Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell (* 8. April 1949 in Brooklyn , New York as Brenda Gordon ) is an American R & B - Jazz - and Pop singer and songwriter and keyboardist .
biography
Brenda Gordon's family moved to Toronto , Canada when she was 12 years old. In her youth she performed there with local bands and sang in a girl group called "The Tiaras", with whom she released the single Where Does All the Time Go in 1968 .
In the early 1970s she married the musician Brian Russell, who also hosted the Canadian television program Music Machine . In 1973 they moved to Los Angeles and worked there as session musicians . The couple released two albums in 1976 and 1977 as a duo "Brian and Brenda". In 1968 their joint song That's All Right Too rose to number 67 on the Billboard R&B charts. After the divorce, Brenda Russell devoted herself to her solo career.
In 1978 she signed a contract with A&M Records and in 1979 released the debut album named after her . The release So Good, So Right became a hit and rose to number 30 on the US pop charts and number 15 on the R&B charts. Way Back When came 42nd on the R&B hit list shortly thereafter. The follow-up album Love Life was released in 1981, the If You Love (The One You Lose) contained on it entered the R&B charts and reached number 50.
In 1982 Russell moved to Warner Bros. Records and released the unsuccessful album Two Eyes . The move back to A&M followed, where Russell's most successful album, Get Here , was released in 1988 . With the release Piano in the Dark , which she sang with Joe Esposito, she achieved a top 10 hit in the R&B (8th place) and pop charts (6th place). The singles Gravity and Get Here were in the middle of the R&B charts. Russell received Grammy nominations for Piano in the Dark as "Song of the Year" and "Best Pop Duo" (with Joe Esposito) and for Get Here as "Best Pop Singer". With a cover version of Get Here , Oleta Adams had a worldwide hit in 1990.
In 1990 the album Kiss Me with the Wind was released and the success subsided. Stop Running Away , written by Russell with Narada Michael Walden , who also produced the track, became her final R&B Top 40 hit. The move to EMI USA and the release of the album Soul Talkin ' in 1993 did not bring the desired success either. Russell worked in the following years as a session musician for Barbra Streisand , Elton John and Bette Midler ; in addition, Streisand, Luther Vandross and Donna Summer recorded some of their own songs.
The next solo albums Paris Rain (2000) and Between the Sun and the Moon (2004) received little attention. Since then, Russell a. a. as a musical actress . As a member of the cast of the Broadway production The Color Purple , she received a Grammy in 2016 for "Best Musical Theater Album".
Discography
Studio albums
| year | Title music label |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
 US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1979 | Brenda Russell Horizon 739 |
- |
US65 (20 weeks) US |
R&B26 (24 weeks) R&B |
First published: February 23, 1979
Producer: André Fischer |
| 1981 | Love Life A&M 4811 |
- |
US107 (8 weeks) US |
R&B42 (10 weeks) R&B |
First published: March 1981
Producer: Stewart Levine |
| 1988 | Get Here A&M 5178 |
UK77 (4 weeks) UK |
US49 (28 weeks) US |
R&B20 (25 weeks) R&B |
First published: March 1988
Producer: Brenda Russell, Stanley Clarke , André Fischer, Jeff Hull, Peter O. Ekberg |
| 1990 | Kiss Me with the Wind A&M 5271 |
- | - |
R&B65 (9 weeks) R&B |
First published: August 21, 1990
Producers: Brenda Russell, André Fischer, Narada Michael Walden , Larry Williams |
| 2004 | Between the Sun and the Moon Dome 50 |
- | - |
R&B96 (1 week) R&B |
First published: May 31, 2004
Executive Producer: Brenda Russell, Peter Robinson |
More studio albums
- 1976: Word Called Love (as Brian and Brenda Russel; The Rocket Record Company 2181)
- 1977: Supersonic Lover (as Brian and Brenda, with Brian Russel; The Rocket Record Company 2191)
- 1983: Two Eyes ( Warner Bros. 28839; release: May)
- 1993: Soul Talkin ' ( EMI USA 97953; release: June 1st)
- 2000: Paris Rain (Hidden Beach 62138; release: July 18th)
Compilations
- 1992: Greatest Hits (A&M 5396; release: August 4th)
- 2001: Ultimate Collection ( Hip-O ; release: July 24th)
- 2003: So Good So Right: The Best of Brenda Russell (Dome 42)
- 2009: In the Thick of It: The Best of Brenda Russell (Dome 301; release: July 3rd)
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1978 | That's All Right Too Supersonic Lover |
- | - |
R&B67 (9 weeks) R&B |
First published: January 1978
as Brian and Brenda, with Brian Russell Authors: Brenda Russell, Brian Russell |
| 1979 | So Good, So Right Brenda Russell |
- |
US30 (17 weeks) US |
R&B15 (19 weeks) R&B |
First published: July 1979
Author: Brenda Russell |
| 1980 | Way Back When Brenda Russell |
- | - |
R&B42 (9 weeks) R&B |
First published: December 1979
Author: Brenda Russell |
| In the Thick of It / So Good, So Right Brenda Russell |
UK51 (5 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: April 1980
Author: Brenda Russell |
|
| 1981 | If You Love (The One You Lose) Love Life |
- | - |
R&B50 (9 weeks) R&B |
First published: March 1981
Author: Brenda Russell |
| 1988 | Piano in the Dark Get Here |
UK23 (14 weeks) UK |
US6 (25 weeks) US |
R&B8 (19 weeks) R&B |
First release: January 1988
feat. Joe Esposito Authors: Brenda Russell, Jeff Hull, Scott Cutler |
| Gravity Get Here |
UK77 (1 week) UK |
- |
R&B42 (9 weeks) R&B |
First published: April 1988
Authors: Brenda Russell, Gardner Cole |
|
| Le Restaurant Get Here |
- | - |
R&B93 (4 weeks) R&B |
||
| Get Here Get Here |
- | - |
R&B37 (16 weeks) R&B |
First published: September 1988
Author: Brenda Russell |
|
| 1990 | Stop Running Away Kiss Me with the Wind |
- | - |
R&B34 (12 weeks) R&B |
First published: July 1990
Authors: Brenda Russell, Narada Michael Walden |
| 1991 | Tell Me This Night Won't End Open Invitation |
- | - |
R&B69 (5 weeks) R&B |
First publication: May 1991
Gerald Alston feat. Brenda Russell Authors: Lorrin Bates, Percy Bady, Ray Fuller |
More singles
- 1976: Highly Prized Possession (as Brian and Brenda, with Brian Russel; released February)
- 1976: Gonna Do My Best to Love You (as Brian and Brenda; released September)
- 1977: Toronto (as Brian and Brenda)
- 1977: Don't Let Love Go (as Brian and Brenda; Promo)
- 1983: I Want Love to Find Me (released April)
- 1983: Two Eyes (release: June)
- 1985: You Are the One ( Herb Alpert feat. Brenda Russell; release: June)
- 1985: When I Give My Love to You ( Michael Franks feat. Brenda Russell; release: December)
swell
- ↑ The Tiaras at Discogs (English)
- ↑ Chart data: Oleta Adams - Get Here
- ↑ a b Chart sources: UK US1 US2
- ^ Joel Whitburn : Top R&B Albums 1965–1998, ISBN 0-89820-134-9 .
- ^ Joel Whitburn : Hot R&B Songs 1942–2010: 6th Edition, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4 .
Web links
- Brenda Russell at Allmusic (English)
- Brenda Russell at Discogs (English)
- Brenda Russell at 45cat.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Russell, Brenda |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gordon, Brenda (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American R&B, jazz and pop singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 8, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brooklyn , New York City , United States |