Brenda Russell

It's a good one, isn't it? It's a classic.

in its own right before that brenda russell from the self-titled album from 1979 you're free before that argent from their self-titled album got a lot of them this week i mean 1969 the track like honey before which we had a sort of um self-titled one bubbles from free design from their Stars, Time, Bubbles, Love album, 1970.

Before that, we had Camel, You Make Me Smile, from the Breathless album, 1978.

And we started the set with those paper lace type people from 1974.

Michael Brecker.

Brenda Russell.

This is the moment you realize Michael Franks isn't just releasing another album.

He's inviting you into a mood, a way of moving through the world.

We get to talk to Rob a little bit.

And if you want more about the musical artistry of Rob, please check out our interview with him.

Um, the centerpiece is Michael Frank's duet with the incredible Brenda Russell.

And by the way, we did an episode on Brenda as well.

The boyfriend I had at the time was a major piano player.

And he recorded with Brenda Russell and all these famous people.

And he was always pushing me to sing, sing, sing.

So while I was with him, I guess I did so much singing.

This is written by Bond, Alex Bond.

Life Could Be So Grand by Brian and Brenda.

Obviously, Brenda Russell is at the highest level of yacht rock royalty, but she made two early albums with her husband before they divorced and haven't had anything yachts could get.

Check it out.

Is that still Sean Connery?

But this is definitely one of those tracks that really make you think.

About what? Whatever you want.

Is Jonah the whale or is Jonah the person? Brian and Brenda are, of course, Brenda Russell and her husband at the time, Brian.

Um, producer Scott Sanders was the man behind the plan to bring it to, uh, the stage as a musical.

Um, he spent years bringing Alice Walker's story to the stage, acquiring the rights after meeting Walker in 1997, um, and spending a long time developing what it was going to be both with Walker and, uh, with book writer Marsha Norman and songwriters Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray.

Um, and Sanders also approached one Oprah Winfrey, who of course starred as Sofia in the original '85 movie, to join as a lead producer for the Broadway show.

Something she was initially skeptical about, saying, "When he first approached me about a musical, I go, 'What's he doing? What's it going to be? Dance around the table with Mister? I don't think that's going to happen and I don't think that's going to work.' But he found a way to make it happen." After that initial run, um, which was commercially successful but fairly mixed critically-

We've covered some of the all-time greatest names in pop music, like Madonna and Michael Jackson.

We've dug into some hidden connections behind the hits, names like Brenda Russell, Tristan Bowden, and Greg Fillinghans.

We've even done a couple of episodes on a single instrument, the saxophone, of course.

And we've also highlighted some contemporary artists releasing music we felt you should hear.

Okay.

Ralph Trevant, Randy Travis, Celine Dion, Peter Cetera, Bobby Brown, Brenda Russell, Janie Lane, Luther Vandross, Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattie.

Gunner and Matthew Nelson, Michael Bolton, the Pointer Sisters, Little Richard, Will Smith, Rap Solo, parentheses, and Warren Wiebe.

I don't know who that is.