Before Donna Summer became a disco legend, she was a girl from Boston. She was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Dorchester, and got her start singing in local churches while growing up in Mission Hill. Now the street where she grew up — Parker Hill Avenue — will be renamed in honor of the hometown hero.
Boston officials made the announcement during the annual Donna Summer Disco Party in Copley Square on June 16, where revelers danced the night away to DJ Vince 1, heard from Summer’s nephew O’Mega Red, and listened to a tribute from Mary Gaines Bernard, Summer’s sister and backup singer.
Bernard told GBH News she hadn't been back to Boston in a few years, but that "there's so much love here" and the city will always be home. Bernard said having a street in their old neighborhood renamed for her sister was like a dream come true.
"It's something we used to always talk about and kid about, and to actually see it happen — I almost can't talk about it because I will start crying," she said. "It's really very emotional."
Summer's musical career grew in the 1970s and 1980s, with popular hits including "Hot Stuff" and "I Feel Love." She received both popular and critical acclaim, winning five Grammy Awards and being posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The annual event has honored Summer since her death in 2012.
Here are some highlights from the celebration.
A member of the late singer Donna Summer’s family holds up a street sign named in her honor. Hundreds gathered and danced in Boston's Copley Square for the city's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on Jue 16, 2022.
Two man face each other in a dance-off at Boston’s annual Donna Summer Disco Party in Copley Square on June 16, 2022.
Jacqueline Myers of Dorchester (l), Cynthia Sellers of Worcester (c), Carmen Calloway of San Diego and Anmgel Green of Boston pose for a photo at Boston’s annual Donna Summer Disco Party in Copley Square on June 16, 2022.
A person in green sequined bell-bottom pants dances along with hundreds of others who gathered in Boston's Copley Square for the city's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on June 16, 2022.
A woman dances while hula-hooping during Boston's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on June 16, 2022 in Copley Square.
A pink strobe light washes over Mary Gaines Bernard, singer and sister of the late Donna Summer, as she sings for an audience of hundreds who gathered and danced in Boston's Copley Square for the city's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on Jue 16, 2022.
Two women, one using crutches, make their way down a "Soul Train" dance line during Boston's annual Donna Summer Disco Party in Copley Square on June 16, 2022.
A woman wearing a Boston Celtics jersey rollerskates to disco music at the Boston’s annual Donna Summer Disco Party on June 16, 2022 in Copley Square.
Three woman dance during Boston’s annual Donna Summer Disco Party in Copley Square on June 16, 2022.
Dancers encircle and cheer on a woman as she dances during Boston's annual Donna Summer Discos Party on June 16, 2022 in Copley Square.
A person rollerskates to disco music as hundreds gathered and danced in Boston's Copley Squareduring the city's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on June 16, 2022.
A crowd cheers on a man as he dances solo at Boston’s annual Donna Summer Disco Party in Copley Square on June 16, 2022.
Members of Donna Summer’s extended family gathered in stage to welcome and thank the crowd who gathered and danced in Boston's Copley Square for the city's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on Jue 16, 2022.
Jackie D. of Cambridge dances in front of the stage at Boston’s annual Donna Summer Disco Party in Copley Square on June 16, 2022.
Two people dance under strobe lights during Boston's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on June 16, 2022 in Copley Square.
People raise their arms in the air as they dance in Boston's Copley Square for the city's annual Donna Summer Disco Party on Jue 16, 2022.
