Donna Summer hosted the 7^th American Music Awards alongside Helen Reddy and Glen Campbell on January 12, 1979, while also winning three awards in the newly-created Disco category. The award for Favorite Disco Single, presented by Michael McKean and David Lander in character as Lenny and Squiggy from Laverne & Shirley, honored 'Last Dance', which was certified Gold by the RIAA and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of August 12, 1978. At the American Music Awards ceremony, Summer performed the song live before the award's presentation.
'Last Dance', which Summer performed while acting her only film credit, 1978's Thank God It's Friday, also earned her her first Grammy Award in February of 1979, for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a further Grammy for its songwriter, Paul Jabara. In her acceptance speech at the AMAs, Summer invited Jabara to join her at the podium.
Summer’s original award trophy had been severely damaged sometime in the early 1990s during a move. The present statue was manufactured by Society Awards, current supplier of trophies to the AMAs.