Brenda Russell (born Brenda Gordon, April 8, 1949, Brooklyn, New York is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Recognized for her eclectic musical fashion, her recordings have encompassed a number of totally different genres, together with pop, soul, dance and jazz.
She is maybe most well-known for her 1988 hit “Piano within the Darkish”, and in addition for writing the tune “Get Right here” which was a success for Oleta Adams in 1991. Russell’s songwriting and vocal skills have additionally been utilized by Diana Ross, Stevie Marvel, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Hearth, Joni Mitchell, Donna Summer time, Bingo Gamers, Flo Rida and Sting.
Born to musical dad and mom (her father Gus was a one-time member of The Ink Spots), she spent her early years in Canada after shifting to Hamilton, Ontario, age 12. As a young person she started performing in native bands and was recruited to sing in a Toronto-based woman group referred to as The Tiaras together with Jackie Richardson. The group’s one single, “The place Does All The Time Go” was launched on Barry Information in 1968 however was unsuccessful.
In her late teenagers, she joined the Toronto manufacturing of Hair, throughout which era she had begun to play the piano. Within the early Seventies she married musician Brian Russell and (as Brian & Brenda) they launched two albums on Elton John’s Rocket label, Phrase Known as Love (1976) and Supersonic Lover (1977).
The Russells additionally carried out on two tracks from Robert Palmer’s breakout soul-pop album Double Enjoyable. Their daughter, Lindsay, was born in 1977, however the couple had divorced by the late Seventies, and Brenda, now residing in Los Angeles, had set out on a solo profession.
After Russell was signed to Tommy LiPuma’s Horizon Information (a subsidiary of A&M Information), her debut single, “So Good, So Proper”, grew to become a Prime 30 hit in 1979. After it disestablished the Horizon imprint in 1979, A&M launched Russell’s self-titled debut album. The album included the hit “So Good, So Proper” in addition to the tracks “In The Thick Of It” and “If Solely For One Night time” (which was later a success in 1985 for Luther Vandross).
Her second album, Love Life, adopted in 1981, although business success eluded her. Shifting to Warner Bros. Information, she launched her third album, Two Eyes, in 1983, however this was additionally unsuccessful. After this, Russell relocated to Sweden and started writing songs for her subsequent album.
Returning to A&M Information, Russell’s fourth album, Get Right here, was launched in 1988. It grew to become her best business success, spawning her largest hit “Piano within the Darkish” (a US Prime 10 hit which featured Joe Esposito) and garnered three Grammy Award nominations.
The title observe went on to develop into a worldwide hit in 1991 when it was lined by Oleta Adams. After releasing her subsequent album, Kiss Me with the Wind (1990), Russell’s contract with A&M concluded with the discharge of her Biggest Hits album in 1992. Russell then signed with EMI and launched the album Soul Talkin’ in 1993.
After this, Russell took a while off from recording her personal music and through this era she composed songs for different artists and contributed to the rating for the movie How Stella Bought Her Groove Again, written by Michel Colombier. She additionally appeared within the 1999 movie Liberty Heights, through which she carried out two songs written particularly for the film.
Russell resumed her solo profession in 2000 with the album Paris Rain, launched on Hidden Seaside Information. The album (which incorporates collaborations with Carole King, Dave Koz and Sheila E.) noticed Russell transfer away from the pop market towards a extra adult-oriented sound.
In 2003, she signed to the brand new UK label Dome Information and launched the compilation album So Good, So Proper: The Better of Brenda Russell. Her eighth studio album, Between the Solar and the Moon, was launched by Dome in 2004.
2005 noticed a Broadway musical model of Alice Walker’s The Coloration Purple. Produced by Oprah Winfrey, the present’s rating was written by Russell and lyricists-composers Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Russell and her co-writers have been nominated for a Tony Award (for Finest Rating) and a Grammy Award (within the Finest Musical Present Album class).
In November 2009, three tracks from Russell’s ninth studio album, This Is Actual Life, have been made obtainable by way of her official website[8] although a launch date for the album is but to be introduced.
In 2011, the Dutch dance duo Bingo Gamers launched a dance observe entitled “Cry (Only a Little)” which featured a pattern of Russell’s 1988 hit “Piano within the Darkish”. In 2012, rapper Flo Rida launched the tune “I Cry” with the identical pattern and an analogous beat.
