The world of music lost many of its treasured voices in 2012, from the heartbreak of Whitney Houston and Adam Yauch, to the unmatched influence of Dick Clark and Don Cornelius. Iconic guitar pickers, banda stars, disco and jazz icons, a sitar legend, a hip-hop mogul, songwriting legends, and beloved singers — all gone, but [...]
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Inductees
December 11, 2012 | Posted by
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its newest inductees, the class of 2013. Among them are Rush, Heart, Public Enemy, Randy Newman, and the late Donna Summer and Albert King. Summer had spent six years on the ballot before she passed away in May, and will now earn the honor post-humously, something [...]
Will Donna Summer Be Among 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees?
December 11, 2012 | Posted by
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s new class of inductees for 2013 will be announced later Tuesday at a news conference in Los Angeles. While the event generally prompts high fives among fans of the winners, the list also provokes an annual debate over who gets in and why. The Rock and Roll Hall [...]
Tasha Smith Looks For A New Role As Donna Summer
September 11, 2012 | Posted by
Actress Tasha Smith has become a household name while playing fictional characters created by filmmaker Tyler Perry. The star of the TBS sitcom “For Better or For Worse” and Perry’s “Jumping the Broom,” “Why Did I Get Married” film and its sequel says she’s got just a real person in mind for a future project. [...]
Dance Africa Festival Honors Don Cornelius and Donna Summer
May 28, 2012 | Posted by
The Dance Africa festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this year honored Don Cornelius, a man that many of the students believe had a great amount of influence on African culture. Rob Fields writes about black culture for a magazine called “Bold as Love” and he recalled how he used to tune in to [...]
Donna Summer Private Funeral Service Set for Today
May 23, 2012 | Posted by
“Disco Queen” Donna Summer will be laid to rest Wednesday during a private ceremony at a church in Nashville, TN. We’re told the church is expecting a capacity crowd — roughly 1,000 people — but the service is invitation only. The family is adamant … they don’t want the ceremony to become a media spectacle [...]
Donna Summer’s Death Reminds Us to Celebrate Our Icons While They’re Still Living
May 18, 2012 | Posted by
She will always be associated with that word “disco,” but Donna Summer floated far above it. The word “disco” came to be associated with polyester suits, mirrored balls and incessant, interchangeable songs that thumped along to a rhythm that could be played and sung by anyone, as long as the groove kept you on the [...]
Donna Summer’s Best Songs
May 17, 2012 | Posted by
Donna Summer’s songs received new life when her legion of fans learned of her unexpected death. Donna and her music crossed all racial, social, gender and orientation barriers and she indelibly left her mark on a time of social catharsis that we grew up in together. To honor the beloved disco queen we have gathered [...]
Donna Summer: Queen Of Disco’s Last Dance
May 17, 2012 | Posted by
Disco, for so many, was the pulsing music of unfettered fun and freedom. The powerful voice and rich production of Donna Summer’s recordings served as soundtracks for a time that preceded the deadly realities of AIDS and the backlash of conservatism ushered in by the Reagan era. The Giorgio Moroder-produced I Feel Love instantly became [...]
Donna Summer, Disco Queen, Dead at 63
May 17, 2012 | Posted by
Music legend Donna Summer, who was one of the most important figures of the disco era, reportedly has died of cancer at the age of 63. The website TMZ is reporting that Summer died at her home in Florida. With songs like “Last Dance,” “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad Girls” and “MacArthur Park,” Summer [...]
