Donna Summer’s Country Connection – Dolly Parton Remembers Donna Summer

Donna Summer is best known for her disco hits like 'Hot Stuff' 'Bad Girls' 'Last Dance' 'On The Radio' and many more.  However, in 1980 her name was actually attached to a No. 1 Country Music single.

In 1980, producer Gary Klein brought Dolly Parton a song called 'Starting Over Again.' Parton was attracted to the dramatic story of a middle-aged couple starting their lives over after breaking up.  In Tom Roland's 'Number One Country Hits,' Parton said "I was surprised to find out that Donna Summer wrote that song. I found out later that Donna Summer is one of the finest writers that I've ever heard, and not just in the disco scene, where she was really big at the time. She's really got a lot of talent, and I was real surprised. No matter what kind of songs she does, there is a lot of talent in that girl."

Donna Summer co-wrote 'Starting Over Again' with her husband Bruce Sudano and the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Country singles chart in May of 1980.  The single also got to a modest No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts.

Donna Summer died May 17, 2012 at the age of 63 from lung cancer.