Brenda Russell
| Brenda Russell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brenda Gordon |
| Born |
April 8, 1949 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels |
Horizon (1979) A&M (1979–81, 1988–92) Warner Bros. (1983) EMI (1993) Hidden Beach (2000) Dome/Narada Jazz (2003–) |
| Associated acts | Brian Russell |
Brenda Russell (née Gordon; April 8, 1949, Brooklyn, New York ) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Known for her diverse musical style, her recordings have encompassed several genres, including pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She may be best known for her hit "Piano in the Dark" (1988) and/or for writing the song "Get Here" which was a hit for Oleta Adams in 1991.
Born to musical parents (her father Gus was a one-time member of the Ink Spots), Brenda Gordon spent her early years in Canada after moving to Hamilton, Ontario at age 12. As a teenager she began performing in local bands and was recruited to sing in a Toronto-based girl group called the Tiaras along with Jackie Richardson. The group's one single, "Where Does All The Time Go", was released on Barry Records in 1968 but was unsuccessful.
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 and (as Brian & Brenda) they released two albums on Elton John's Rocket label, Word Called Love (1976) and Supersonic Lover (1977). The Russells, along with Donny Gerrard, featured as backing vocalists for John's concert at Wembley Stadium on 21 June 1975. The Russells 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.
After Russell was signed to Tommy LiPuma's Horizon Records (a subsidiary of A&M Records), her debut single, "So Good, So Right", became a Top 30 hit in 1979. After it disestablished the Horizon imprint in 1979, A&M released Russell's self-titled debut album. The album included the hit "So Good, So Right" as well as the tracks "In The Thick Of It" and "If Only For One Night" (which was later a hit in 1985 for Luther Vandross).
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