just posted a new song on Facebook this week. This one is Beautiful Love (and it is beautiful!) Long time Bruce viewers will note that he left the couch and moved to the piano this time.

[JUN 12] I think that brings us to YouTube. It's Tony Award night here in the US, so let's look at Donna and  musicals.  Let's start off in Germany where Donna did Hair,  Godspell, and The Me Nobody Knows.  Then we have songs Donna wrote for her own musical projects:  My Life, If There Is Music There, No Ordinary Love Song, Begin Again (all from Ordinary Girl),  and I Will Live For Love (Dream-a-lot's Theme). And finally, 4 years ago this weekend we got to see these 3 divas perform Last Dance from Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.  (Fun facts - "Disco Donna" Ariana DeBose is this year's Tony host, "Diva Donna" Lachanze is nominated again this year for Lead actress in a play, and "Duckling Donna" Storm Lever is currently touring with Six The Musical. )

[JUN 5] Happy Pride Month all!  Let's start off with Johnnyswim this week. They have just announced a bunch of new tour dates.  So after they wrap up this outing on June 18, they start all over again on July 28 and run to the end of September. (Well, so far.  LOL) Check out the list, and if you are interested in attending any of the shows, get your tickets as soon as possible. Johnnyswim always sells out fast.

[JUN 5] Johnnyswim has also posted a couple of new videos on YouTube recently.  First is Heaven Is Everywhere (from their Live From The Backyard album preview),  and the other is Baby Take A Number (also from the Live In The Backyard album preview.)

[JUN 5] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his live video from Parker Playhouse of September In Your Eyes.

[JUN 5] In musical news, the 2022 North American tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical closes tonight in Portland, ME.  Happy trails to the company and thank  you for keeping the legacy alive!

[JUN 5] Boston - don't forget that you have the 8th annual Donna Summer Disco Party coming up on June 16 - less than 2 weeks away!  It will be at Copley Square from 6 to 9 PM. It is a free event and you will have DJ Vince 1 spinning the tunes, a special performance from Mary,  and of course appearances from O'Mega Red and other members of Donna's family.  If you are/will be in the area - go check it out!

[JUN 5] And that brings us to YouTube.  I feel like looking at the Billboard charts this week. Did you know, Donna had at least one (and lots of times more) dance hit in every decade from the 1970s to the 2010s? Let's look at a random hit from each decade. (Just  note - the video clips I pick may not be from the same year the songs were hits.) Looking at the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, we start off with the 1970s with about a million tracks  LOL, but I will pick Hot Stuff/Bad Girls from 1979. (One cool thing about this chart is that sometimes more than one song gets counted as a single entry.)  Then for the 80s we have another long list of hits. I'll pick She Works Hard For The Money from 1983. The 90s have more than you might expect too.  I'll pick Love Is The Healer from 1999 just because I love it, but you know, I Feel Love also had a comeback in 1995.  For the 2000s I pick Fame The Game from 1999 (also because I love that one.  And for the 2010s, I pick To Paris With Love from 2010 because that was a new recording. Other hits from the 2010s were remixes - for obvious reasons.

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