Elton John Slammed Rock N Roll Hall of Fame For Donna Snub

May 17, 2012

Link

Elton John said in a statement that Summer was more than the Queen of Disco.

"Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted," he said.

"She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and I will miss her greatly."

R.I.P.

This is SO sad to me. I clicked on the org, read this, and said, "Nooooooooo!"

Donna was everything, she had the talent to back up the beauty. She was a superstar. I loved that woman's voice. That voice on those disco tracks brought joy to a lot of people. She had that stuff that people wanted to hear. She took chances & made songs about many different subjects, daring at the time.

When I was a child my friends and I wanted to BE Donna. We said *toot toot, hey, beep beep*, not knowing it was a song about hookers. Donna was gorgeous. She had style. The lady was chic, glamorous, a vision in her disco gowns. Donna, disco music, & roller skates, will always be a part of my childhood memories.

Thanks for all the jams on top of jams, Disco Queen! Donna, I'm gonna hit Sunset Blvd., & ride on Sunset People in your memory.

MadamGoodnight said:

R.I.P.

This is SO sad to me. I clicked on the org, read this, and said, "Nooooooooo!"

Donna was everything, she had the talent to back up the beauty. She was a superstar. I loved that woman's voice. That voice on those disco tracks brought joy to a lot of people. She had that stuff that people wanted to hear. She took chances & made songs about many different subjects, daring at the time.

When I was a child my friends and I wanted to BE Donna. We said *toot toot, hey, beep beep*, not knowing it was a song about hookers. Donna was gorgeous. She had style. The lady was chic, glamorous, a vision in her disco gowns. Donna, disco music, & roller skates, will always be a part of my childhood memories.

Thanks for all the jams on top of jams, Disco Queen! Donna, I'm gonna hit Sunset Blvd., & ride on Sunset People in your memory.

[Edited 5/17/12 20:30pm]

The news took my breath away and took me a minute to process what I knew to be true Ms. Summer's has passed. Earlier today I spoke with two childhood friends Sandy and Stephanie about some memories we had when we saw Donna Summer in concert in winter of 1979.

I was flat broke and Donna Summer was to be the first performer ever to play the newly built Holiday Star Theatre in Merrillive IN. At that time Holiday Star hotel/theatre was in the middle of cornfields. Anyways. I didn't have any money for tickets and our local disco radio channel WDAI were giving away free tickets... you know the drill be the tenth caller. For five days I called into WDAI once I was the eighth caller but on Friday at 1:45am in the morning I was the twelfth caller.

Of course the DJ got my name wrong he called me Tina at first but 3 days later I recieved my two tickets in the mail; I had asked my girlfriend Stephanie to go with me to the concert. Ms. Summer had released her "Bad Girls" album in the spring of that year so sista girl was on a roll. The costumes changes, the tight band, the back up singers, and her wonderous voice just like her recordings.... WOW. It was a two hour concert, we had dinner, and hung around the hotel. There was no security, no one stopping you about anything, and we three got this idea we were going to find Ms. Summer's rooms. Needless to say we didn't but around midnight we saw three black women leaning over the rail looking over the indoor pool lobby area of the Star Hotel, they waived and we waived back. They came down and it dawned on use these were Donna Summer's back-up singers. We engaged in small talked, asked a lot questions about touring... were they had been and they asked about the area. My girlfriend Sandra had brought along her Summer's "Bad Girls" album hoping Donna would sign. Security told everyone only people with flowers or small gifts could approach the stage. I told them how I got my tickest and one of the women left and came back. She said... Donna said, "Come on back."

She had just finished dinner, spoke with use for about 30 minutes, and signed my girlfriends album. Very nice, smiled a lot, listened well, and had an easy manner. I can't remember what we all said because we were all trying to play it cool and not act like hysterical fans. I'm certain we didn't pull it off.

My deepest sympathies to her family and friends.

=============================

[Edited 5/17/12 20:54pm]

Well,

After sobbing all day, I think I'll share some interviews she did circa Crayons.

She's funny as can be, so relaxed and open.

Classy Donna. She was such a kind lady

Enjoy!

It's truly a shock to read about this, she was indeed a music icon. She is going to be missed. Heaven knows its overflowing with our angels, thank you for sharing her with us.

TD3 said:

The news took my breath away and took me a minute to process what I knew to be true Ms. Summer's has passed. Earlier today I spoke with two childhood friends Sandy and Stephanie about some memories we had when we saw Donna Summer in concert in winter of 1979.

