Sunshine was a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

group and the backing vocalist for singer

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

. The members included

Carlena Williams Carlena Williams (February 25, 1942 – November 13, 2013) was an American vocalist. Early in her career, she recorded under her name, Flora Williams, as an Ikette in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In the 1960s she released a few singles as Carlena ...

and Summer's sisters Linda Gaines (now Lotman), Dara Bernard, and Mary Ellen Bernard. Their 1978 number one ''Billboard'' Disco hit "Take It to the Zoo" charted as "Last Dance / After Dark / Thank God It's Friday / Take It to the Zoo" by Donna Summer. The song was featured on the " Thank God It's Friday" film and

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

, was co-written by Summer (with

Bruce Sudano Bruce Charles Sudano (born September 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, noted for creating songs for artists such as Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and his late wife, the Grammy Award-winning singer Donna Summer. Sudano is t ...

and Joe "Bean" Esposito), who also sings background on the track. The planned album, "Sunshine Watching Daddy Dance", was pulled at the last minute. Mary Ellen Bernard continued to perform with Summer until her sister's death on May 17, 2012. Linda Gaines Lotman, Mary Ellen Bernard, Dara Bernard and Jenette Yancey, sang "We've Come This Far By Faith" at Summer's funeral at Christ Presbyterian Church in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. Dara Bernard, who also toured with Summer, is now living in Atlanta, Georgia.

References

American dance music groups American disco groups Custard Records artists American girl groups {{US-band-stub

See also

References