BRENDA RUSSELL
Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born 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. Her hits included “Piano in the Dark” (1988) and “Get Here” (1991), which was also a hit for Oleta Adams. (More from Wikipedia)
Black Russian had some assistance with the lyrics, perhaps because English is not their native language; they hardly spoke the language at all at the time that they defected. Lyricists who lent a hand include Allee Willis, who co-wrote the lyrics for their beautiful first single “Leave Me Now”. Willis has had a long career as a writer, songwriter, set designer, and artist. Her musical credits are as wide-ranging as can be imagined; together with Stephen Bray and Brenda Russell, Allee Willis wrote the music for the 2005 Broadway musical The Color Purple, based on the 1982 novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker and the 1985 movie, The Color Purple that was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Rae Dawn Chong.
(April 2015/1)
