Information/Write-up
Brenda Rowlandson (Brenda Gregory): Jazz Soul in a Sunshine Pop Moment
Born in Australia, Brenda Rowlandson always dreamed of singing. But it wasn’t until life led her halfway across the world that the dream began to take shape. In the early 1970s, following a relocation to Toronto for her husband’s job, Brenda found herself on a new path—one that would eventually take her from housewife to vocalist, from jazz aspirant to recording artist.
After separating from her first husband, Brenda began voice lessons with Art Snider, a respected producer, arranger, and owner of Sound Canada Recording Centre. Impressed by her talent, Snider invited her to perform with his band at weddings and events, and soon after, began producing studio recordings with her for a proposed album.
In 1972, two of those recordings were issued on Hit Records under the name Brenda Gregory: the lilting “Alone Together” and a bold reimagining of Bobby Darin’s anti-war anthem “Simple Song of Freedom.” The former, a buoyant sunshine pop track, was written expressly for her by renowned Canadian songwriter Al Rain, who composed it without ever meeting her. Brenda later recalled:
“Art must have played him a track or two from the sessions… I’m sure Al wouldn’t have agreed otherwise. He was a prolific and highly regarded songwriter in the '60s and '70s. I don’t think I ever knew whether Al was happy with the finished product.”
By contrast, her interpretation of “Simple Song of Freedom” was more complex emotionally. Though she initially struggled with the folk protest style, Art Snider’s gritty arrangement won her over.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with it at all, as I felt I was really a jazz singer—my first love. But to my ear now, it doesn’t sound too bad. And it is certainly applicable to current times.”
Though the single received limited airplay, it did catch the ear of Lee Magid, manager and producer for legendary vocalist Della Reese. While talent scouting in Toronto, Magid heard Brenda’s two songs and invited her to join his roster in Los Angeles. She declined, daunted by the move, and instead pivoted toward a career in film with a director she’d met around that time.
“Sliding doors of life, hey?”
Brenda remained in Toronto for nineteen years, eventually marrying a Canadian and continuing her creative pursuits. In 1992, following the breakdown of her second marriage, she returned to Australia—a decision she now describes as impulsive and regretful.
“Australia is so far away from anywhere I want to be!”
Despite the brevity of her recording career, Brenda’s voice and story remain captured in those two rare 1972 tracks—“Alone Together” and “Simple Song of Freedom”—which have now been preserved through CitizenFreak.com, thanks to a reconnection between Brenda and Robert Williston in 2023. These songs, rediscovered decades later, stand as a testament to a fleeting but remarkable moment in Canadian pop history—and to a jazz singer who briefly stepped into the light.
-Robert Williston
Written by Al Rain for Brenda Gregory (“Alone Together”)
Written by Bobby Darin (“Simple Song of Freedom”)
Produced by Art Snider
Recorded at “peaceful” Sound Canada Recording Centre, Toronto, 1972
Released on Hit Records (yellow and red labels)
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