I was flat broke and Donna Summer was to be the first performer ever to play the newly built Holiday Star Theatre in Merrillive IN. At that time Holiday Star hotel/theatre was in the middle of cornfields. Anyways. I didn't have any money for tickets and our local disco radio channel WDAI were giving away free tickets... you know the drill be the tenth caller. For five days I called into WDAI once I was the eighth caller but on Friday at 1:45am in the morning I was the twelfth caller.

Of course the DJ got my name wrong he called me Tina at first but 3 days later I recieved my two tickets in the mail; I had asked my girlfriend Stephanie to go with me to the concert. Ms. Summer had released her "Bad Girls" album in the spring of that year so sista girl was on a roll. The costumes changes, the tight band, the back up singers, and her wonderous voice just like her recordings.... WOW. It was a two hour concert, we had dinner, and hung around the hotel. There was no security, no one stopping you about anything, and we three got this idea we were going to find Ms. Summer's rooms. Needless to say we didn't but around midnight we saw three black women leaning over the rail looking over the indoor pool lobby area of the Star Hotel, they waived and we waived back. They came down and it dawned on use these were Donna Summer's back-up singers. We engaged in small talked, asked a lot questions about touring... were they had been and they asked about the area. My girlfriend Sandra had brought along her Summer's "Bad Girls" album hoping Donna would sign. Security told everyone only people with flowers or small gifts could approach the stage. I told them how I got my tickest and one of the women left and came back. She said... Donna said, "Come on back."

She had just finished dinner, spoke with use for about 30 minutes, and signed my girlfriends album. Very nice, smiled a lot, listened well, and had an easy manner. I can't remember what we all said because we were all trying to play it cool and not act like hysterical fans. I'm certain we didn't pull it off.

My deepest sympathies to her family and friends.

=============================

[Edited 5/17/12 20:54pm]

What a lovely story. You are lucky to have met Donna. She always seemed like a class act to me.

Thanks for sharing that. Enjoyed reading this.

artist76 said:

steelyd said:

I'm through! Why are all the people who brought joy to my life dying??? Ugh I'm just through, I can't even bring myself to say rest in peace. I'm getting drunk tonight and playing Donna Summers all evening.

I'd guess it's because you're probably at least 40 yrs old, give or take 5 yrs.

Much respect to Donna Summer. May she r.i.p.

WHAT THE FUCK DOES MY AGE HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING YOU INSENSITIVE AGEIST DOUCHE BAG! It was a retorical question jerk! Donna was more than a fucking Disco Queen and a huge idol of mine, so keep your stupid ageist comments to yourself!

[Edited 5/17/12 21:33pm]

Thanks so much for sharing this clip! Made me laugh on a sad day.

R.I.P. Donna, your choir awaits you.

Favorite songs; Lush life, Spring Affair, I Feel Love and.....LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY

MickyDolenz said:

RIP

purplethunder3121 said:

artist76 said:

I'd guess it's because you're probably at least 40 yrs old, give or take 5 yrs.

Much respect to Donna Summer. May she r.i.p.

Way ahead of you Steelyd! And artist76--it has nothing to do with someone's age. All too many people that peeps love in the music biz have been passing away before their time--including those in their twenties on up. But, Donna's death hits me right between the eyes... Like a big chunk of my youth going up in flames... Too soon.

Thanks Purplethunder! 63 is too young and Donna was a great talent as a singer & a songwriter! Beautiful woman, crystal clear pitch perfect voice and absolutley UNDERRATED! Totally more than just that dinky "disco queen" moniker that people flipantly throw at her. I'm so sad about death.

still can't believe this. Donna will be missed for the rest of my life. Getting older does suck because you lose so many people you love, how many will still be here when I'm 40 in 13 years?

I mean, let's be real. She not only did disco, she did anything else out there SO well. She is also just beautiful! I mean, look at her! So beautiful, and her daughter is heavenly!

I have always loved her voice and her songs..Because every single last one of them I heard has a special story to them. It's like the story is connected to everything about the song. So many precious memories that carry so much emotion. I have to be very careful to hear her music on a sad day, because she makes me cry. Her voice evokes so much.

