LONG LIVE THE QUEEN OF DISCO: DONNA SUMMER DEAD AT 63.

DONNA SUMMER has DIED! YES! Another music legend GONE in 2012, the year that has claimed Etta James, Whitney Houston, Dick Clark, Don Cornelius and more. Expect a tribute at the Billboard music awards which just changed the schedule now as I heard. There may be a slew of stars doing a Donna Summer tribute collage. I enjoyed her appearance on "America's Got Talent" last year during the finale. Donna was said to retire out of the sexy songs and became a born again Christian. However she did do some gospel-like holy songs and was quiet there for a while. Her song publishing is about to make her three daughters very RICH! They were all original. An Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy winner. Definitely a TRIPLE THREAT! May God Bless her. Donna Summer dead at age 63 of cancer--MsKemi @HipHossip on Twitter 

Below are the greatest hits I remember very well 

"Love to Love You Baby"

Summer's breakout hit, this sexy 1975 ditty was cowritten by famed record producer Giorgio Moroder SONG LASTED 16 MINUTES and became an international smash as it featured Donna moaning in sexual ecstasy with recorded orgasms. This is the song your dad purchased from HMV and played in the CAR when your mom wasn't looking and then we would steal the vinyl record and quickly record it on a casette tape and the tape hit the high school cassette players and who ever had a Sony Walkman then. I just called my 77-year-old dad to remind him of this.

"I Feel Love"

Another of Summer's productions with Giorgio Moroder, 1976's "I Feel Love" became one of her signature anthems, particularly in gay clubs.

"Last Dance"

This 1978 classic song won an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song after Summer debuted it in the film Thank God It's Friday, in which she played an aspiring singer, this is the song where everyone went nuts and drunk at weddings, bar mitvas and such.

"Hot Stuff"

This 1979 song went all the way to No. 1 and earned her a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, the first African-American, not to mention the first woman, to ever win in that category. It's since found new life in everything from 1997's The Full Monty and Sex and the City to the video game Just Dance 2, sung by Katy Perry and Rebecca Black.

"Bad Girls"

This song came out the same year as "Hot Stuff" and topped the charts. "Toot-too, hey, beep-beep," indeed!

MIRIAM MAKEBA PRONOUNCED “MAMA LEGEND” AT 2010 MTV AFRICA MUSIC AWARDS WITH AIRTEL.

Recording artist and civil rights campaigner Miriam Makeba has been honoured by MTV at the third annual MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel. The life and work of the South African singer and civil rights activist, who died in November 2008, will be celebrated at the MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel in Lagos on Saturday 11 December 2010. Makeba, whose stellar career spanned more than 50 years, was honoured by MTV for her musical talent and for her role in bringing African music and rhythms into the global spotlight. In her long and glittering career, Makeba performed for John F. Kennedy, dueted with Harry Belafonte and Paul Simon, brought African political issues into the mainstream consciousness and won comparisons with Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. A victim of oppression herself, Makeba fought tirelessly to ensure that others would be free from oppression, and was appointed a UN Goodwill ambassador in 1999.

Commented Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa, “Miriam Makeba is a true legend and rightly celebrated throughout the world for her beautiful voice, fighting spirit and pioneering interpretation of African music.” Miriam Makeba follows in the footsteps of previous MAMA Legend award winners Fela Anikulapo Kuti (2008) and Lucky Dube (2009). The MTV Africa Music Awards 2010 is sponsored by Airtel in association with MasterCard. Other partners supporting the MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel include Arik Air and the Lagos State Government.

LEGENDARY MOTOWNER HARVEY FUQUA DEAD AT 80.

Singer/songwriter-turned-music mogul HARVEY FUQUA has died after suffering a heart attack. The 80-year-old star, whose nephew is director Antoine Fuqua, passed away in a hospital in Detroit, Michigan on Tuesday (06Jul10). Fuqua began his career in the music industry as a singer and songwriter with the 1950s doo-wop group the Moonglows. He quit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group in 1958 and went on to become a key player in the development and success of the Motown record label in Detroit, helping his then-brother-in-law Berry Gordy set up the company by helping to distribute its first hit single, Barrett Strong's Money ( That's What I Want), through his own Anna Records.

Fuqua later sold the label to Gordy and accepted a position as a songwriter and executive at Motown. He also worked with blues icon Etta James during a stint at Chess Records and went on to serve as Smokey Robinson's road manager. Throughout his career Fuqua was linked to soul legend Marvin Gaye - he discovered the young singer when he was part of Washington, D.C. group the Marquees and reunited with him to produce the Sexual Healing singer's acclaimed final album Midnight Love.

PAUL MCCARTNEY PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE WIFE LINDA AT CONCERT.

