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

[OCT 20] Greetings all! I guess we'll start with Bruce today. He's posted another episode of Stages & Stories with The Brooklyn Dreams. In this one they talk about some songs they like, and what they might be doing if they weren't making music.  He also posted a Facebook video of Under The Gun live in Italy.

[OCT 20] Johnnyswim fans - check them out on October 26 in Hickory, NC supporting Lauren Daigle.

[OCT 20]  In the land of covers, REDHOUSE has just released his cover of This Time I Know It's For Real. Find that on his website.  (You might remember that he previously recorded a version of If There Is Music There featuring Oliviya Nicole.)

[OCT 20] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Q just released his new remix of It's Not The Way, so let's do a bunch of mixes this week.  Up next is the Thunderpuss Club mix of Love Is The Healer,  liveandmore's video for Donna vs Giorgio The Chase X I Feel Love,  the 2022 tribute Disco Mix VP DJ Duck), and finally we come full circle with Q's Reflected mix of Reflections.

[OCT 13] Happy Sunday all! I guess we can start off with Donna. I Feel Love was used in The Serpent Queen season 2 episode 5.

[OCT 13]  Moving on to Bruce - he posted a new episode of Stages And Stories the other day. They talk a little about writing now, and they even jam on Make The World Go Away.  Bruce also posted a Facebook video of him performing Talkin' Ugly Truths Tellin' Pretty Lies live at the Nuovo Roxy bar.

[OCT 13] That brings us to YouTube (yes it was a quiet week!  LOL) Since the AMA's recently aired a 50th anniversary special (that inexplicably ignored Donna), I thought I'd share some AMA/Dick Clark related clips. So we have Donna's 1976 interview on American Bandstand, her 1978 interview on American Bandstand, and her 1984 interview on American Bandstand. Then we have Donna and Dick Clark on Good Morning America in 1986. Then in case the AMAs forgot that Donna picked up a few of their awards, here she is in 1979 with the Favorite Disco Album, Disco Single, and Best Female Disco Vocalist. And finally Donna's 1979 AMA performance of Last Dance, and her 1982 AMA performance of Hot Stuff.  On a side note, even though the AMA special ignored Donna, if you get a chance find the tribute Jennifer Hudson did to Whitney Houston. That was amazing!

[OCT 7] Happy Monday all! To all of you in the path of hurricane Milton, please stay safe!

[OCT 7]  Let's start with a time sensitive item.  There is a contest online to win tickets to Johnnyswim's March 21 concert in Louisville. The link is here and you have to enter by October 13.

[OCT 7] Bruce Sudano fans - you have a bunch of new videos to watch. Episode 10 of Stages & Stories is out talking about Flashdance/Stayin Alive period of time, the latest Album by Album is out talking about the current album Talkin' Ugly Truths Tellin' Pretty Lies, and on Facebook there is a short clip of Bruce performing Cardboard World.

[OCT 7] You can also catch Bruce on the Follow Your Dream podcast.

[OCT 7] That brings us to YouTube. Thanks to the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie, MacArthur Park is finding its way into my YouTube feed more than usual.  LOL So let's start with a montage of clips from that movie set to MacArthur Park.  Then we have a 10 minute version of MacArthur Park - it's the suite with Heaven Knows and One Of A Kind edited out.  But if you'd like to hear those 2 songs, there is a version of One Of A Kind with alternate vocals,  and the Brooklyn Dreams version of Heaven Knows with the vocal parts switched.  Then if you want to see something fun, someone made a YouTube short of a Norwegian dance set to MacArthur Park.

[SEP 30] Happy Monday everyone! A special shoutout to all the people who were affected by Hurricane Helene.  I hope everybody is ok - I can't even believe some of the photos I have been seeing. If anyone is in a position to help the victims of Helene, USA Today posted a list of legit charities that are accepting donations.

[SEP 30] The first order of business in Donna-land this week is the new Summer Fever Pick. For October we will be celebrating A Love Trilogy.

