Donna Summer

It's been a tough month for music fans, and the bad news hasn't slowed down. On Wednesday, we lost the Godfather of Go-Go and D.C. legend Chuck Brown to complications from sepsis. He was 75. Naturally, his loss was felt particularly hard in the Baltimore and D.C. areas. Local writer Al Shipley tweeted , "[O]n the drive home I heard Chuck Brown music on 5 different radio stations, including a Baltimore station and a rock station. " Read the Washington Post obituary by Chris Richards here . And today, Donna Summer lost her battle with cancer.

It's been a tough month for music fans, and the bad news hasn't slowed down. On Wednesday, we lost the Godfather of Go-Go and D.C. legend Chuck Brown to complications from sepsis. He was 75. Naturally, his loss was felt particularly hard in the Baltimore and D.C. areas. Local writer Al Shipley tweeted , "[O]n the drive home I heard Chuck Brown music on 5 different radio stations, including a Baltimore station and a rock station. " Read the Washington Post obituary by Chris Richards here . And today, Donna Summer lost her battle with cancer.

THE ROLAND PARK Second Presbyterian Church looked absolutely stunning last Saturday for the wedding of Natalia Pia Melanie Sommer and Richard Matthew Dohler. Thousands of wildflowers, miles of lace ribbons and tulle, and window sills decorated with Singapore orchids set the stage for the nuptials of the daughter of pop music star Donna Summer and her first husband, Helmut Sommer,and the son of Dick and Bonna Dohler, he's an Ellicott City builder.The church was filled with the music of German trumpeteer Langston Fitzgerald and selections of Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi, played by the church's music director Margaret Budd on the organ.

With a few shards of glass, tile and other discarded bits, Loring Cornish can re-create his world into a shimmering mosaic wonderland.  After growing up in Reservoir Hill and studying at Morgan State University, he has established himself as an artist, though not one who's conventionally trained. His distinct style and passion for mosaics is always visible - his own two rowhouses in Reservoir Hill are covered with multi-colored tiles and glass shards.  Cornish's work has appeared in shows and museums across the country, including the American Visionary Art Museum and the Jewish Museum of Maryland.

When Donna Summer answers the phone at her Nashville home, her greeting is gravelly. The "hello" sounds almost muffled. It's around 9 a.m., and apparently her voice hasn't awakened yet. She won't be home too long, anyway, because there's more road work to do. For weeks, she's been traveling the country, doing a round of morning shows, daytime talk shows, a little radio. Surely you've heard by now that the woman known in the '70s as the First Lady of Love and the Queen of Disco has published a memoir called Ordinary Girl: The Journey.

Donna Summer With her sassy lyrics and brassy sound, Donna Summer rose to the top during the disco era, winning Grammys and racking up hits. Her singles "Bad Girls" and "She Works Hard For the Money" became anthems for women in the '70s, and after the debut of Crayons in May, she hopes to get a whole new generation grooving to her music. The Queen of Disco takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Pier Six Pavilion, 731 Eastern Ave. Tickets are $29-$75. Call 410-783-4189 or go to piersixpavilion.

As the operator of four McDonald's restaurants in Howard County, Cathy Bell spends a lot of time thinking about how to improve service and boost business.She was doing just that one day last summer when the lyrics of Donna Summer's 1983 hit, "She Works Hard for the Money," ran through her head. Why not use it for a McDonald's commercial? she asked herself.The 41-year-old Columbia woman's brainstorm has turned into a new $1 million-plus McDonald's television and radio advertising campaign that's being launched today in 10 U.S. markets, including Baltimore, Boston, New York, Hartford, Conn.

With a few shards of glass, tile and other discarded bits, Loring Cornish can re-create his world into a shimmering mosaic wonderland.  After growing up in Reservoir Hill and studying at Morgan State University, he has established himself as an artist, though not one who's conventionally trained. His distinct style and passion for mosaics is always visible - his own two rowhouses in Reservoir Hill are covered with multi-colored tiles and glass shards.  Cornish's work has appeared in shows and museums across the country, including the American Visionary Art Museum and the Jewish Museum of Maryland.

Just announced Disney Music Block Party -- featuring They Might Be Giants, Dan Zanes, Ralph's World, Choo Choo Soul, and host, Raven Symone, Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia July 29-30. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Eagles -- Verizon Center in Washington on July 26. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday. Also, New Kids on the Block are there on Oct. 2. Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Monday. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Cinderella -- Pier Six Pavilion on July 22. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.

