Donna Summer and Chuck Brown Left Behind A Legacy of Great Music

The music world lost two great talents last week: Donna Summer and Chuck Brown. Legendary disco queen Donna Summer passed away last Thursday May 17 at age 63 after a long battle with lung cancer. And Chuck Brown, "the Godfather of Go-Go," died from multiple organ failure as the result of sepsis on Wednesday, May 16. He was 75. Both artists released a wealth of incredible music during their long, distinguished careers. In tribute to both artists, I thought I'd make a list of my favorite three songs from each.

 My three favorite Donna Summer tracks:

State of Independence - This cover of Jon and Vangelis' 1981 song is my favorite Donna Summer track. Her voice sounds amazing over the Caribbean-flavored groove, and the song has a beautiful anthemic chorus. Its spiritual message and slightly Calypso beat were a nice departure from her more upbeat, slighly hedonistic disco hits. The track is from her self-titled tenth album Donna Summer (1982), which was produced by Quincy Jones. It features an all-star choir, which includes Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, James Ingram, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie and Brenda Russell. 

Dim All The Lights -  This infectious disco track features an electrifying vocal performance from Summer. It was written by Summer and produced by her longtime collaborators Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. The song is from her multi-platinum album Bad Girls, which was released in 1979.

Hot Stuff - This blistering rock-tinged disco track had clubgoers burning up dance floors from Paris to Tokyo back in the day. The ferocious groove showcases Summer's powerful vocals. It features a searing guitar solo from Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, who was formerly a member of both the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan. The track was massive. The track was played everywhere: discos, parties, car radios, etc. "Hot Stuff" shot to number one on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. And it rose to #3 on Billboard's R&B singles chart. It also performed extremely well on the charts in other parts of the world. The track earned Summer a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1980 Grammy Awards. She was the first woman to win a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance. "Hot Stuff" is also from Summer's Bad Girls album.

 

 My three favorites Chuck Brown grooves:

If It Ain't Funky - This ridiculously funky track is from Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers' album Bustin' Loose (1979). The horns are crazy-tight on this cut. The track also features a dope guitar solo courtesy of Chuck B. Oh, and did I mention the bridge? It's so funky that it would make the Mr. Dynamite himself "back up and do the James Brown." The track also has some sweet poppin' bass.
 

 Sticks and Stones - This monster groove has kind of a P-Funk thing goin' on. The heavy, loafin' bass line keeps the groove tight and deep in the pocket, and the soulful background vocals add tons of flavor to the track. It's straight-up nasty funk and makes no bones about it. The track is from Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers album Funk Express, released in 1980.

Bustin' Loose - "Bustin' Loose" is the ultimate go-go jam. It's a furious groove that decks you with a one-two punch of funk. The bodacious bass line bulldozes its way through the groove, and the horns are straight fire. "Bustin' Loose" was Brown's biggest hit and spent four weeks atop Billboard's R&B singles chart in 1978 and rose to #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The Neptunes incorporated the hook from "Bustin' Loose" for rap star Nelly's 2002 mega hit "Hot in Herre." 


Related blog entry: "Funk to the Folks" By The Soul Searchers