[SEP 30] Many of you may remember that there was a Donna Summer block party in Boston a little while back. For it someone painted a huge mural of Donna that is still there on the side of the Black Market in Nubian Square in Roxbury. WGBH Radio did a report on it recently which you can check out here. There are quotes from Mary in the report as well. If you go visit Boston, go see the mural - it's something like 50 x 60 feet!

[SEP 30] There is a new Book coming out on October 15 called Disco: Music, Movies And Mania Under The Mirror Ball by Frank Decaro.  [Amazon affiliate link]  This is a coffee table book that (among other things) includes an un released interview with Donna from 1999.  The author has a Facebook video where he does an unboxing of his copy of the book. It looks really nice.

[SEP 30] Donna's official YouTube channel has been posting HD remasters of her videos lately. The most recent one is for I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (which unfortunately doesn't actually feature Donna in it.)

[SEP 30] Speaking of official Donna sites... be very cautious on social media sites. There have been a ton of scammers out recently - mostly they are t-shirt vendors hawking unauthorized merchandise, but there have also been imposter accounts. The latest is an account on Facebook calling itself "Donna Summer" and claiming to be Mimi using her mom's name. It's NOT Mimi. Here's the deal.... when you are looking at accounts for Donna (or Bruce, or Johnnyswim, or really any celebrity) - look for that blue checkmark that indicates that the account is verified. If you are already following any (or all) of those artists, then be suspicious of new accounts showing up with their names. And in the case of family, NOBODY in Donna's family is going to randomly start posting under a new account with Donna's name. They will use their own name, or have whoever has the keys to the official verified account post there. Seriously, the scammers are out in force lately. Don't be taken in.

[SEP 30] Moving on to Johnnyswim,  the spring tour tickets are on sale now for the When The War Is Over Tour. (Tickets for the Christmas tour are also on sale now.) There are also VIP tickets available for the shows. Johnnyswim tickets (and the VIP packages) tend to sell out quickly, so if you want to go to one of these shows, better get your tickets now before they are gone! And if you have never seen Johnnyswim live before - GO! They put on a great show!

[SEP 30] In Bruce news, he's posted his latest Album By Album video. This one is about Ode To A Nightingale.  I think that's the last one except for the new one, Talkin' Ugly Truths Tellin' Pretty lies.

[SEP 30] That brings us to YouTube. Let's  watch some clips celebrating the new Summer Fever Pick.  SO we have the video got Try Me I Know We Can Make It, a live clip of Wasted,  and Come With Me and Could It Be Magic from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.  As an added bonus - Donna and Barry Manilow live on Could It Be Magic because I love any excuse to share that video.  LOL

[SEP 24] Happy Tuesday all!  And Happy Birthday to Bruce who celebrates a little later this week!

[SEP 24] Let's start this week with some disappointing news. If you missed Bruce's announcement - he unfortunately had to cancel his upcoming tour dates due to a flare up of a nerve condition that causes debilitating pain when he performs.  The plan is to reschedule the shows, so watch for an announcement when that happens. In the meantime, if you have tickets for a cancelled show, contact your point of purchase.

[SEP 24] In other Bruce news, his new video for Under The Gun is out now on YouTube.  He has also posted a new episode of Album by Album - this one about Spirals Vol 2,  and just today he also added the 9th installment of the Brooklyn Dreams series Stages And Stories. This one covers the period after Heaven Knows.

[SEP 24] You can also catch Bruce in an interview for the Celeb Savant podcast available on Spotify and all the other places you get your podcasts. Please note that this was recorded before he had to cancel the tour.

[SEP 24] Moving on to Johnnyswim... They have a new single out called Los Feliz. Check  out the live performance on YouTube. This song is from their upcoming album,  When The War Is Over which is due out on February 7. (Pre-save it at your favorite music service.) With the new album comes new merch which can be pre-ordered on Johnnyswim.com.

