Donna Summer

Donna Adrian Gaines, known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter who rose to fame during the disco era of the 1970s and became widely recognized as the "Queen of Disco." Born and raised in Boston, she dropped out of high school before graduating and began her career as the lead singer of a blues rock band called Crow, later moving to New York City. In 1968, she joined the German adaptation of the musical Hair in Munich, where she lived for several years, acting and singing. There, she met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and released her first album, Lady of the Night, in 1974, which was only available in Europe.

After recording the groundbreaking disco anthem "Love to Love You Baby" and releasing it in Europe, she signed with Casablanca Records in 1975 for its North American release. The single became her first top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two in 1976. Her first three Casablanca albums—Love to Love You Baby, A Love Trilogy, and Four Seasons of Love—all went gold in the US, earning her the informal title "First Lady of Love" in the music press. Her 1977 album I Remember Yesterday produced the top ten US and number one UK hit "I Feel Love," later hailed as one of the most important records in pop music history.

1979–1980: Bad Girls and fallout with Casablanca

After recording much of her early work in Munich, Summer and her producers relocated to the United States, where she continued releasing successful singles such as "Last Dance," "MacArthur Park," "Heaven Knows," "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "Dim All the Lights," "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" with Barbra Streisand, and "On the Radio." Starting in 1978, she topped the Billboard 200 with the live album Live and More, beginning a streak of three consecutive number one albums, including Bad Girls (1979) and the compilation On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II (1980). She became the first and only artist to have three number one double albums, all certified platinum or higher, with Bad Girls selling over two million copies. In 1979, she became the first female artist to record three number one singles in one calendar year.