By BRAVETTA HASSELL Scene Writer on May 17, 2012, at 4:30 PM Updated on 5/17 at 6:59 PM
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I didn’t grow up with Donna Summer.
Her era preceded me but pieces of her work and influence can be found on an ever-growing list of songs that have played or continue to play over my lifetime. Most memorably, the disco queen was also the queen of Skate Night- this monthly (though it felt weekly) night my elementary school hosted at the local roller rink with the orange sign behind the gas station on Franconia Road. Where parents would drop their kids off or, embarrassingly, stick around. There was “Girls,” “Boys,” “All”, “Couples” and a few other categories of ‘skate’ that I don’t remember. And Donna would always sing.
She and Madonna and A Taste of Honey, Phil Collins and a hodgepodge of other artists – with songs moving enough to skate to – kept us in a 3-hour place in time that never escaped past the early ‘90s. And it was just fine because the music made you feel good. Summer’s music played the backdrop to giggles over cups of Coca Cola and slices of roller rink pizza, tentative steps over street shoes strewn across the walking area. This soundtrack of the '70s and '80s were repeated verbatim at the next Skate Night and the next, and there was no griping. It was skate night, it was friends and memories and a good time.
Summer, who died today at age 63, helped define the disco era and leaves behind a great legacy.
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