[SEP 24] And I'm sure none of you will be surprised to learn that Amanda and Abner will be touring to support the new album. They have posted a whole bunch of spring 2025 dates on their website, and of course VIP packages will be available as well. They also have their Christmas tour coming up in December and Silobration on October 12.  Tickets for the spring tour go on sale Friday, and if you are on their mailing list (and you should be) keep an eye out for a message with a code for the presale which I believe starts tomorrow.  By the way, Johnnyswim is calling the Spring tour part 1... you know when there is a part 1, that means there has to be a part 2 in the works. So watch for an announcement of more dates.

[SEP 24] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's see, since I was travelling last week why not look at songs about different places. So we have  a liveandmore video for Driving Down Brazil, a lyric video for Tokyo,  a video for To Paris With Love, Sunset People from the 1980 TV special, a live performance of In A New York Minute, Don't Cry For Me Argentina from the Hot Summer Night concert,  and finally a lyric video for Denver Dream.

[SEP 13] Happy Friday all! (Friday the 13th - oooo spooky!  LOL)  Just a reminder - next week's update will be late because I will be travelling.

[SEP 13] Let's start off with Donna this week. As you know, Boston.com had a bracket to decide the most iconic artist from Boston.  You guys came through with your votes and Donna is the champion! You can take a look at all the voting along the way using this link.

[SEP 13] In release news, look for an expanded version of On The Radio hitting stores on November 15.  Amazon UK has it listed as a 2 CD or 2 vinyl disk set.  The US Amazon has a  listing for a colored (silver and gold) vinyl set also slated for November 15. [Both of those links are affiliate links that can potentially earn me money. Amazon says I have to make sure you know that.] Townsend Music Store is offering a multi-buy deal where you can get the regular vinyl and the cds for one price - $64.  Click any of those links for photos of the items and for the complete track list.

[SEP 13] Moving on to Bruce - he's been busy on YouTube this week. He uploaded episode 8 of Stages And Stories where the Brooklyn Dreams talk about touring. Then he posted a new Album By Album about Spirals Vol 1.  And then just this morning he released his new music video for Under The Gun.

[SEP 13] Now if live performance is more your thing, Bruce just announced that he will be playing at  the Black Oak Artists 4th Annual All Day Party on September 21.  That will be at Dee's Country Cocktail in Madison, TN. It's free and the party goes from noon to 8PM with Bruce slated for the 12:30 slot.  This in addition to the rest of the tour that starts on the 19th.

[SEP 13] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's do some live concerts this week. First up is  Italy 1977, followed by Japan 1979, Japan 1987, Japan 1991, Chile 1994, Night Of The Proms 2005, and  Long Island 2008.

[SEP 10] Guys - Donna is in the championship round of Boston.com's music brackets.  She's up against Aerosmith which is a great band... but they are not Donna.  LOL  As I write this, Donna is trailing by 182 votes. I think we can fix that! We only have 2 more days (until the 12th) so let's get voting!

[SEP 07]  Happy Saturday all! Just a quick note - I have an out of town visit planned  with a little friend who just turned 2, so the next 2 updates will be a little off schedule. Next week will probably be a day or 2 early, and the week after will probably be a little late. But this is the sort of sacrifice we have to make to teach the younger generation about Donna's music.  ;-)  (Oh and if there are any potential robbers reading this - me traveling does NOT mean my house is empty - so hands off my record collection!  LOL)

[SEP 07] Ok let's start with Donna. The new movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is using MacArthur Park in the soundtrack. Actually they use it twice - they play the Richard Harris version and Donna's version. (Listen for Donna over the credits.) Read about the music in the NY Times.

[SEP 07] UltimateClassicRock.com has an article about Skunk Baxter's guitar solo on Hot Stuff.

[SEP 07] Calling all mad voters out there... Boston.com is doing one of those bracket things of Boston music acts. The contest goes on until September 12 and as of this writing Donna is in competition with the band Boston to get to the next level.  The winner of that bracket will face off against either The Cars or The Pixies and then that winner will go to the championship.

[SEP 07] MSN.com just posted a short interview from the Hard For The Money era. It looks like it was part of the promo for the Disney anniversary special she did back then.

