Brenda Russell

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brenda Russell
Russell in 2007
Russell in 2007
Background information
Birth nameBrenda Gordon
Born (1949-04-08) April 8, 1949 (age 75)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
Years active1963–present
Labels
(2003–)

Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949)

Grammy nominations.[2][3][4]

Life and background

Russell was born Brenda Gordon was born to musician parents, with her mother being a singer/songwriter and her father Gus Gordon (1926-2019), a one-time member of the Ink Spots. She spent her early years in Canada after moving to Hamilton, Ontario, at the age of 12. 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.[3][5]

Career

1960s to 1970s

When Russell was 14 years of age she met the group

Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury and The Soul Searchers. She would later open for them.[6]
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 musician Brian Russell when they were both in the band Dr. Music. The couple went on to produce Rufus's "Please Pardon Me" (on their album Rufusized) and contribute backup vocals to Neil Sedaka's "Laughter in the Rain". The Russells also featured as backing vocalists for Elton John's concert at Wembley Stadium on June 21, 1975. Credited as Brian & Brenda, they released two albums on John's Rocket label being Word Called Love in 1976 and 1977's Supersonic Lover.[3][5]

The duo also performed on two tracks from

Robert Palmer's breakout soul-pop album Double Fun
. Their daughter, Lindsay, was born in 1977, but the couple had divorced by the late 1970s, and Russell, now living in Los Angeles, had set out on a solo career.

In 1979, Russell's

Hot 100 chart.[8][9][10]

1980s to 1990s

Russell went on to work with Earth, Wind & Fire as a producer on their 1980 album Faces and 1981 LP Raise!. Russell released her sophomore album Love Life in 1981 on A&M. She also performed and produced on Patrice Rushen's 1981 LP Straight From The Heart and Donna Summer's 1982 album Donna Summer.[3][11][2]

In 1983, she released her third album,

Warner Bros. Records. The album got to number 16 on the Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart in the UK.[12][13]
Russell eventually relocated to Sweden where she began writing songs for her next album.[11]

Returning to A&M Records, Russell's fourth album,

Grammy Award nominations.[4]

Russell then issued her follow up album,

Adult Contemporary Songs chart.[17][18][19]

She later appeared on Joni Mitchell's 1991 LP Night Ride Home as well as on the Yellowjackets' 1992 album Live Wires.[2]

She then released the album

UK Pop Albums chart.[2][20][21] She also contributed to the score for the 1998 film How Stella Got Her Groove Back and appeared in the film Liberty Heights
where she also performed two songs for the film's soundtrack.

2000s

Russell returned to her solo career in 2000 with the album Paris Rain, released on

Hidden Beach Records. The album (which includes collaborations with Carole King, Dave Koz and Sheila E.) saw Russell move away from the pop market toward a more adult-oriented sound.[22] 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.[3]

In 2005, a

Grammy Award (in the Best Musical Show Album category).[23][24][4]

In 2015, Russell, after making her home in Los Angeles for 30 years, took up residence in Texas.[25]

In 2016, Russell received a

Grammy nomination for The Color Purple in the category of Best Musical Theater Album.[4]

Legacy

Russell has been covered by artists such as Babyface, Oleta Adams, The Manhattan Transfer, Luther Vandross, Patti Austin, Ruben Studdard, Donna Summer and Ramsey Lewis. She has also been sampled by artists such as Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Chance the Rapper, Thalia, Flo Rida, Ariana Grande, and Big Pun ("Still Not a Player").[26][27][28]

Artists such as Hot Chip have also been influenced by Russell.[29]

Accolades

Grammy Awards

The

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Russell has received a total of five Grammy nominations altogether.[4]

Year Category Nominated work Result
1988 Song of the Year "Piano in the Dark" Nominated
1988
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
 Get Here Nominated
1988 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals "Piano in the Dark" Nominated
2006 Best Musical Show Album "The Color Purple" Nominated
2016 Best Musical Theatre Album "The Color Purple" Won

Tony Awards

Russell has also been nominated for a

Tony Award.[24]

Year Category Nominated work Result
2006 Original Musical Score The Color Purple Nominated

Discography

Main article: Brenda Russell discography

Filmography

Russell featured as a singer in the feature films American Hot Wax, The Santa Clause, and Liberty Heights.[30]

References

  1. ^ Gregory, Andy (2002).The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. p.444
  2. ^ a b c d "Brenda Russell". allmusic.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Counting the Stars: Treasured Singer-Songwriter Brenda Russell Shares Her Story". Popmatters.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Brenda Russell". Grammy.com.
  5. ^ a b "FEATURE BRENDA RUSSELL: SOULSATIONAL". bluesandsoul.com.
  6. ^ Toronto Star, Mar. 17, 2022 - Eric Mercury, Canada’s ‘Electric Black Man,’ singer for ‘Be Like Mike’ campaign, dies By David Friend The Canadian Press
  7. ^ "Brenda Russell: Brenda Russell (Top Soul Albums)". Billboard.com.
  8. ^ "Brenda Russell: So Good So Right (Adult Contemporary Songs)". Billboard.com.
  9. ^ "Brenda Russell: So Good So Right (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.com.
  10. ^ "Brenda Russell: So Good So Right (Hot 100)". Billboard.com.
  11. ^ a b "Brenda Russell: Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts.com. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  12. Warner Bros. Records
    . May 1983.
  13. ^ "Top British Soul Albums". No. 384. Blues & Soul. June 28, 1983. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  14. ^ Brenda Russell: Kiss Me with the Wind. A&M Records. 1990.
  15. ^ "Top British Soul Albums". No. 570. Blues & Soul. September 11, 1990. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  16. ^ "Phil Perry: The Heart of the Man". billboard.com. Billboard.
  17. ^ "Various Artists: Voices That Care". 45worlds.com.
  18. ^ "Voices That Care: (Hot 100)". billboard.com.[dead link]
  19. ^ "Voices That Care: (Adult Contemporary Songs)". billboard.com.[dead link]
  20. ^ "Diana Ross". officialcharts.com.
  21. ^ "Brenda Russell". Smooth-jazz.de. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  22. ^ "SingerUniverse - Brenda Russell article". Archived from the original on November 4, 2005. Retrieved October 24, 2005.
  23. ^ "About Brenda Russell". Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  24. ^ a b "Brenda Russell". Tonyawards.com.
  25. ^ Pam Meade. "Brenda Russell finds inspiration for writing songs all around her". Monroe News. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  26. ^ "Brenda Russell". secondhandsongs.com.
  27. ^ "Brenda Russell". genius.com.
  28. ^ "Flo Rida's 'I Cry' Puts Brenda Russell's 'Piano in the Dark' Back on Charts". atlantablackstar.com. October 7, 2012.
  29. ^ "The Songs Hot Chip Wish They Wrote". pitchfork.com. June 25, 2019.
  30. ^ "Brenda Russell". IMDb.com.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brenda_Russell&oldid=1210355644"