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY used his appearance at California's Coachella music festival on Friday (17Apr09) to pay tribute to his late wife LINDA - who died 11 years ago to the day. The Beatles legend took to the stage to headline the first night of the legendary music event in Indio, California, which runs until Sunday (19Apr09).

Friday's date had extra significance to the star as his beloved first wife lost her battle with cancer on 17 April 1998. And MCCartney used the opportunity to pay tribute to his late partner, dedicating his song Foxy Lady to her memory and telling the crowd, "It's an emotional day for me. That's good, that's OK. Lot of heart, lot of emotion."

ARETHA FRANKLIN THRILLED ABOUT RECORDING A CHRISTMAS DUET WITH SON!

ARETHA FRANKLIN's first Christmas album gave the Queen of Soul the chance to record another first - a duet with her son EDDIE. Mother and son perform together on This Christmas: Aretha, and the music legend couldn't be prouder. She says, "I've recorded Eddie, but we've never recorded anything together. It was very, very special.. That's about as special as it gets."

FOUR TOPS AND MARTIN TO RECEIVE GRAMMYS.

The FOUR TOPS and Rat Pack star DEAN MARTIN are among the stars set to receive a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. The doo-wop quartet, best known for their hits Reach Out I'll Be There and I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch), will be honoured for their contributions in defining the Motown sound. Martin, who died in 1995, will receive a posthumous tribute.

The Recording Academy President Neil Portnow insists the recipients are a "prestigious group of legendary performers, creative architects and technical visionaries". Portnow adds, "Their outstanding accomplishments, legendary passion and artistry have positively affected our culture and will continue to influence and inspire generations to come." Gene Autry, the Blind Boys Of Alabama, Hank Jones, Tom Paxton and Brenda Lee will also be recognised for their musical careers at a ceremony in Los Angeles on 7 February (09) - a day before the 51st annual Grammy Awards.

PATTI LABELLE COOKS: MISSED LAST SATURDAY'S D.L CNN SHOW?

Legendary singer Patti LaBelle gives D.L. Hughley life lessons and cooking tips. They made some spicy potato salad that I guarantee you will go make the same for dinner. Yum!

MY FORMER NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR IN 1982: BOY GEORGE'S 'VICTIM' SOLD STORY TO FLEE U.K.

The male escort at the middle of singer BOY GEORGE's false imprisonment trial cashed in on his alleged ordeal by selling his story to a magazine in his native Norway, a London court has heard. The former Culture Club frontman, real name George O'Dowd, is charged with unlawfully detaining and assaulting model Audun Carlsen in his East London apartment in April 2007 following a row over naked photographs he had taken of the man.

O'Dowd is alleged to have lured Carlsen to the bedroom of his home last year (07), where he reportedly handcuffed the 29-year-old to a hook on his bedroom wall and assaulted him with a metal chain after accusing him of tampering with his laptop computer. Carlsen managed to escape and immediately reported the incident to police. The jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court was told on Tuesday (25Nov08) how Carlsen later sold his story to a Norwegian publication, pocketing $8,250 (£5,500) from the deal.

The model claimed he needed the cash to flee the U.K., because he was "too scared to stay in the country". However, the court heard how Carlsen had failed to mention details of his magazine deal to cops when they interviewed him days after the alleged attack. He denied allegations he had not been "straightforward" with the authorities, adding,

"I told the police everything that I had received (money) when the story came out. "The reason I gave this interview was because of all the things that were written, for the sake of my family."

O'Dowd has denied the charges against him.The trial continues.

He sold the story rights and a trial is going on? Well, let's see the outcome. I hear Boy George was obsessed with spanking the male escort. Culture Club was a band who lived next door to me and my boyfriend apartment in 1982. They were so cool! Times have changed!! I grew up with these guys. Can't find those photos anymore but George O'Dowd will remember me.

WHOA! XMAS GIFT: PAUL McCARTNEY 'DOESN'T MIND' US ILLEGALLY DOWNLOADING HIS SONGS!

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY has announced he is happy for people to download music illegally - just as THE BEATLES' deal with music giant iTunes fell through. McCartney recently revealed that a contract which would have seen the Fab Four's back catalogue released online was abandoned after Apple Corps bosses and EMI executives failed to agree on terms.

And now McCartney insists he doesn't have a problem with people who take music from the internet without paying for it, although he does find the whole concept a little baffling. He says, "It's weird for me (the concept of downloading). I'm not from that. I'm from going into a shop and buying a 45.

