Brenda Russell

Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses R&B, pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She has received five Grammy nominations, winning in 2017 for writing the music for The Color Purple.

Life and background Russell was born in Brooklyn, New York in April 1949. Both of Russell's parents were musicians. Her mother was a singer/songwriter and her father, Gus Gordon, was a one-time member of the Ink Spots.

Russell's family moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada when she was 12-years-old. As a teenager she began performing in local bands and was recruited to sing in a Toronto-based girl group called the Tiaras alongside Jackie Richardson, Arlene Trotman, and Colina Phillips. The group's only single, "Where Does All The Time Go", was released on Barry Records in 1968 but was unsuccessful.

Career 1960s to 1970s When Russell was 14 years old she met the group the Soul Searchers. She would later open for them during live performances. In her late teens, she joined the Toronto production of Hair, during which time she had begun to play the piano. In the early 1970s, she married Scottish-Canadian A track from the LP called "So Good So Right" also hit number 8 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart, number 15 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs and number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

1980s to 1990s Russell co-wrote two tracks for Earth, Wind & Fire's 1980 album Faces (including the hit single "You"), and also co-wrote the hit single "I've Had Enough" from their 1981 album Raise! She released her second solo album Love Life in 1981 on A&M. She also co-wrote the track "Breakout" for Patrice Rushen's 1982 album Straight From The Heart, and performed backing vocals on the song. Also in 1982, Russell was one of the "All Star Choir" on Donna Summer's hit single "State of Independence", which also included Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald and Stevie Wonder among others.

Returning to A&M Records, Russell's fourth album, Get Here, was released in 1988. It became her greatest commercial success, spawning her biggest hit "Piano in the Dark", a US Top 10 and UK Top 30 hit which featured Joe Esposito. The song garnered three Grammy Award nominations. She also appeared on Joni Mitchell's 1991 album Night Ride Home as well as on the Yellowjackets' 1992 album Live Wires. In 2003, she signed to the new UK label Dome Records and released the compilation album So Good, So Right: The Best of Brenda Russell. Her eighth studio album, Between the Sun and the Moon, was released by Dome in 2004.

In 2016, Russell received a Grammy for The Color Purple in the category of Best Musical Theater Album.

Russell's song "A Little Bit of Love" has been sampled more than a dozen times. Notable uses are "Still Not a Player" by Big Pun (1998), "I Want You" by Thalía (2003), "The Way" by Ariana Grande (2013), and "What I Wanna" by MoStack (2018).

When asked in an interview which songs they wished they had written, the British band Hot Chip listed Russell's track "Way Back When" from her 1979 album debut solo album.

Discography

Brenda Russell (1979) Love Life (1981) Two Eyes (1983) Get Here (1988) Kiss Me with the Wind (1990) Soul Talkin' (1993) Paris Rain (2000) Between the Sun and the Moon (2004)

Filmography Russell featured as a singer in the feature films American Hot Wax, The Santa Clause, and Liberty Heights.

Accolades

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Russell has received a total of five Grammy nominations altogether.

Tony Awards

Russell has also been nominated for a Tony Award.