Brenda Russell
A songwriter's songwriter, she penned sophisticated soul anthems that became quiet storms and Broadway triumphs.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American-Canadian singer-songwriter·Birthday: April 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brenda Russell began as a session singer before writing her own material. Her self-titled 1979 debut album yielded 'Piano in the Dark,' a polished, intelligent pop-soul track. Born in Brooklyn and raised between New York and Canada, she absorbed a genre-fluid sound. Her songs were too nuanced, her arrangements too jazzy, her perspective too unique for the commercial R&B mold. This individuality made her a sought-after songwriter among peers. Decades later, she co-wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway adaptation of 'The Color Purple,' translating her soulful sensibility into theater. She won a Tony Award.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brenda was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brenda Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Brenda's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical 'The Color Purple,' winning the 2016 Tony Award for Best Musical.
- Wrote and performed the 1988 hit 'Piano in the Dark,' which earned Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal.
- Her song 'Get Here' became a global hit for Oleta Adams and an anthem during the Gulf War.
- Received a Grammy Award in 2017 for her work as a co-writer on the cast album for 'The Color Purple.'
Did You Know?
She was a member of the 1960s pop group The Tiaras before launching her solo career.
She lived in a commune on the island of Formentera, Spain, for several years in the early 1970s.
She played keyboards on the 1975 hit 'Love Will Keep Us Together' by Captain & Tennille.
Her song 'A Little Bit of Love' was sampled by rapper Notorious B.I.G. for his track 'Playa Hater.'
“If you have a gift, you have to give it away, otherwise it stagnates.”