We've come through vinyl, tapes and CDs - it's all the same, except people don't pay for it (now). I don't mind. It works out." And the music legend is full of praise for British rockers Radiohead who took the innovative step of releasing their latest LP, In Rainbows, through the web and allowing fans to name their own price for it. McCartney adds, "I like it, it's a new idea. I like its anarchic-ness. I thought about buying it for one pence and telling my friends I'd paid £10!" That is $20.

OH NO! BEATLES/ITUNES DEAL STALLS!!

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY has revealed a new deal to provide the BEATLES back catalogue on download website iTunes has fallen through after the rocker, Apple Corps bosses and EMI executives failed to reach an agreement. McCartney states the Beatles' move to digital has been in the works for years, but the Fab Four are too iconic to rush through a deal with iTunes. He says, "

What happens is, when something's as big as The Beatles, it's heavy negotiations.
"We are very for it, we've been pushing it. But there are a couple of sticking points, I understand. So the last word I got back was that it had stalled, the whole process. "EMI want something we're not prepared to give them. Hey, sounds like the music business. It's between EMI and the Beatles. What else is new."

A spokesman for EMI says, "We have been working very hard to secure an agreement with Apple Corps to make The Beatles' legendary recording catalogue available to fans in digital form. "Unfortunately the various parties involved have so far been unable to reach agreement, but we really hope that everyone can make progress soon." Apple Corps is a multimedia corporation founded by the Beatles in 1968.

SINGER LIONEL RITCHIE SAYS THAT MOTHERHOOD HAS CHANGED HIS DAUGHTER!

Legendary singer LIONEL RICHIE is delighted his daughter NICOLE became a mother - because it curbed her wild lifestyle. The socialite gave birth to baby Harlow in January (08), her first child with boyfriend Joel Madden. The Simple Life star has admitted dabbling in drugs when she was a teen, and endured several brushes with the law including a 2007 conviction for driving under the influence (DUI).

But the Three Times a Lady singer insists his 27-year-old daughter has grown up since she started a family - and is now a world away from the party girl wildchild of her teenage years. He says, "I'll be visiting the house and Nicole will be like, 'Dad, lower your voice, Harlow is sleeping'. We must be talking about someone other than my daughter. This is not the same Nicole that brings 15 friends over to my house while (Lionel's daughters) Myles and Sofia are sleeping, and says, 'Dad, what's the problem?' "This is whole new territory, and I couldn't be happier."

BITTERSWEET: MIRIAM MAKEBA'S BODY FLOWN TO SOUTH AFRICA AFTER BEING IN EXILE 30 YEARS!

The body of singing legend MIRIAM MAKEBA will be returned to her home in South Africa following her tragic death in Italy on Sunday (09Nov08). Makeba suffered a heart attack after performing at a charity concert near Caserta and passed away at Pineta Grande hospital shortly afterwards, aged 76.

The South African government confirmed on Tuesday (11Nov08) her body would be flown back home for a funeral service and cremation. In an official statement, a foreign ministry spokesperson says, "The family decided on the repatriation of the mortal remains back to South Africa before cremation." Former South African President Nelson Mandela has hailed the singer as "South Africa's first lady of song".

Makeba spent more than three decades in exile, living in the United States, Guinea and Europe after the country's apartheid regime revoked her citizenship in 1960.

SIR ELTON JOHN AND BILLY JOEL'S MARATHON TWO-FOR-ONE TOUR .

SIR ELTON JOHN and BILLY JOEL's 2009 tour will be a two-year-long marathon road trip, taking in venues across the globe. The pianist pals recently announced plans to team up for a series of spectacular concerts next year (09). And John is promising everyone will get the chance to see them play.

He says, "Billy and I will go out next year for at least two years on and off. All over the world. It's something I've looked forward to for a long time. I love touring with him. We're both such good friends." And he vows audiences will get a bargain - because they are only charging the regular price for one concert: "It's two for the price of one. The ticket price will be the same as any concert, and there's two of us. We're giving real value for money."

BREAKING NEWS: MAMA AFRICA South African Star Miriam Makeba Dies in Italy of a Heart Attack!!

FIRST IN CANADA!

Renowned South African singer Miriam Makeba, who was known worldwide for her hit song "Pata Pata," died of a heart attack after a concert in southern Italy. She was 76. Miriam Makeba was one of the world's musical treasures, having gained international renown as a recording and performing artist and an important figure in the human rights movements in Africa and beyond. She was forced to spend most of her career away from her homeland after an impassioned anti-apartheid speech before the United Nations in 1963. She had just finished performing a 30 minute set against organized crime.

Miriam Makeba, whose real name was Zenzile Makeba, was born in Johannesburg on March 4, 1932. She started to sing at a young age, in her church and school choirs, and during other occasions. Her older brother had a jazz collection that she really enjoyed, specially singers like Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald. She never had the intention of becoming a professional singer until one of her cousins asked her to join his band, the Cuban Brothers.

