[breNDa ruSSell]

brenda russell was born brenda gordon in brooklyn, new york. when she was only twelve, she moved, with her parents, to ontario, canada, where she spent the remainder of her youth. some of russell's earliest memories involve watching her mother work at songwriting and being awoken in the middle of the night to help her mother, by singing harmony, to work on a song that may be giving her trouble. picking up her mother's passion for music, russell found herself with a role in the toronto production of hair, when she was barely out of her teens.

when russell met and married brian russell, her star seemed to continue to rise. she and her husband hosted the canadian television program music machine, before striking out in search of even greater success in hollywood, california. after spending the early part of the 1970s as session singers, the pair began to record their own records as brian and brenda, in 1978. when their two albums brought lackluster reviews and their marriage desolved, russell saw fit to begin a solo career. relentless circulation of a demo tape resulted in the release of "so good, so right", which received a considerable amount of airplay. black radio station appreciated russell's talent and the fact that she, a black woman, seemed in control of her own career, while mainstream radio responded to russell's smooth, mellow grooves. originally signed to the now defunct horizon records, russell released two albums with a&m records—brenda russell and love life—before switching to warner bros. music, in 1983, for two eyes; after a brief stint in sweden, russell returned to the united states and to a&m records to release her 1988 breakout album, get here. aside from acheiving top five status on both the r&b and pop charts for the single "piano in the dark", get here earned russell three grammy nominations and her first win.

having come into her own, russell has become one of the industry's most sought-after vocalists, songwriters and producers, resulting in collaborations with divas such as patti labelle, lalah hathaway, miki howard, barbara streisand, donna summer, carol bayer sager, tina turner, and patrice rushen. in 1990, soul/gospel chanteuse oleta adams' cover of "get here" sent russell back to the charts and established itself as the official song of soldiers returning home from war in the persian gulf. twelve years later, russell's mega-hit received renewed interest when american idol runner-up, justin guarini, proclaimed it a personal favorite, performed in numerous times on the program and included it on his self-titled debut album.

in 1991, russell released her final album with a&m recordsK—kiss me with the wind—before producing 1993's soul talkin' for emi records. following the release of soul talkin', russell was without a recording contract for some seven years. rather than allow her vast talent to go to waste, russell continued working with the myriad of artists who had come to know and respect her work, over the years. russell also involved herself music bridges—a program which pairs american musicians with musicians from other countries for mutual growth and learning. in 2000, russell returned with paris rain, on hidden beach records. with a mission statement which reads "a musical oasis of artistic freedom and innovation", hidden beach records provided the perfect environment for russell to create her magic. collaborations with long-time friends and musical peers including saxophonists kirk whalum and dave koz, bassist jimmy hazlip, pianist russell ferrante, keyboardists greg phillinganes and bill sharpe, and vocal powerhouse quartet perrí and russell's straight-forward, yet incisive lyrics, conspire to produce songs that are profound in their simplicity.

though decreased interest in the "smooth jazz" (or "adult contemporary") has waned over the years, forcing an increasing number of artists to compete for fewer spots on radio station playlists, russell is undeterred. "satellite radio could make smooth jazz exciting again, like it was when the format started," she opined in one newspaper article, "it will open the music up again and the cycle of creativity will flow, again." russell's creativity has never stopped flowing. one of the industry's most accomplished singer/songwriters, russell stands as a testament to integrity in art. a professional who walks softly and possesses a big talent, russell demonstrates that slow and steady can win the race and that art can be its own reward. a friend and inspiration to her fellow musicians, brenda russell is truly a diva of note.