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

[APR 13] Happy Sunday all! Would somebody please remind Mother Nature that is it SPRING so it should be warm out now?  LOL

[APR 13] Let's start with Donna. You mat have read on Facebook that she was awarded something called the Golden Clef.  Guess what? That is AI nonsense again. The same site had the same story about at least 4 other celebrities.  I am the first to admit that playing with AI is fun, but it is getting really frustrating to sort the garbage from the real news. 

[APR 13] On that note, there is a story circulating that Toby Gad has a song of Donna's that he wants to release in a couple of months.  That looks more credible than most of the AI stuff I have seen, but that being said - I don't know if it's true or not. I am hoping to find a video, or at least a full length interview where he says that. This is the other annoying thing about AI... the proliferation  of garbage makes you doubt stuff that could be true.  Ugh.

[APR 13] On to Johnnyswim and stuff that definitely is true. They have added Georgia to the fall tour list.  So snap up those tickets before they sell out!  In other tour news, you know I keep telling you to watch Instagram for announcements and show recaps? Well, they posted a show recap in which the audience (and then Johnnyswim joined in) sang Last Dance (with Donna's recording playing in the theater as the catalyst.  :-) )  It's the second video clip in this post. (I had ALL the feels in that clip.... )

[APR 13] There is also a new interview with Johnnyswim online in Decatur Daily. In it they talk about using their life experiences to write songs.

[APR 13] Bruce Sudano fans - look for him on the Someone You Should Know podcast. In it he talks about everything from being a kid in Brooklyn up to the new album.  And yes, he talks about Donna too.

[APR 13] Brooklyn Dreams fans - the Mini LP  CD  is available at CD Japan for now.  (It's cute - a CD packaged to look like a little LP.)  Currently it's about $19 USD, but I have no idea what the on again off again tariffs will do to that.   :-(

[APR 13] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up we have a mini concert at the Diamond Awards from the early-mid 90s.  Then we have an interview/concert from the Bad Girls tour that was played on the radio back in the day, a clip of Donna singing Hot Stuff on the American Music Awards in 1982, Bad Girls from the Tonight Show in 1979 (with the funky glasses  LOL),  and finally in honor of the song being played at the end of a Johnnyswim concert, we have Last Dance - this one is live from the VH1 concert.  As a special bonus clip, here is one of The Three Dog Night's Mama Told Me Not To Come.  This clip claims that Donna was a vocalist on this track. Now I do remember reading that Donna did demos for Three Dog Night back when she was still living in Germany.  I don't know if she made it to any of the final versions of the songs, and if she is on this one, she is buried so far in the mix that I can't pick her out.  If she's there it might take headphones and younger ears than mine to find her.  LOL

[APR 13] And finally, just a reminder that I am walking to end MS again this year.  If you are into donating, here is my link.  And if money is tight - I accept thoughts and prayers for those who have MS.  I like to say that I walk for those who can't.   :-)  Thanks to all who have already donated!

[APR 06] Greetings all!  It's a new month so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are dancing to the one and only Bad Girls!

[APR 06] I Feel Love fans - BBC Radio 4 aired their special on the song, and you can catch it online now.

[APR 06] I'm sure most of you remember that Andrea Bufalini and Giovanni Savastano wrote a book about Donna called la Voce Arcobaleno. At first it was available only in Italian, then they released a version in French. Well, there is an English version coming. According to Amazon [paid link], it will be available on December 31 - which seems strangely appropriate.  LOL It's a paperback edition with a list price of $39.99 currently. Hopefully the tariff nonsense doesn't cause that price to change.

[APR 06] Moving on to Bruce.... he's got a new song out now called No Surprise. You can catch it in all the usual places, including a lyric video on YouTube.

[APR 06] Johnnyswim fans - catch them on tour (still) and if you are going to a show don't forget to check out their  Merch To Go.  And keep an eye on their Instagram for announcements and tour highlights.

[APR 06]  That brings us to YouTube.  First up, a new mix of Sunset People.  Then we have the Bad Girls demo that appeared in the documentary, and the demo that was on the Bad Girls Deluxe Edition.  Then we have the 12" version of Walk Away, Dim All The Lights live from the 1980 TV special, and  a longer version of Hot Stuff with extra adlibs in the outtro.  As an extra bonus, here is Bruce's performance of Bad Girls.

