Donna Summer
Unlike previous transitions from one era of American pop to another, the move away from disco was hostile and abrupt. This, I believe, had to do with one major factor: disco delivered to the mainstream a delicious multicultural blend of sensual funky rhythms wrapped in the showmanship of urban gay extravagance.
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Summer ran the risk of creating an embarrassing parody of her music and self. At times looking a little silly in too tight a dress and too big a wig, Summer managed to pull it off by sheer charisma and a tongue-in-cheek rapport with the audience. Get over it, she seemed to be saying as she effortlessly glided from one octave to the next. With her sister and husband singing backup, Summer’s voice, untouched by time, seared through a soulful, elongated “MacArthur Park” that brought the house down. Now a born-again Christian, she included in the evening’s set an outstanding a cappella rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
