Brenda Russell (born April 8, 1949) – You're Free (1979)

This phenomenal B-side to the unsung singer/songwriter's #15 R&B single “So Good, So Right” was co-written and produced by former Rufus drummer Andre Fischer.

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Brenda Russell is a singer/songwriter who began her career in the 1960s and is still recording and performing today.

Born into a musical family in New York City, Brenda Gordon’s father Gus was a onetime member of the pre-R&B vocal group the Ink Spots, and her mother was a singer/songwriter. Her family moved to Hamilton, Ontario in Canada when she was 12.

In high school she joined the Toronto girl group the Tiaras. They released one single on Barry Records in 1968 before splitting up, “Where Does All The Time Go” b/w the funky jam “All I Ever Need Is You.”

She was cast in the Toronto production of Hair, and began writing songs and playing the piano. Gordon then joined the Toronto jazz-funk group Dr. Music as one of their vocalists, where she met fellow singer/songwriter Brian Russell who was also on vocals. Their 1972 self-titled debut LP on GRT featured the group’s most well-known song, the superb jam “Sun Goes By,” the spaced out jam “Dreams” which Gordon wrote, and its funky opening cut “Rollin’ Home,” written and arranged by Doug Riley who led the group and also produced the album.

Gordon and Russell got married. After the lineup of Dr. Music they were in disbanded, they co-wrote a song for Rufusized, the third studio album by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. The stellar cut “Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me Of A Friend)” was issued as the LP’s second single, and reached #6 R&B.

The couple recorded two LP’s of their own, billed as Brian & Brenda. Word Called Love (1976) and Supersonic Lover (1977) were both released on Elton John’s Rocket Records label.

They kept writing songs for other artists, including Philippé Wynne and Táta Vega, who covered their upbeat jam “Gonna Do My Best To Love You” on her 1978 Try My Love LP.

In 1978 they divorced, and the following year Brenda released her self-titled debut solo album on A&M Records’ Horizon subsidiary. Its superb single “So Good, So Right” went to #15 R&B and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

She wrote nearly all of the album’s songs. One of the exceptions was the phenomenal cut “You’re Free,” the B-side to “So Good, So Right” which she co-wrote with the album’s producer, former Rufus drummer Andre Fischer.

Happy 75th Birthday to the great Brenda Russell.

Further info:

“An Interview with Brenda Russell,” by Mary Bentley, SmoothViews, May 12, 2006.

“A Conversation With Brenda Russell,” interview by Bill King, Billboard, November 22, 2023.

“Soul Talkin': Brenda Russell With David Nathan - ‘What Will It Take’,” SoulMusic.com, January 10, 2024.

#soul #funk #disco #BrendaRussell