Donna Summer’s high school era was a preparation to take off for her own state of independence as a professional entertainer.

But who did expect she would be the hot stuff of disco sensation in less than 10 years at that time?

Donna Summer attended Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester, the south side of Boston. She wasn’t an all-A student, rather her academic grade was declining as she leaned herself into more singing, but she enjoyed her high school life as a popular student. Donna gained more singing opportunities during her high school period while still singing at her church. She joined a glee club and plays at her high school. Out of campus, she was a member of a choir group and another dance/sing group, Young Adults, that had performances throughout Boston.

Jeremiah E. Burke High School is an old public high school founded in 1934. That was a girl school when Donna was attending (shifted to gender-integrated in 1972). The high school was very faaarrrrr from Donna’s home! I checked many times if that was really the correct high school. Her high school was located on the completely opposite side of Boston from her house. I wondered how she went to school every day if she didn’t take a school bus. There was a direct bus connecting nearby her house and the school’s neighborhood when I visited Boston, but the bus would take about 30 minutes and some walking was still necessary. The daily long transportation should be a burden for a high school student. I even didn’t want to think about taking the bus when I visited the school. I took a commuter train from South Station after doing other photo shoots.

Donna Summer wrote her love of the famous Boston Common in her autobiography. She regularly visited Boston Common, America’s oldest urban park in the middle of Downtown opened in 1634, during her high school years. She occasionally took a walk around the 50-acre park. One of her hobbies at the park was stopping over at “the old graveyards and look at all the headstones”. Graveyards…I visited Boston Common many times but didn’t know the existence of graveyards until reading her book. So I searched and found it. In the shadow of the park near the southwest corner. That was this.

This cemetery is called Central Burying Ground created in 1756. Many lost souls of American soldiers during the battle of Bunker Hill and Boston Tea Party, or British soldiers during the American Revolution rest in the cemetery besides other notable people such as Gilbert Stuart, painter, and William Billings, composer. The cemetery was shrunk for street expansion and subway construction in the late 19th century. Unfortunately, I couldn’t look at tombstones like Donna Summer. The cemetery was closed to the public when I visited but could view it through the fence.

Tremont Street, one of Boston’s main streets connecting between Downtown in the northeast and Mission Hill near Donna’s home in the southwest, stretches on the south side of Boston Common. Across Tremont Street from Boston Common, there is Action for Boston Community Development at 178 Tremont Street. Donna Summer worked at the non-profit organization for anti-poverty as a summer job when she was 17 (in 1966?). Because the agency was founded in 1961, Donna worked briefly in the organization’s early stage. Famed Donna Summer didn’t forget the non-profit organization that had contributed to the improvement of lower-income residents throughout the Boston area with numerous assistance. She held a charity homecoming concert for Action for Boston Community Development in 2008.

Boston Common always relates to Bostonian life, not only as a popular tourist destination. If they want to enjoy recreation or just relax, it’s Boston Common with viewing beautiful Downtown skyline. If famous musicians have outdoor concerts, it’s Boston Common. If there are protests or marches in the city, it’s Boston Common. Many notable people made speeches there, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Pope John Paul II, and the former Soviet Union’s leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Boston Common was a multi-purpose land depending on the era before being a complete park circa 1830 as it started as a cattle pasture, a graveyard, British army base until the national independence, and brutal history as an execution ground, but Bostom Common has sat there and witnessed Boston’s development in this almost 4 centuries.

Surrounding Boston Common is the treasure box of other historic sites, and the popular Freedom Trail starts from Boston Common. Across the park is a symbolic Park Street Church constructed in 1809. Nearby School Street has the former site of America’s oldest public school, Boston Latin School which was founded in 1635 and still exists in a different location only 15 minutes walk from Donna’s childhood home. Old City Hall was built in the same location in 1865, and the gorgeous French Second Empire-style building is now a steak restaurant, Ruth’s Chris. Old Corner Bookstore is at the end of School Street, originally built as Boston’s first commercial building in 1718. The National Register of Historic Place is currently occupied by, alas, Chipotle and Dig Inn. Across the Old Corner Bookstore is Old South Meeting Place built in 1729, formally a church mostly known for the meeting place where people gathered before taking action for Boston Tea Party in 1773.

The underground of the oldest park in the U.S. also has another America’s oldest. That is the subway. The current Green Line between Park Street Station and Boylston Street Station, both under Boston Common, started operation on September 1, 1897, as the first subway in both North and South America and the fourth subway in the world. The subway extended to the north 2 days after. The oldest portion is still in use, and most likely tourists use both stations as Green Line is the most convenient subway for sightseeing (and always crowded). Green Line also connects with Donna’s childhood neighborhood of Mission Hill, as written in Chapter 1.

That vintage train displayed at Boylston Street Station was the type of car running on Green Line when Donna was young. So wherever Donna Summer was going from her home during her high school era, Boston Common, her summer job, her dates, or concerts, that was this train if she took Green Line. And most likely, she looked at the trains from her street every day. Surprisingly, this type of train is still in operation at a branch of the Red Line.

