Gloria Gaynor

Singer Gloria Gaynor is best known for her disco-era hits, most notably the 1978 perennial "I Will Survive," which became an anthem of hope and empowerment for the women's liberation movement, LGBTQ communities ravaged by the AIDS crisis and myriad others coping with the tragedies and traumas of human existence.

Newark, N.J.-born Gaynor began singing in a gospel choir as a child and later pursued a career as a nightclub performer, releasing her first album Never Can Say Goodbye in 1975. Its 19-minute, dancefloor-friendly A-side suite, including a cover of the titular Jackson 5 hit, helped popularize disco in America, but subsequent efforts fell flat.

"I Will Survive," written and produced by former Motown Records staffers Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren, resurrected Gaynor's career: the single topped the pop charts and won the Grammy for Best Disco Recording in 1980, the only year the award was given. Gaynor never again climbed the same commercial heights, but the 1984 single "I Am What I Am" made her a gay icon.