[MAR 30] Happy Sunday all! Unfortunately I have to start off with another warning about AI. Now there is a site soccer247.com that is posting nonsense. If you are on the web and you see an interesting story about an upcoming Donna release, or film, or what have you, be really aware of the site posting it. A true story will come from a recognizable entertainment website. But random stories on a site with a url that is say, sports related (like the last 2 AI sites have been) should be looked at with suspicion. Why would a soccer url be talking about music news? Also, look at the other stories on the site - usually once an AI story about Donna is posted, there are other VERY similar AI stories about other artists on the same site.

[MAR 30] In better news, Billboard has compiles a list of the 100 best dance songs of all time.  The MacArthur  Park Suite came in at #73 and at #1 is none other than I Feel Love.  :-) And as long as we are counting down songs,  Singersroom.com has its own list of the 15 best disco songs.   Donna has 3 songs on that list: Hot STuff at #8,  Bad Girls at #12, and Love To Love You at #14.

[MAR 30] BBC Radio 4 has a series called Soul and on Saturday April 5 the episode will be about I Feel Love. It repeats on the radio on Monday the 7th, and then at some point it will be available on demand.

[MAR 30] Boston's Donna Summer Day 2025 has been announced. It will be Friday June 27 from 5 to 9 at City Hall Plaza.  DJ Vince will be playing the tunes and I am sure that as always, some members of Donna's family will be there.

[MAR 30] In figure skating news, American Alysa Liu won with world Championship using  MacArthur Park and One Of A Kind as the music for her free skate.  Appropriately enough, the competition was held in Boston. You can see her performance on YouTube.

[MAR 30] Bruce fans - look for a new song from him called No Surprise on April 4.  Find it at all the usual places.

[MAR 30] Bruce  has also posted a couple of clips on Facebook from his show the other night. He shared Damn Lonely On The Road, and Change.

[MAR 30] In Johnnyswim news they did an interview and performed a couple of songs for WFPK. You can catch it on demand here.  Don't forget they are still on tour and still doing the whole Merch To Go thing. And keep an eye on their Instagram for Run Club dates, updates, and photos from the road.

[MAR 30] That brings us to YouTube.  This time I think we'll do some European clips.  So we'll start with Melody Of Love from 1994,  Enough Is Enough performed with Westlife,  a medley of I Feel Love, Bad Girls, and Hot Stuff from 1994, The Nobel Peace Prize concert from 2009, Supernatural Love from German TV, and as a bonus, Donna with Family Tree in 1974.  (Yes that's her, but NOT her voice. Weird.)

[MAR 23] Greetings all and Happy Spring! (Although Mother Nature pulled a prank on us here where I am and made it cold again today.  LOL)  Let's start off with a little music history this week.  NPR posted an article called 100 Years, 100 Moments: How Women Shaped A Century Of Music. It is part of a series and this part covers 1975-1999. Hmmm... do we know anyone who was active in that time frame? LOL It's a fairly short article - it goes year by year and picks one artist/song for that year - and no artist is repeated on the list. So they start with Donna and Love To Love You in 1975 and then that's it for her.

[MAR 23] Moving on to Johnnyswim - their tour is officially on the road now. With that comes the inevitable publicity. So with that in mind, check out the interview in The Daily Bulletin for the Anaheim show, and the interview for Arizona's Family.

[MAR 23] Just a reminder, Abner is busy making merch for the shows and if you use their Merchandise To Go website, you can grab exclusive merch, plus you can skip the lines at the venue. You can order before or during the show online, then just grab your prepaid stuff. You can use the link here, or scan a QR code at the concert venue. I wish they would have had a system like this when I was chasing Donna in concert.

[MAR 23] Also, Abner is resurrecting the run club where you can met up (usually at the venue) at a particular time and you can go running with him. The first one was today,  March 22, at noon in Atlanta. But keep an eye on Instagram for info on future runs. (Especially watch the reels - that's where the best announcements are - plus merch sneak peeks, and photos/clips from the shows.)

[MAR 23] Moving on to Bruce. Back in the late 80s, he recorded an album with Joe Esposito as Joe Bruce & 2nd Avenue. That album is FINALLY available on Spotify for your listening pleasure.