Donna Summer recalled in her autobiography that she enjoyed feeling the music she heard while working around Tremont Street/Boston Common area. I didn’t see performances when I visited Boston Common several times, but I did at another popular park next to Boston Common across Charles Street. That was Public Garden opened in 1837. The city oasis is similar to Boston Common but with more trees and water (Public Garden has a pond) so a nice spot to cool down from the hot summer heat.

It was a very hot Saturday when I visited Public Garden. A gentleman was singing 90s hits with his very nice electric guitar under the tree. I was impressed by his performance. Park-goers were also enjoying his performance under trees, and the space between trees made us a good social distancing. Both his singing and guitar skills were much higher than the amateur level. Especially his guitar tones were beautiful like the breeze between trees. Then I realized that Boston was the home of Berklee College of Music, one of the world’s most prestigious music schools. Many famous musicians graduated from Berklee. And Boston is the hometown of legendary musicians who built history. Aerosmith, Boston, Bobby Brown, New Edition, New Kids on the Block, Marky Mark aka Mark Wahlberg, Extreme, and needless to say, Donna Summer. I was enjoying the air filled with beautiful music as young Donna Summer did.

North of Boston Common is Beacon Hill, one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Boston. Beacon Hill is also a necessary neighborhood to learn Boston’s African-American history. That was the land many great African-American leaders fought for freedom from slavery and equality before the Civil War in the 19th century. Boston was one of the ideal Underground Railroad destinations in the Northeast besides Philadelphia, as Massachusetts was the first state to prohibit slavery in 1783. Many African-American abolitionists and civil rights leaders, such as John P. Coburn, Lewis Hayden, James Scott, and John J. Smith, helped escaping slaves from the South in Beacon Hill. They were all established wealthy businessmen, some later turned to politicians, who resided in Beacon Hill when they were involved with the Underground Railroad movement. Their former residences remain in Beacon Hill, most were occupied as private residences and not open to the public. Those African-American historic sites are linked as Black Heritage Trail originated from the African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School, both are Museum of African American History today. Unfortunately, the Museum of African American History was closed due to COVID-19 during my trip but visited a few years ago. That was a must-visit. Beacon Hill is a small neighborhood, and the Black Heritage Trail effectively rounds around the hill. The visitors can enjoy the culture-rich neighborhood while touching Boston’s African-American history. Today, Boston’s Black population is about 23% of the whole city population including immigrants from the Caribbean and African countries.

Donna Summer didn’t mention Beacon Hill in her book but no wonder she enjoyed a walk there during her high school. It was just behind her favorite park, and she was deeply influenced by Boston’s culture and heritage. Beacon Hill is a beautiful neighborhood I just would like to keep wandering around without a map. Along narrow alleys, historic brownstones and gorgeous mansions cover the hilly landscape. Aged paving bricks on the sidewalk, classic street ramps and street trees make beautiful harmony with those vintage brick houses. This is one of the symbolic neighborhoods that represent the image of Boston as a historic city. An old neighborhood developed in 1795, Beacon Hill is listed with both the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and the U.S. National Historic Landmark District.

Donna Summer joined her first band when she was 17 years old. That was a blues-rock band named Crow, formed by 6 music college students before she joined as a vocalist. She was the sole female and Black member of the band. Donna explained that she joined the band with a very sudden and spontaneous audition at a music school’s practice room. She heard her type of music while walking on the street, sneaked into the practice room upstairs where the music was coming from, and the band members asked Donna to sing. She sang Aretha Franklin’s “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”. Instantly impressed by the band, she was hired on the spot. It was very quick, but that few minutes changed the rest of her life. Crow performed all over Boston then jumped to New York City. Following the theatrical work at “Hair” in Germany after leaving Crow, LaDonna Gains evolved as Donna Summer and led the ’70s disco heatwave.

Donna didn’t explain what “music school” it was, but I assume it was most likely Berklee College of Music. Berklee is located at 1140 Boylston Avenue and 8 Fenway near Boston Redsox’s Fenway Stadium today, but back in 1966, the school was located at 284 Newbury Street just behind Presidential Tower, the second tallest building in Boston. Berklee started the rock and pop courses in 1962, so no wonder Crow was practicing blues rock when Donna unexpectedly jumped in. If my assumption was correct, Donna was walking on Newbury Street which has been Boston’s SoHo-like shopping and dining district including posh boutiques and restaurants well blended with the existing historic brownstones. 284 Newbury Street is currently occupied by a shoe brand, Frye.