[SEP 07] The Photographic Art of Donna Summer by Harry Langdon is out now on Amazon [paid link] as I mentioned last week. I got my copy so I can talk about it a little better. Ok, it's not a big glossy coffee table book. It's on the thin side with a couple of typos ad the photos (in terms of the way they are printed in the book, not in terms of the talent of the photographer) is not always top notch. This is not the effort of a big name publisher, this is put out by a small publisher that tends to serve niche audiences. As to the content of the book - well there are a bunch of photos we've seen before (because of course, they are iconic!) and there are a bunch of cool behind the scenes photos from the On The Radio shoot. There are also some of Harry's memories about the various shoots. If you have even seen his YouTube videos - the text is like that. Just Harry reminiscing. I'm glad I have the book, but frankly some fans have been disappointed. I will admit that it is pricey for its size, but that's what happens sometimes with small publishers that serve very specific audiences.

[SEP 07] Moving on to Bruce Sudano. He's working on a video for Under The Gun from Talkin' Ugly Truths Tellin' Pretty Lies. You can get a sneak peak on Instagram.

[SEP 07] Also in Bruce news, his latest video in the Album By Album series is up now on YouTube. This one covers 21st Century World. There are still more albums to go, so stay tuned to his YouTube channel.

[SEP 07] Just an FYI - there was a fake Bruce Sudano account on Facebook recently hawking t-shirts. I believe that account has been taken down now, but I did want to take the time to remind you that the only place to buy Bruce's merch online is BruceSudano.com. Also, Bruce's music account has a blue verification check. If you see his name and photo, but no blue check - beware! (Also, this situation is not unique to Bruce. There are lots of scammers out there, so be cautious of the links you click - not just on Facebook. I have seen this nonsense on popular YouTube channels too.)

[SEP 07] Oh, I forgot, there is one other legit place to get Bruce merch,  and that's at his concerts. And there are a few of those coming up soon. Go grab some tickets if you haven't already.

[SEP 07] Don't forget that Johnnyswim also has a show coming up soon. They will be in Annapolis for the Songwriter's Festival on September 12. Tickets are available here.

[SEP 07] That brings us to YouTube. In honor of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, let's look at Donna's music in movies.  First up, a video montage of Beetlejuice set to MacArthur Park.  Then we have the Romeo video from Flashdance, a clip of Hot Stuff from The Full Monty, On The Radio from the Foxes movie,  Down Deep Inside from The Deep,  and Ordinary Miracle from Let It Be Me. As a bonus, here's Donna on an alternate version of the Brooklyn Dreams'  Hollywood Knights from the end credits of the movie of the same name.

[SEP 01] Happy Sunday all, and Happy September! (And Happy Labor Day to my American friends!)  It's a new month, so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we look at Love To Love You Baby.

[SEP 01] First up - Harry Langdon has finally released his book of photos. It's called The Photographic Art Of Donna Summer- The Creation of Her Music Album Covers. You can grab it on Amazon [affiliate link] or you can just take a look at the sample pages available. I just ordered a copy and I can't wait for it to arrive!   :-)

[SEP 01] RollingStone did a 500 Greatest Songs podcast. The final episode covers I Feel Love and features an interview with Bruce in one of the segments.  (If you want to check out some of the other episodes, they are on iHeart Radio.)

[SEP 01] Speaking of Bruce, His latest episode of Album By Album is up and it covers The Burbank Sessions.  The new episode of Stages And Stories is also up. In this one, the Brooklyn Dreams discuss vocals and instruments.  He even posted a live clip today on Facebook of September In Your Eyes.

[SEP 01] Don't forget, Bruce's tour starts later this month, so grab your tickets if you haven't already. He's promising "special guests" for his New York show.

[SEP 01] In Johnnyswim news,  they will be at the Annapolis Songwriters Festival on September 12.  So go check that out if you are/will be in that area.

[SEP 01]  Here's a video I just ran into, even though it's over a year old.  It's one of those reaction videos where vocal teachers look at a singer's performance and offer their take on it. There have been a bunch with Donna's music, but I found one that looked at  Johnnyswim's live version of Touching Heaven.  The vocal coaches (there were 2 of them in this video) had a lot of nice things to say. (As well they should!  LOL)

[SEP 01] And that will bring us to YouTube.  This week we will look at clips related to the new Summer Fever pick.  So first up is a clip from the documentary with footage from the album release party. Then we have a video for the title track, the original ad for the album,  and a video of Donna talking about Love To Love You.  As a bonus, here's a clip of Donna rapping a bit of Love To Love You in the middle of Bad Girls back in 1999.

[AUG 25] Happy Sunday all! Can you believe August is almost over?  Where did the summer go?  Let's start this week with Bruce. His new single is out now in all the usual places. It's called My Blonde Italian Girl (and I assume her name is Francesca.  ;-) ) He's also got a lyric video for it on YouTube. Here's your fun fact about this song - the cover art was drawn by Bruce's 10 year old granddaughter (Brooklyn's daughter.)

[AUG 25]  Also in Bruce news - he's posted new videos in his 2 video series on YouTube.  Episode 6 of the Brooklyn Dreams Stages and Stories is all about Bad Girls,  and the newest Album By Album is about Angels On A Carousel. For those who don't remember (or who are new to Bruce's music), this is the album he wrote when Donna was sick.  Stay tuned to Bruce's YouTube channel for more videos next week.

[AUG 25] Moving on to Johnnyswim. They've been hanging around in Scotland this week working on a "secret project." (Watch Instagram for more details on that when the time is right.)  While they were there, aside from taking a bunch of photos that you can see on Instagram, they also recorded a video short for She Checks The Weather on location in Edinburgh.

[AUG 25] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up, is On The Radio from VH1 Live & More Encore simply because I was out all day yesterday and that song was following me EVERYWHERE!  It was on the car radio when I left the house, in the store when I got there... Apparently the universe thought I needed to hear that particular song, so now you will hear it too.  LOL Then we have the Original Hits Disco Box Remix which is a nice medley of Donna songs, Donna's set at Night Of The Proms Belgium in 2005, and finally Donna's live set in Rotterdam.

[AUG 18] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start off with  Johnnyswim this time.  Their new single, She Checks The Weather, is out now in all the usual places.  For those who haven't heard the song yet (and it was their New Music Monday clip last week), spoiler alert: the song is "an ode to the battle of chronic illness."  I could explain the story behind the song to you, but let Amanda do it...  Check her post on Instagram.

[AUG 18] In Bruce news - he's been posting videos again. He's got a short on the couch clip on Facebook.  But of course he's also added to both of his YouTube series.  Album By Album looks at Life And The Romantic,  and Stages And Stories recounts the Brooklyn Dreams move to LA.  Look for more uploads this week.  :-)

[AUG 18] Oh and one more thing this week.  You may have run into images on social media of Vice President Harris exiting a record store with a record in her hand.  In the original photo she is holding an album by Charles Mingus. HOWEVER - the photo has become a meme and people change that album to pretty much anything they want.  (You can do it pretty easily in a program like Photoshop, or there is even an online meme generator that will swap in a different album for you.) It's fun to play with, but just keep in mind that of you run into the photo and Kamala Harris is holding up a Donna Summer album, it is unfortunately fake.  But I would like to think that the only reason she wasn't holding one of Donna's albums is because she already owns them all!    Should I reach out to her people and find out?  (Dear Harris for Prez people, I don't care about stupid trivial issues like economics, foreign policy, border security, healthcare, civil rights, etc, etc... all I want to know is if the candidate is a Donna Summer fan!  LOL) But on a serious side note, yes it's election season here in the US again. So if you are a US citizen who is eligible to vote, make sure you are registered, educate yourself on the issues and the candidates, and then in November (or October if your area has early voting) get your butt out there and vote for the candidate who likes Donna Summer... I mean, who aligns best with your vision for the country.  ;-) Remember, if you don't vote, you can't whine about the results later.