Much love and respect to the queen of disco! I did not see this coming! Donna Summer is one of the greatest vocalist of our times. Extremely underrated for her mark on popular music. She has carried so much talent in her shadows. Rest In Peace! This last dance will be an everlasting one! SUCH a shame she was NOT inducted, they ignored her for far too long. She is a force to be reckoned with! Rest in paradise Queen!

[Edited 5/18/12 0:25am]

Donna Summer - Donna Summer Lung Cancer Caused By 9/11

18 May 2012 05:03:09 AM

Late singer had complained that toxic dust containing lead, asbestos and Mercury was the reason for her ill health.

Message from Cathy Hawkins,who operates the best Donna Summer fansite 'The Totally Unauthorized Donna Summer Tribute Site' ( www.donna-tribute.com )

Greetings all. So apparently this day hasn't all been just a bad dream. I had hopes that I'd come home from work to discover that this was all an elaborate hoax. No such luck.

This is the update I never wanted to write. The one that shouldn't have come for another 20 years or more. And to be honest, I never prepared for this. I supposed that what I'm supposed to do is give you all a run down on Donna's life and career but let's face it - most of you can recite is as well as I can (if not better.) And that's what all the other media outlets are doing anyway. So what should I say? Well, let's start with the official announcement - which I did not see until just a few minutes ago.

Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.

- The Sudano Family

Now this is the part where I just ramble and hope that I say something coherent in the process. I found out about Donna this morning from a phone call from a friend - another fan. I was just getting ready to leave for work after a leisurely morning of goofing off on the web on a game site. So I hadn't seen anything yet. I logged off Facebook before the news hit there. So when I saw Joe's name pop up on my phone, I thought it was odd - and when I heard how upset he was, I think I sort of knew even before he said the words. But I still had hope that it was a Twitter hoax or something so I did a search on Google news and discovered pretty quickly that a couple dozen news sites couldn't be wrong. I tried to do a quick update here to tell you all that I would have a real update later, but I couldn't log into the site. I probably will never know if there was just a glitch at my host, or if my site was just being slammed by visitors. (Guess I shouldn't have removed the hit counter?) I did post on Twitter and Facebook, but I know not all of you could see that. I apologize for not being able to really say something sooner.

I first discovered Donna's music when I was fourteen. Since that time her music has been a constant companion. It has helped me celebrate the good times and has consoled me in bad times. I can't count the times when I was feeling low and either a song would come on the radio, or I'd pop in a CD (or tape or LP) and I would just feel better. She got me through several deaths, a car accident and the infamous 9/11 aftermath. I'll never forget the year my maternal grandmother died. It was 1999 - just a few days before Live & More Encore came out. I spent about a week or so on a total roller coaster. I got a call Grandma had a stroke, then hours later an email saying that there were promo copies of the CD floating around. Another call saying Grandma was getting worse, and another email saying my name was in the credit on the CD. And finally Grandma died and that night I won VIP passes to the CD signing. Every time something kicked me down - I had something Donna to lift me back up. And now I find myself listing to Donna's music and even though I'm crying now - part of me is still smiling. That probably makes me crazy - oh well. Life is too short to be sane.

I had the great fortune of getting to meet Dona on several occasions. The first time - in early 1999 - I remember I was so nervous. I remember thinking that I was finally meeting someone who I had admired for so long, what if she didn't (or even couldn't) live up to the mental image I had of her? What if I was disappointed? What if I acted like an idiot? In retrospect, I needn't have worried. The minute she walked into the room, I felt totally at ease. She was gracious and REAL. Yes, real. Not some grandiose diva looking down upon the peons, but an actual down to earth real person that you could talk to as an equal. It doesn't get better than that.

So where to go from here? Donna Summer has passed away. There, I finally made myself say it. Maybe part of me was hoping that if I didn't say it out loud it wouldn't be true. But this is the first time today that I've actually said those words. And it hurts to have to say it. But I know that in time the pain will fade. But the music and the memories will live forever. And while Donna's death makes me cry right now, those memories will always bring a smile back to my face.

To all of Donna's friends and family out there - just let me say how very sorry I am for your loss. I know your pain must be tremendous right now, but know that there are so many of us out here keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers. And if there is any thing at all you need, you have only to ask.

And Donna, if you can read this where you are - THANK YOU for everything. For the music, for the friends I made because of you and for the kindness you have shown me over the years. I love you and will miss you always. And just so you know - you got the last laugh on me. How many times did you tell people that you could never surprise me - that I always seemed to know what you were doing before you did it? Well, you surprised me today. I hope that makes you chuckle a bit.

