Bruce Sudano, husband of the late Donna Summer, has shared his memories of the Queen of Disco while looking back on her chart legacy.
The couple met through his band Brooklyn Dreams, whose music was distributed by Casablanca, and were married from 1980 until her untimely death in 2012.
They had a daughter, Brooklyn, and Donna was pregnant with their second child, Amanda, when she hooked up with Quincy at Westlake Audio studios in Los Angeles.
Together, she and the super-producer created her self-titled 10th studio album – a record that turns 40 this year and, according to Bruce, was a challenging experience.
“A lot of her creative energy was wrapped up in having just given birth and being pregnant again, as well as working with a new producer,” he tells the December 2022 issue of Retro Pop. “As a songwriter she had much less input and it was a different way of working.
“With Giorgio [Moroder] and Pete [Bellotte] there was a shorthand and Donna was somebody who liked to work quickly, whereas Quincy was very meticulous. There was a whole adjustment going on there.”
Despite the challenges, Bruce insists Donna was very pleased with the record – especially State of Independence and Love Is in Control. She was very proud of it. It really showed off her talent and abilities.”
However, a second collaboration between Donna and Quincy was never mooted. “It wasn’t an easy record for either of them to make. Like I said, Donna was used to working in a different way to Quincy,” he laughs.
“It would have been great if they made another album together, but I think they both shied away from the pain it might entail. It was a learning curve for both of them in terms of dealing with each other’s personalities.
“As with all relationships, there’s a period where you learn how to compromise and this was like that for Donna and Quincy.”
Reflecting on her legacy a decade after her passing, Bruce shares his determination “to maintain Donna’s legacy and keep her in the zeitgeist as much as we can,” while remembering her undeniable charm and star quality.
“She had such charisma that when she walked into a room you couldn’t deny she was somebody really special, but she was always ingratiating, generous and kind with people,” he smiles.
“If she met you on the street and went ‘Wow, I love your sneakers’, if she then ran into you 10 years later she’d be like, ‘Oh man, I remember you, you’re the one who had those sneakers on’. Of course there were times when she’d stand her ground for something she believed in, but that wasn’t her being a diva – she was just standing up for her artistry and saying, ‘No, this is what I want’.”
‘Donna Summer: 40th Anniversary Edition’ is out November 4 and available to pre-order now.
Read the full feature in the December 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store, use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist, or get Digital Copies delivered direct to your devices.