[AUG 18] Ok, it's time for YouTube.  First of all - hey YouTube. It's really rude to throw me an AD for the 10 Annoying Songs Of All Time when I search for Donna.  For a second I thought they were going to claim that Donna was on that list and I would have to declare war on the YouTuber.  And I don't want to do that... I'd have to go out and buy tar and feathers... LOL  Anyway, moving past the ad, let's look at some early clips of Donna.  First up Black Power from 1970.  (It's from a TV show so there is an action sequence in the middle of the song.)  Then we have a short clip of Nickelbag Annie,  Donna with Family Tree in 1974 (and yes there are some shenanigans with her voice there),  Something I'd Like To Tell You  and Time For Change by Cool Drive Union (Donna's vocals - her sister Linda's photo), If You're Walking Alone (as Donna Gaines), and finally a trippy little ad for Afri-Cola.

[AUG 11]  Greetings all and happy Sunday! First up this week, we are getting a Christmas Spirit vinyl edition this year. It's listed at a number of places as a preorder. Here's the Amazon link  [affiliate link] showing a release date of October 4.

[AUG 11] In remix news, fanmixer Q has made a mix of Donna's cover of Reflections from Divas 2000. Because of copyright issues, YouTube won't let him post it there, so you can catch it on Facebook.

[AUG 11] Moving on to Johnnyswim... (BTW - Happy birthday Amanda!) The latest New Music Monday is up for your listening pleasure. This one is called She Checks The Weather. It's a beautiful ballad featuring lead vocals by Amanda. I think tomorrow they should be due for another episode of Say Grace.

[AUG 11] Also in Johnnyswim news, they are gearing up for a Christmas tour this December. The dates are on their website, and if you are subscribed to their newsletter (and you should be if you are a fan!) you should have received a code to get your tickets early.

[AUG 11] In Bruce news this week, he just did the Celeb Savant podcast. The episode is a tribute to Donna. You can find that podcast in all the places you get podcasts, but here is the link I used when I listened.

[AUG 11] On YouTube, Bruce has added to both of his series. Album By Album talks about Rainy Day Soul. Stages And Stories talks about the Brooklyn Dream album Music, Harmony And Rhythm. Look for new episodes of both series later this week.

[AUG 11] Don't forget that Bruce is on tour this fall. Tickets for Boston just went on sale, so grab them now if you are or will be in that area.

[AUG 11] I think that brings us to YouTube. Since we are saying goodbye to the Olympics tonight, let's see if we can dig up some more clips that go with the theme of Paris. So we have the WaWa Radio Edit of To Paris With Love. Then we have a stampyourfeet video for Donna's studio version of La Vie En Rose (from the Tribute to Edith Piaf CD)  , the French version of Whenever There Is Love , and From A Distance (recorded for the 1996 Olympics) . As a bonus we also have Johnnyswim's Paris In June  and Bonsoir. Thank you Paris for a great Olympics!  And finally since the next Summer Games will take place in Los Angeles, check out Donna's waitress cameo in Frank Sinatra's LA Is My Lady.

[AUG 4] Happy Sunday all! It's a new month, so you know what that means. It's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. For August we are going back to the first album - Lady Of The Night.

[AUG 4] Let's start off with Donna this week.  Smooth Radio decided to post their ranking of Donna's hits. I'm sure none of you will be surprised to see that I Feel Love topped the list.

[AUG 4] In remix news, fanmixer Q has made 2 new mixes of the song clips for Addiction that Nathan DiGesare posted a few years ago. He's got his Garden Of Eden mix, and his Garden Of E-Dance mix.

[AUG 4] Moving on to Bruce, he's also posted some videos this week. On Facebook look for his live version of Bad Girls. Then on YouTube, he's added to both of his video series.   Album By Album covers the Joe Bruce & 2nd Avenue album.  And the Brooklyn Dreams series Stages And Stories covers their debut album.

[AUG 4] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I think in honor of the new Summer Fever Pick we will do some Lady Of The Night clips.  So let's start with the title track from TopPop, then we have The Hostage from Van Oekel's Discohoek, a lyric video for Virgin Mary, and as a bonus, a lyric video for Denver Dream.

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