Brenda Russell

Singer-songwriter Brenda Russell mixed pop hooks, jazzy harmonic sensibilities, and smooth R&B for a classy, hit-making sound that first bore fruit with her 1979 debut single, “So Good, So Right.” She continued scoring hits throughout the '80s, the biggest being her 1988 smash, “Piano in the Dark.” Russell also penned songs for other artists, including Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, and Donna Summer, and composed the music for the film HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK and the Broadway musical THE COLOR PURPLE.