Now to all the Friends Unknown out there.... we need to do SOMETHING. And I think I know just the thing. Some of you long time readers will remember Pages From The Heart. It was a collection of memories and love letters to Donna on the occasion of her 50th birthday. Many of you probably even contributed. I propose Pages From The Heart Encore. What I would like to is have you guys share your favorite Donna memory - it doesn't matter if you never met her in person, it doesn't matter if you never saw her live. Your memory could be about hearing a particular song or whatever you want to share. My thought is that it is our chance to let the family see Donna through our eyes. My plan is to make it a physical book like the original was. I don't have a deadline yet - we'll figure that out later.

I will be back tomorrow sometime to bring you all links to various articles, quotes from various people and whatever else seems appropriate. If anyone wants to come chat about Donna with other fans, come on over to the Delphi forum. If you are new there just make a free account (you don't need one of the paid ones). There is a moderation queue over there to keep spammers and trolls out - I will log in there as often as I can to approve new posts so don't freak out if your post isn't up immediately.

And finally - my apologies if I have rambled too much, or made no sense. It's just that sort of day.

[Edited 5/18/12 1:53am]

This woman's moaning on Love To Love You Baby, along with The Ohio Players Honeyalbum cover, got me thru puberty

an extremely rare video of Donna performing "Could It Be Magic" on a Dutch TV show in 1976.It was posted on Youtube just a few days ago.

^^I always thought it was odd that they kept the "moaning part" in her TV performances Seems like that they would have edited that part out.She sometimes looked uncomfortable during that part of the song.

R.I.P. Queen of Disco.

free2bfreeda said:

i remember:

the Thank God It's Friday movie. Donna performed "Last Dance" which won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1979.

I'm gonna watch this movie tonight

"State Of Independence" (1982)---Produced by Quincy Jones and featuring an all-star choir that includes Michael Jackson,Lionel Richie,Dionne Warwick,Christopher Cross,Kenny Loggins,Brenda Russell,Stevie Wonder,Michael McDonald and others....

I still cant understand this... She was such a class act, she could really sing and she was more than just disco. She inspired so many women around the world, but not only that but a generation that didnt care about gender, orientation or color. Blacks, latinos, asians and white danced and enjoyed her music, she didnt have no color!

I'm a 90s kid but my mom made me love her and I remember dancing to her music when I was a kid. She united people with her music and she was a diva who didnt act like it, it's very rarely that I've heard negative things about her.

She was def more than just the queen of disco and it's a shame that Abba won the induction of Rock & ROll hall of fame in 2010, I def think it should have been her. I was just recently listening to her music and having a good time. She'll remain of my fav vocalists, just listen to any of her live shows and you'll see how talented this woman truly was. I cant think of a single modern female artist who has that voice today. She changed music and despite the industry destroying her career, it doesnt matter because she's untouchable. Her music has been played in so many different places around the world and has a place in the hearts of all those people who have those values. Her beautiful range, talent and grace was just inspiring.

RIP Donna... You'll never be forgotten.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...re=related They dont sing like this today.... -_-

SoulAlive said:

"State Of Independence" (1982)---Produced by Quincy Jones and featuring an all-star choir that includes Michael Jackson,Lionel Richie,Dionne Warwick,Christopher Cross,Kenny Loggins,Brenda Russell,Stevie Wonder,Michael McDonald and others....

Yes, the song that inspired We Are The World

For me, DISCO has now turned the page. The spotlight that was shining on the mirror ball has been turned off, and everyone has gone home after having danced the night away.

Thank you Donna Summer, for so many MAGICAL NIGHTS.

Identity said:

Elton John Slammed Rock N Roll Hall of Fame For Donna Snub

May 17, 2012

Link

Elton John said in a statement that Summer was more than the Queen of Disco.

"Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted," he said.

"She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and I will miss her greatly."

He's absolutely right. How does GNR get inducted before Donna Summer? NOt calling them second-rate but the rockn roll hall of fame is much like the Oscars in that they fail to recognize and acknowledge artist in a timely manner. Donna should have been inducted way back.

SoulAlive said:

free2bfreeda said:

i remember:

the Thank God It's Friday movie. Donna performed "Last Dance" which won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1979.

I'm gonna watch this movie tonight

The movie sucks...but Donna's great.

SoulAlive said: