NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The longtime manager of legendary voice Donna Summer has some great stories. Susan Munao was there to witness many iconic career moments for Summer. Now, Munao is on a mission to help others in memory of Donna.
In 1975, Munao was a press agent. A new song out had just defied any conventional logic. It become a huge hit when it was extended to nearly 17 minutes.
"The DJs loved it cause they got a 17-minute break, right?" Munao laughed. "The song just played!"
The song was called Love to Love You Baby. The singer was Donna Summer.
"People were raving about how amazing her voice was," Munao remembered. "This girl could sing!"
Soon, Munao became Summer's manager.
"Immediately, we became like sisters more than friends," she said. "We did everything together. I went on the road with her. I promoted her."
There was a whole string of huge songs; I Feel Love, Last Dance, MacArthur Park, Heaven Knows, Hot Stuff, Bad Girls, Dim All The Lights, No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), On The Radio, The Wanderer.
"Most people didn't realize she co-wrote most of her hits," Munao added. "She was typecast as the Queen of Disco. She used to say, 'It's good to be the queen of something!'"
When the Bad Girls album came out, in the album inlay, Munao can be seen in character, sporting a blonde wig.
"Oh my gosh!" Munao laughed at the memory. "We had a blast playing bad girls! I totally love it!"
Actually, Munao was there when the idea was born for a song that would be an anthem for hard working women.
"We were at a Grammy after party," she recounted. "Donna said, 'Let's go into the ladies room.' When we went in, this lady was sound asleep. Donna said, 'Wow. She works hard for the money.' The next thing she says, 'You got a pen?' I was like, 'What?' 'You got a pen?' Before we left the bathroom, she had the melody and the lyric."
Donna Summer covered many styles of music. She won five Grammys in her lifetime. She died in 2012 after living with lung cancer.
"She was diagnosed at stage four," Munao said. "Also, my sister was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage four. I was sitting there thinking we gotta do something. I gotta do something in honor of Donna to really save lives."
Munao is the event chair for Here Comes Summer. It's aiming to be a yearly fundraiser for the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. The first event was held at Richland Country Club. In attendance was Summer's daughter, Mimi Dohler. Summer's surviving family is working alongside Munao with a goal of research funding.
Munao, a friend who spent so many years promoting the works of Donna Summer, is still telling her story.
"It is incredibly moving to see so many people show up for Donna Summer's legacy and support lung cancer research," Munao began, taking the podium at the event. "Lung cancer continues to touch the people I love. That's why I'm on a mission. We need early detection. Let me say it again. We need early detection. Tonight is more than a fundraiser. It's about being a group of people who refuse to accept the status quo. Being a girl from Brooklyn, I mean what I say. Donna really was more than a client and a friend. She was my sister, and I miss her deeply. I'm so glad to have shared my life with her and be part of her journey."
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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