Makeba became one of the biggest stars of South African jazz in the 1950s. Swing, rhythm and blues and big band jazz had taken South Africa by storm, resulting in a powerful jazz movement that served as the foundation for much of South Africa's popular music. In their attempts to interpret the music they heard on records from America, township musicians incorporated their own influences, resulting in a bouncy, original style that came to be known as Marabi. Makeba first gained notice in 1954 as a featured vocalist for the Manhattan Brothers, one of the most popular male vocal quartets.

She soon left to form the Skylarks, an all-female vocal group and toured South Africa as part of an influential variety show. Her big break came in 1959, when she took on the female lead of the hit musical King Kong. Just as she was becoming a household name at home, Makeba left for the US, performing with Harry Belafonte and others. Her song "Pata Pata" was an international success in 1967, becoming the first African song to reach the United State's Top 10 pop charts.

Read More at CNN

See this historical woman whom I grew up listening to as a child in Africa perform this time last year. She would have been a legendary one to perform at that Obama White House ball.



Performance With Paul Simon

Feist, k.d. Lang, Nickelback get Western Canadian International Achievement Awards.

Alberta, Canada music stars Feist, k.d. Lang and Nickelback are each getting international achievement honours from the Western Canadian Music Awards.

The honours recognize the work of western Canadian artists who have achieved national or international stature and significant album sales.

The musicians will be recognized at an awards ceremony Oct. 19 in Edmonton.

The Calgary-bred Leslie Feist, who performs simply under her last name, soared to international acclaim with her breakout hit "1 2 3 4." Her album "The Reminder" sold more than one million copies worldwide and garnered four Grammy nominations.

Lang, from Consort, Alta., is widely considered among the most accomplished female musicians in rock and country and was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame earlier this year.

Nickelback, from Hanna, Alta., has sold upwards of 26 million records worldwide and took home a World Music Award for "world's best rock group" in 2006.

Go to the award website now

That picture above is Feist at this year's Juno awards.

Source: Canadian Press via Yahoo

THE WHO: KEITH MOON BIOPIC ON HOLD FOR NOW.

ROGER DALTREY has postponed plans for a movie biopic of his late bandmate KEITH MOON - because no scriptwriter has managed to capture the spirit of the legendary drummer. Daltrey is desperate to turn Moon's life story into a movie, and has invited writers to pitch script ideas. But the singer is disappointed with what he has seen so far. He tells Billboard,

"They just don't get it, basically. When you see the kinds of scripts they've got in mind to make, it's sad. I don't want to do a 'Carry On' about Keith. If I can keep that from happening, I've done my job."

Moon died in 1978 at the age of 32 from a drug overdose.

LENNON BIOPIC CHRONICLES BEATLE'S EARLY YEARS...

JOHN LENNON's early years are to be explored in a new biopic. Casting for a teenage Lennon has begun in Britain and the film, which will chronicle the Beatle's life before fame, will be shot in his native Liverpool, England. The film will also focus on how Lennon met songwriting partner Paul McCartney and fellow bandmate George Harrison, according to trade paper The Hollywood Reporter.

BILLY JOEL TURNS HISTORIC GIGS INTO A MOVIE.

BILLY JOEL is turning his historic concerts at New York's Shea Stadium this week into a documentary. The rocker will take to the stage at the home of the New York Mets baseball team to perform two final gigs before the stadium is torn down and replaced with a new state-of-the-art ballpark. The occasion will be immortalised on film by directors Greg Whiteley and Jon Small, who will intersperse the concert with documentary footage. It is being produced by Joel's Maritime production company. Joel will play at the stadium on Wednesday (16Jul08) and Friday (18Jul08). The Beatles performed the first ever concert at Shea, in 1965.

GET HELP AMY : Will Amy Winehouse listen to TINA TURNER'S advice?

Legendary singer TINA TURNER has spoken out in support of troubled star AMY WINEHOUSE - urging her to seek help to deal with her "problems". The Simply The Best hitmaker, who is gearing up for a comeback world tour, praises the Back To Black star's vocal talents, branding her legendary voice as "wonderful". But the veteran performer insists Winehouse must face the demons which threaten to ruin her glittering career.

She says, "Her problems started before the success and that is the problem. This girl's voice is wonderful, timeless. If she wants to help herself... of course she can and she must." Earlier this month (May08), the Rehab singer avoided being charged with drug offences by British police, after a video was handed to U.K. authorities showing her supposedly taking narcotics. Mmmm.......Everyone seems to be advicing Amy these days. Could Tina be seeking a duet with Amy to revive her own career? Time will tell!