Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses R&B, pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She has received five Grammy nominations, winning in 2017 for writing the music for The Color Purple. == Life and background == Russell was born in Brooklyn, New York in April 1949. Both of Russell's parents were musicians. Her mother was a singer/songwriter and her father, Gus Gordon, was a one-time... [more on Wikipedia]