Donna Summer, known affectionately as the Queen of Disco passed away this week but not without leaving behind a legacy filled with pulsating beats and catchy dance tunes.  Donna always felt her true roots were in the heart of Rock ‘n’ Roll and was uncomfortable and somewhat reluctant to wear the royal title as the Queen of Disco.   The decade of the seventies was defined, however, by the music of Donna Summer. Even when disco crashed and burned at the end of the dance-beat driven decade (the 70′s disco costumes continue to be a hit however), this woman still continued to reinvent herself. 

By far the most controversial song ever recorded by Donna Summer was the infamous and ultra sultry “Love To Love You Baby.”  The over the top sexual tapestry that is woven in the half-sung, half-moaned song came to fruition in a decade that was filled with completely new rules regarding sex, race, fashions and even drugs.  This sexually charged song was considered so racy at the time that it required significant editing for radio play.

Donna Summer: Video ‘Love To Love You Baby’ from 1975

Donna Summer had many big disco hits to her name including other favorites such as the likes of “I Feel Love” and “Last Dance”.  Even when the glory days of disco were beginning to fade away, Donna still cranked out some of her biggest hits such as “She Works Hard For the Money”, a women’s anthem that burned up the charts in the early 1980’s. 

Donna had many other lesser-known successes in her career, including being a successful writer in the country music genre.  Co-written by Donna and her husband, Bruce Sudano, “Starting Over Again” became a #1 hit for Dolly Parton in 1980 and once again hit the top 20 for Reba McIntyre in 1995.   Although Donna herself never recorded “Starting Over Again”, she has described having someone else record her song as “a life-changing experience”. 

Donna Summer’s career, her life, and her legacy–all have left her fans feeling their lives changed forever as well. You can’t have lived through the seventies without carrying one of her smoldering melodies with you.  This Disco Queen will indeed forever reign.

Generations of teenagers will remember his name, as Dick Clark was for decades the face behind the cultural phenomenon known as “American Bandstand”.  Although Dick Clark passed away this past week, his legacy and the love of the music that he left behind will be remembered forever.  Dick Clark will always be considered by many to be the face behind rock and roll music, and many legendary acts did indeed get their initial catapult to infamy on the stage of American Bandstand.  Music legends and acts such as Buddy Holly, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5 and Madonna appeared on the show in the early days of their musical careers — and of course many a wild costume debuted on the show as well.

 American Bandstand had its inception in 1957.  The concept of the show was really quite simple.  A studio was filled with wholesome, fresh scrubbed teenagers who would dance to the tunes of America’s Top 10 hits.  The teens would then rate new music and give various songs a brief critique, talking about the great dance beat or cool lyrics, etc. 

Maybe it was the music.  Or perhaps it was because teenagers constantly surrounded him, but Dick Clark always retained his youthful appearance and ebullience about the music he so readily embraced.  Kids loved Rock n’ Roll music and obviously, so did Dick Clark.

After 30 years of American Bandstand, Dick Clark went on to host “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” where he counted down the hits on New Year’s Eve until the ball dropped at midnight in New York’s Times Square.  American Bandstand still is considered to be one of network TV’s longest running series, as it for 30 years introduced rock n’ roll music to generation after generation of teenagers.   

“Music is the soundtrack of your life” –Dick Clark

Here’s a video clip of Dick Clark interviewing the Beach Boys on American Bandstand in 1964.