ANYWHERE I LAY MY HEAD Scarlett Johansson Sun Grade: C+ Film actress and critical darling Scarlett Johansson started nurturing a career in music two years ago. She appeared on Unexpected Dreams: Songs From the Stars, a 2006 charity album, crooning the George Gershwin standard "Summertime." Soon afterward, Rhino, the label that released the CD, approached Johansson with a recording contract. For her debut release, the blond beauty decided to do a concept album. Well, sort of. Anywhere I Lay My Head is a suite of Tom Waits songs that loosely centers on traveling.

Classical BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA : 8 p.m. Thursday. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. $25 to $60. Call 410-783-8000 or go to bsomusic.org. Tchaikovsky's music, with its passionate melodies and vivid instrumental coloring, seems to go particularly well with the heat of summer. Orchestras almost everywhere can be counted on to turn on the Tchaikovsky at this time of year, and not just his 1812 Overture, which just got its usual workout on the Fourth of July.

Donna Summer With her sassy lyrics and brassy sound, Donna Summer rose to the top during the disco era, winning Grammys and racking up hits. Her singles "Bad Girls" and "She Works Hard For the Money" became anthems for women in the '70s, and after the debut of Crayons in May, she hopes to get a whole new generation grooving to her music. The Queen of Disco takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Pier Six Pavilion, 731 Eastern Ave. Tickets are $29-$75. Call 410-783-4189 or go to piersixpavilion.

Just announced 3 Doors Down: Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia on Sept. 13. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Kottonmouth Kings: Rams Head Live on Aug. 22. Also, Los Lonely Boys are there Sept. 9. 410-244-1131 or ramsheadlive.com. Aimee Mann: Recher Theatre in Towson on Sept. 9. 410-337-7210, 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.com. Southern Culture on the Skids: The 9:30 Club in Washington on July 31. 800-955-5566 or tickets.com. Lewis Black: Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Aug. 3. 410-547-7328 or ticketmaster.

ANYWHERE I LAY MY HEAD Scarlett Johansson Sun Grade: C+ Film actress and critical darling Scarlett Johansson started nurturing a career in music two years ago. She appeared on Unexpected Dreams: Songs From the Stars, a 2006 charity album, crooning the George Gershwin standard "Summertime." Soon afterward, Rhino, the label that released the CD, approached Johansson with a recording contract. For her debut release, the blond beauty decided to do a concept album. Well, sort of. Anywhere I Lay My Head is a suite of Tom Waits songs that loosely centers on traveling.

It's a complete dream come true. It's like flying first class on the Concorde." That's smooth-jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, talking about his latest album, At the Movies. A lush, star-studded affair, the CD "combines music and the movies, two things I love the most," he says. His enthusiasm for the indelible lyrics and melodies of iconic tunes such as "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz and "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca shines through every note Koz blows. It's a grand, stylish album the artist has wanted to record for years.

What is this?" I wanted to know. I was at a friend's studio apartment in Philadelphia and he had slipped on a mix tape of some of the most urgent music I'd ever heard. It was repetitive, the layered, cheaply produced beats booming with angry energy. "That's from B-more," he said. "This is what they play in the clubs down there." I frowned. "Not feeling it. What else you got?" Five years later, I move to Charm City and go out to a dingy little downtown joint with another club-music-loving friend.

WANTED: Traveling Bard to provide inspiration at an office in need of musical enlightenment.The qualified candidate will possess his/her own lyre and must be versed in ancient Greek poetry. Voice must be soft and lilting. Minstrels a plus but not necessary.Added consideration will be given to those who have a whimsical view of Howard County happenings and various news events that shape the daily lives of those who work in the county mainstream.We offer an excellent benefits package and pleasant working conditions, but no pay. The job will be rewarding to those whose mission is to use music as an inspirational force in the modern-day office structure.

When Donna Summer answers the phone at her Nashville home, her greeting is gravelly. The "hello" sounds almost muffled. It's around 9 a.m., and apparently her voice hasn't awakened yet. She won't be home too long, anyway, because there's more road work to do. For weeks, she's been traveling the country, doing a round of morning shows, daytime talk shows, a little radio. Surely you've heard by now that the woman known in the '70s as the First Lady of Love and the Queen of Disco has published a memoir called Ordinary Girl: The Journey.