[MAR 23] Bruce fans near Brescia, Italy - catch him at The Beatles Museum in Brescia on March 27. Or catch him walking around Milan filming reels for Instagram.  ;-)

[MAR 23] I think that brings us to YouTube. I think this week I'll share a bunch of concerts with you.  So we start in 1977 in Italy then move to Japan in 1979, Spain in 1990, Japan in 1991, Brazil in 1992, Chile in 1994, Belgium in 2005, and Long Island in 2008.  That's a lot of traveling without leaving your chair!  LOL

[MAR 16] Greetings all and Happy St Patrick's Day. We'll start off with Donna this week. First up is a video I found on MSN called How Donna Summer Changed Pop Music Forever. It is about (as you probably guessed) I Feel Love. The video is actually a couple of years old, but it was fun to see MSN pick it up.

[MAR 16]  Next up is a Yahoo article about b-sides that became hits. Yes, that includes I Feel Love.

[MAR 16] Johnnyswim fans - as you know the spring tour starts on Thursday in Indianapolis. This first half of the tour features special guest Micah Edwards. This tour will also offer the Merchandise To Go service they have used before. In other words, you order and pay for your merch online on the day of the show (before the show, during the show, whatever) then you go to a special line at the end of the show and just grab your order. (Kind of like you can do with food or coffee at a lot of places - you order and pay through the app then just grab it when you get there.) They will have an exclusive Merch To Go t-shirt, as well as other regular merch that Abner was working on in his backyard in a recent Insta reel. (Hey, how many bands make their own merch?)

[MAR 16] Johnnyswim is also interviewed in the March/April issue of American Songwriter. You can see a teaser of that interview on Instagram. Unfortunately the interview isn't online (yet) so you will have to find a copy of the magazine to see it.

[MAR 16] And don't forget to check out Johnnyswim's YouTube channel for more clips of them performing the new songs live.

[MAR 16] Bruce Sudano fans in Italy - Bruce will be at the Demetrio Stratos Auditorium of Radio Popolare in Milan on Thursday March 20. Admission if free, but you have to reserve tickets by email. Details are in this link.

[MAR 16] Bruce was also live on his couch on Facebook again. This was a new song called A Girl Forgotten inspired by a book Bruce read last fall.

[MAR 16] That brings us to YouTube. I felt like hanging out in 1999 this week, so here are the clips I've been checking out. First up is the whole VH1 Live & More Encore show. Then we have the video for I Will Go With You, and Donna on the Rosie O'Donnell Show.  And finally 3 clips from Donna's first appearance on The View - the interview, I Will Go With You, and On The Radio.

[MAR 09] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start off with a warning this week. There is more AI nonsense going around on social media. If you read ANYTHING that came from halftimenews.uk - it's AI generated garbage.  Laugh at if it you wish, but don't expect any of the reports to be true. And also know that the more you click on Donna stories there, the more Donna stories they will create.

[MAR 09] If you are looking for something to listen to,  there is a show on Soundcloud called In Focus and it has 2 house of Donna's music.

[MAR 09] Moving on, as you know the Oscars were on last weekend. (And boy was it weird not having the nominated songs performed!) In honor of Oscar night, Queerty posted an article about the Oscar-winning song Last Dance.  The article also includes a few related YouTube videos including the audio for Paul Jabara's version of Last Dance.

[MAR 09] ThyBlackman.com posted an article listing 10 songs that prove Donna i the Queen of Disco.  It's a nice article, but there are no surprises on the list.

[MAR 09] Opera fans - Johnnyswim did a video for the LA Opera showing some of the behind the scenes for Romeo & Juliette. Catch it on YouTube as part of the LA Opera's 40th Anniversary season  announcement.

[MAR 09] And of course you can catch Johnnyswim on tour all spring and again in the fall.

[MAR 09] In Bruce news, he's been making making the rounds again. He was in an Italian article promoting the new single, How'd You Get Here (which has a video on YouTube.)  He also did the City Is Backyard podcast where they talk abut everything from Alive N Kickin' til now.

[MAR 09] Johnnyswim fans - we are still celebrating the release of When The War is Over. Our favorite duo has been posting reels of the various tracks from the album on their Instagram and YouTube channels.

[MAR 09] That brings us to YouTube. In honor of Live & More, let's do some interviews from about that time. So we have a 1978 interview with Rona Barrett, Donna on Merv Griffin in 1978, Donna on The Tonight Show, and another appearance on Merv Griffin.

[MAR 09] And finally this week - I am doing my annual MS Walk. This year the walk actually falls on May 17, so I have extra incentive to wear one of my Donna shirts. If you are interested in donating, my link is here. But I also get that 2025 is turning into a giant dumpster fire, so if you can't spare any cash I am more than happy with your thoughts and prayers for those afflicted with MS.