Donna Summer immediately started dating the Crow’s leader, main songwriter, and organist, Hoby Cook, along with their band’s activities. Dating Hoby, an older college student from a wealthy household, brought a regular 17 years girl a new world. One was shopping at boutiques, an instant way to catch a girl’s heart. Also the series of fine dining such as Du Barry (a French restaurant) at 159 Newbury Street and Trader Vic’s (Polynesian) in the Theater District. Du Barry was a historic restaurant that had already existed in the 1930s and was known by Escargot, which became Donna’s favorite after the first bite at the restaurant. A small restaurant but had a patio and a large exterior mural. The bistro doesn’t exist. A pizza joint was there until recently, but the space was empty and blocked by boards when I visited. Trader Vic’s existed on the first floor of the Boston Park Plaza Hotel in the Theater District until the end of 1976. Space was occupied by McCormick and Schmick’s after Trader Vic’s but is currently vacant.

Another door to the “new world” was the exciting music scene. Donna wouldn’t be able to enter music venues alone because she was still a minor but made it possible by joining a band and dating Hoby. 1966 was the year Boston’s music venue scene was getting vibrant with the rise of rock music. One of the rock musicians who inspired young Donna Summer was Janis Joplin at a popular venue called Psychedelic Supermarket (wow, what a dope name!). Janis’ charismatic yet spontaneous performance strongly impressed Donna Summer’s future professional career.

Other hot rock concert venues Donna enjoyed the live performances were Boston Tea Party in South End and Club 47 in Cambridge. Boston’s club scene has changed rapidly even since my first visit to Boston back in 1993. Psychedelic Supermarket, located at 590 Commonwealth Avenue, survived for only 2 years after providing legendary shows such as Big Brother and the Holding Company including Janis Joplin and 8 days residency by Cream. The site was demolished and became a part of the Boston University campus. The buildings both Boston Tea Party and Club 47 occupied still exist. Boston Tea Party was at 53 Berkley Street between 1967 and 1969 before moving to where the House of Blues currently exists near Fenway Stadium. The concert venue ultimately closed the door the following year after hosting numerous historic shows such as Led Zeppelin and Velvet Underground. The site is currently 7-Eleven (and if it’s not my mistake, I believe the place was a classic, non-frill mini-mart before 7-Eleven because I shopped there a few times). The building itself was built in 1872.

The only existing venue out of those 3 mentioned was Club 47 near Harvard University in the City of Cambridge though temporarily closed due to COVID-19. A long-standing venue founded in 1958, Club 47 changed its name to Club Passim in 1969 and has been in its current location at 47 Palmer Street since 1963. But the name of 47 wasn’t adapted from this address. The club was at 47 Auburn Street before 1963. This history mashed up in my head and I went to the old location in Auburn Street….smh. Obviously, Donna visited the current location with Hoby. Well, next time. Hopefully when the venue reopened.

But look at what I found by visiting the previous location.

Club 47 started as a blues club at 47 Auburn Street location before being a rock and folk mecca in the ’60s. Back in the time, many African-American blues musicians from the South weren’t allowed to stay at the majority of hotels in Cambridge. Therefore, some neighborhood residents and club staff provided their rooms to the musicians who visited Cambridge for their show at Club 47. Today, Club Passim is a non-profit organization that provides folk music concerts as well as some other music in addition to music workshops.

The existence of a university or college draws a lot of business in the neighborhood. Harvard University is undoubtedly the highest-ranking academy in the U.S., but the situation is still the same. There are plenty of stores, restaurants, and other services targeting Harvard University students around Harvard Square, which is also a transportation hub of subway and buses. Students are also culture-makers. Music is located where a university or college is located. Club Passim/47 was one of them. Donna Summer sang on the stage as a member of the Crow in front of the university students while she was still a high school student on the other side of Boston.

Donna Summer and the Crow left Boston for New York City in 1967 for their possible bigger success without waiting for Donna’s high school graduation. Donna’s other reason for leaving Boston was escaping from death threats after she reported police robbery and casualty by boys including her church friend. Unfortunately, the band’s big dream failed quickly without securing a recording contract. Donna Summer’s side, the rest was history. Donna’s success crossed the Atlantic Ocean beyond Boston, all over the United States, and the Pacific Ocean to Asia and Oceania. She addicted her worldwide fans to her one and only music. And I am still addicted to her fantastic music as well as many other fans.

Donna Summer was the Queen of Disco, and her status is forever with her songs. But she never said she would devote herself to disco music. She occasionally expressed her love for any type of good music. In fact, she challenged a variety of music with her albums such as gospel, pop, and reggae while her primary music was disco. Before being the Queen of Disco, she was a true music fan who was open-minded to good music. That is still an important way to love music.

CONTINUE READING BOSTON MUSIC TRIP/DONNA SUMMER

1. BOSTON MUSIC TRIP/DONNA SUMMER, #1 OF 2: Birth-Childhood. Fairy Tale High Boston
2. BOSTON MUSIC TRIP/DONNA SUMMER, OUTTAKE: Dining and Getting Around

ALSO, CHECK THE REVIEW OF THIS GREAT ALBUM!!

• DONNA SUMMER, “ONCE UPON A TIME” (1977)