The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) today announced the posthumous induction of iconic singer-songwriter Donna Summer. Summer, who passed away in 2012 at age 63, was honored during an intimate ceremony held on December 15th in The Butterfly Room at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood, California.
As the defining voice of the disco era, Summer wrote many of her globally popular hits including “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “Dim All the Lights,” “On the Radio,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Heaven Knows,” “Spring Affair,” “This Time I Know It’s for Real,” and “Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved),” among many others.
Academy Award-winning songwriter Paul Williams, a SHOF inductee and Johnny Mercer Award honoree, led the induction, which celebrated her extraordinary songwriting contributions and enduring musical legacy.
“Donna Summer is not only one of the defining voices and performers of the 20th century; she is one of the great songwriters of all time who changed the course of music. She wrote timeless and transcendent songs that continue to captivate our souls and imaginations, inspiring the world to dance and, above all, feel love. I am pleased and honored to posthumously induct Donna Summer into the Songwriters Hall of Fame,” said Williams.
The ceremony was attended by Summer’s husband, Bruce Sudano, their daughters Brooklyn Sudano and Amanda Sudano Ramirez, Summer’s close friends and immediate family, and members of the SHOF West Coast Events Committee. The event was co-hosted by Mary Jo Mennella, a SHOF board member and Chairman of SHOF’s West Coast committee, and SHOF board member Donna Caseine.
In a message to the SHOF organization, Bruce Sudano said, “It’s important to me because I know how important it was for Donna. The backstory is, with all the accolades that she received over her career, being respected as a songwriter was always the thing that she felt was overlooked. So for her to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame I know that she’s very happy… somewhere.”
Summer rocketed to international superstardom in the mid-1970s when her groundbreaking fusion of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco, and avant-garde electronica catapulted underground dance music from the clubs of Europe to the top of global sales and radio charts. In 1975, “Love to Love You Baby,” a song she co-wrote with her legendary producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, soared to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, paving the way for a string of hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s—most of which she wrote.
With an estimated 150 million records sold worldwide, Summer was ranked No. 24 on Billboard’s 50th Anniversary list of the “Hot 100 Artists of All Time.” A five-time GRAMMY winner, she was the first artist to win Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, and the first-ever recipient of Best Dance Recording. Summer was the first female artist to receive GRAMMY Awards in four distinct genres: R&B, Dance, Rock, and Gospel. Summer earned six American Music Awards, three consecutive No.1 platinum double albums, 11 gold albums, four No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, three platinum singles, and 12 gold singles. Over 38 years, she charted 33 Top Ten hits on Billboard’s disco/dance/dance club charts. She holds the record for the most consecutive double albums to reach No.1 on the Billboard charts (three in a row) and was the first female artist to score four No.1 singles in a 12-month period: three solo and one duet with Barbra Streisand.
While the annual SHOF gala does not usually include posthumous inductions for songwriters after their death, the organization hosts its special posthumous inductions at unique venues and events.