[MAR 01] Happy Saturday all! Can you believe March is here already? Spring is right around the corner with warmer weather and the start of concert season. It is also time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month you will be shouting "More more more!" for Live & More - the original 1978 album.

[MAR 01] Johnnyswim has been posting video clips of them performing songs from the new album When The War Is Over. You can catch them on YouTube and Instagram - although at the moment, Insta has more of them. (If you haven't listened to that album yet - do it! It is really good and I find that for me it had a vibe that helps me feel better after all my doom-scrolling of the latest national/world news.)

[MAR 01] Speaking of Johnnyswim, if you are interested in attending the show in Louisville on March 21,  WFPK 91.9 is offering you a chance to win tickets to the show.  Entry form and rules are posted here.

[MAR 01] Bruce fans -he has a new video out for How'd You Get Here. He says it's geared for Baby Boomers - but I'm telling all you younger people out there - you will get there too. LOL

[MAR 01] Bruce was also on another podcast this week. This one is Stories From The 78 and they talk about Bruce's career from the beginning.

[MAR 01] This month we are celebrating the new Summer Fever Pick. So we start off with an ad for Live & More with lots of vintage live clips, and a cut down version that actually aired on TV. Then we have a clip that shows the videos for MacArthur Park, I Feel Love, and Last Dance together, and the 1/2 hour cut down version of the episode of American Bandstand that Donna hosted (with a special intro by Dick Clark and an appearance by the Brooklyn Dreams.) Finally in honor of tomorrow being Oscar night, we have a Suecase Hall video showcasing Donna on the Oscars.

[FEB 23] Happy Sunday all! I hope everybody is keeping their sanity in these strange times we are living in.

[FEB 23] I guess we'll start with Bruce this week. He just did another podcast. This one is the Jim Master's Show and they talk about just about everything from Alive & Kickin' to  Talkin' Ugly Truths Tellin' Pretty Lies.  (And yes, Donna comes up.)

[FEB 23] Moving on to Johnnyswim. They did a rapid fire Q&A for American Songwriter on Instagram.  They also did an interview for BBC Radio London in which they also played Dopamine live in the studio. You can catch that for a limited time on the BBC website. Johnnyswim doesn't appear until about the 3 hour and 10 minute mark.

[FEB 23] Don't forget Johnnyswim is back out on the road starting March 20. So if they are coming to your area - go grab some tickets!

[FEB 23] That brings us to  YouTube. I thought we'd have some funny clips this week.  So we have Donna on Greg Kinnear in 1993, a fun video Donna made in 2008, outtakes from the 1980 TV special, a clip from Donna's appearance on Family Matters, and finally a silly experimental video Donna made.

[FEB 16] Greetings all and a belated Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all got to spend the day with someone you love - even if that person was yourself.   :-) (You gotta love yourself you know!)

[FEB 16] Let's start off with Johnnyswim. They just added a boatload of new tour dates - along with VIP packages to go with them.  Check the list on their site and remember - if there is a particular date that interests you grab those tickets as soon as you can. Johnnyswim does have a pretty good record of selling out. (And if you have ever been to one of their shows then you understand why.  :-) )

[FEB 16] Also in Johnnyswim news - they were on Jimmy Kimmel Live the other day. You can catch the performance on YouTube.  (Thank God because I fell asleep that night and only woke up for the last few notes.  LOL) 

[FEB 16] Clash Music has a short article posted about When The War Is Over punctuated with a giant photo of Abner and Amanda.  And they also did an episode of the Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby.

[FEB 16] Bruce fans - he also did a podcast recently. It was the Retro Rock Round Up and you can catch that here.

[FEB 16] I just want to warn everyone again about AI. I saw a post online recently where it said "According to ChatGPT, Donna.... whatever." ChatGPT is an AI program that will literally makeup a plausible-sounding story based on anything you chose to input as a prompt. It cannot be accepted as a reliable source of info.  I played with ChatGPT once and I had it write really good stories about Donna raising elephants in a tiny Brooklyn apartment, about Cher raising giant killer ants in Hawaii, about Marlon Brando recording an album of music made only by chainsaws. The prompts were deliberately ridiculous,  but all the stories that got spit out looked fairly legit.  And I was just playing with the free version - I can't even imagine what the paid version would do.  So when you are browsing the internet, please be mindful of your sources - whether you are looking up Donna, or something more serious.  (The same with photos - there are tons of AI photos out there.)

