This past Wednesday, we celebrated International Women's Day as we take time to spotlight ladies who made a difference in our lives. In this article, we are saluting a trio of Massachusetts women with musical talent in the realm of pop, disco and country> Without a doubt, their singing savvy remains unbeatable to this day.

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LaDonna Adrian Gaines best known professionally as Donna Summer, is a native Bostonian. She was born in 1948. Her music made you get up and dance the night away and when it came to singing a ballad, her vocal savvy attracted your attention in more ways than one. Her famous moniker "The Queen Of Disco" STILL stands to this day as people are partying hearty globally by dancing the night away with some of their favorites that made it to #1 on the charts. Giorgio Moroder was the all-important piece of the puzzle that propelled her to musical fame as he produced these terrific upbeat 70's songs including "I Feel Love", "Hot Stuff", "Last Dance", a cover of the Richard Harris classic "MacArthur Park": and the title track from "Bad Girls". In the 80's, "She Works Hard For The Money" was her most successful hit and here's one from the vault, circa 1989: "This Time I Know It's For Real"

Sadly, we lost The Queen on May 17, 2012. Donna Summer was 63 years young as this unique talent from the Bay State's capital city's memory will ALWAYS remain eternal and everlasting. Plus, we will continue to hit the dance floor with her timeless music.

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Jo Dee Messina is a country artist who had major success in the late 1990's. The 52 year old Framingham native just recently resumed touring after suffering some health setbacks. Her energetic performances got the crowd going while watching her LIVE on stage as I remember playing her music when it was brand spanking new during my days of working at country music stations in Sharon and Norwich, Connecticut.

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Jo Dee's upbeat sound is featured in high fashion with selections that included "Heads Carolina, Tails California",  "Bye Bye", "I'm Alright",(it is not a cover of Kenny Loggins song featured in "Caddyshack") "You Don't Belong In Kansas Anymore" and the haunting ballad "Bring On the Rain", a duet with Tim McGraw that is featured in her 2000 LP "Burn". Another Bay State native worth checking out as her concert itinerary is resuming as we speak. Here is a clip of her most successful 1998 hit "I'm Alright"

Finally, for those who are younger, you are definitely aware of this Massachusetts native's musical accomplishments.

The American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection 2020 - Runway
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29 year old Meghan Trainor hails from Nantucket Island and continues to entertain audiences with top 40 favorites including her first hit single "All About That Bass" "Dear Future Husband" and "Lips Are Moving". Her ballad with John Legend "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" intertwines their vocal talents as these two artists truly made a terrific combination. She also took time to salute the legendary Marvin Gaye in a duet with fellow pop star Charlie Puth. I give her credit that some of her musical influences included Stevie Wonder and Phil Collins and she is a fan of pre-Beatles doo-wop music. That is a guaranteed stamp of approval in my books. 

Here is the video clip of "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" as this pair of performers brings their vocal talents in high fashion:

BOTTOM LINE: We always manage to feature talent from The Commonwealth, but i think we struck gold with this terrific trio of ladies. Thanks again for all your musical contributions, past and present!

(Photos of Donna Summer and Meghan Trainor courtesy of Getty images)

(Photos of Jo Dee Messina courtesy of her Facebook page)

(Video clips courtesy of You Tube) 

(Some information obtained in this article courtesy of www.wikipedia.com)

Check Out the Best-Selling Album From the Year You Graduated High School

Do you remember the top album from the year you graduated high school? Stacker analyzed Billboard data to determine just that, looking at the best-selling album from every year going all the way back to 1956. Sales data is included only from 1992 onward when Nielsen's SoundScan began gathering computerized figures.

Going in chronological order from 1956 to 2020, we present the best-selling album from the year you graduated high school.

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