[FEB 16] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I think for Valentine's Day, we have to do a love theme this week.  So we have to start with Love To Love You Baby. Then we have Love On And On, I Feel Love live from Live & More Encore, a liveandmore video  for Our Love,  I Love You from The Tonight Show, Love Is The Healer from The View, and finally the live clip of the ballad version of I Will Live For Live.

[FEB 9] Happy Sunday all!  We had our first real snow storm here last night and I find myself wondering why nobody has invented self-shoveling snow yet!  LOL

[FEB 9] So the news of the week is that Johnnyswim's new album, When The War Is Over, is out now. And there is merch to go with it.  If you haven't listened to the album yet, go check it out.  It has a nice calming vibe to it that I personally find appealing these days. They've been celebrating the release all over social media so keep an eye on Instagram for videos and such about When The War Is Over.

[FEB 9] Don't forget that Johnnyswim will be on Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow (February 10), then Tuesday they will be playing at the Grand Ole Opry and  Wednesday they are doing at record signing at Grimeys in Nashville.

[FEB 9] There is also a new article in Relevent Magazine about the new album.

[FEB 9] Bruce Sudano fans - he posted a reel on Facebook where he talks about being a songwriter.

[FEB 9] Brooklyn Sudano fans - you remember that a couple of years ago she was on a show called Taken? Well, the streaming service Tubi has picked up that show so you can see her episodes again. She was only in the first season and her best scenes came towards the end of the season. As I recall, she was quite a bad-ass in one of those last episodes.  :-)

[FEB 9] That brings us to YouTube. Since tonight is Superbowl Sunday, I thought we'd do a (sort of) sports-themes list this time.  So we start off with Stamp Your Feet (which is appropriate for just about any sport), One Of A Kind (which I remember hearing years ago after some sporting event), and Run With It (which I think could also work for sports.) Then for specifically football videos, we have Donna doing an ad for Monday Night Football, and a clip of On My Honor being used for a football review. (Sorry, the sound is pretty bad on that one.)

[FEB 2] Greetings all and Happy Groundhog Day! Depending on which groundhog you believe, we are either getting an early spring, or a longer winter. Somebody needs to tell those groundhogs to make up their minds!  LOL  This week starts a new month so of course we have a new Summer Fever  Pick. This month we jump into the fairytale that is Once Upon A Time.

[FEB 2] Let's start with Johnnyswim since their album is coming out soon. (When The War Is Over - February 7!) They've done a few interviews in support of the album.  One was on Dadville Podcast the other day. You can listen on YouTube.  The other was on Talkshop Live.

[FEB 2] If you are into press releases, there is one for When The War Is Over posted here.

[FEB 2] As you know we have some tour dates already announced, but there are other events coming up too. Look for them at the Grammy Museum on February 6 for an album release event, on Jimmy Kimmel Live on February 10, on The Grand Ole Opry on February 11 as part of the year long Opry 100 celebration, and at a record signing at Grimey's in Nashville on February 12. Beyond that, Abner has said that there will be an announcement of more tour dates. (Which is probably not really news - given the chance, Johnnyswim seems to live on the road. LOL) He's also said there will be some bonus tracks from When The War Is Over coming out in March. Johnnyswim is also writing a musical and possibly exploring the idea of writing a cookbook. (When do they have time to do all this? LOL)

[FEB 2] As you know both Johnnyswim and Bruce did the Benefit for LA at the Hotel Cafe the other night. Both shared short clips from their performances. Johnnyswim's is a reel on their Instagram, and Bruce's is posted as a story on Instagram. (You may need to login to see it.)

[FEB 2] Speaking of Bruce, he posted a video on Instagram talking about staying positive as an artist/songwriter. And he did  an interview on Downtown With Rich Kimball  the other day in which he talks about lots of things.

[FEB 2] There was also a short article about Bruce for the benefit event in LA at Hotel Cafe. I'm sure there was one for Johnnyswim too, but now that the benefit is over I can't find it.

[FEB 2] And that brings us to YouTube. This week we are celebrating Once Upon A Time.  So we have the title track live in 1979,  Fairy Tale High from the 1980 TV Special (with Mimi), a liveandmore video for Working The Midnight Shift, I Love You from The Tonight Show, and A Man Like You from The Midnight Special.

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