Him & Her plays jazzy, bluesy, folksy originals and covers featuring singer-songwriter Brenda Freed on vocals and guitar, or piano, and Michael D’Eath (“DEE-uth”) on diatonic or chromatic harmonica. Couple Michael’s tasty harmonica playing with Brenda’s soulful voice and you get a powerful duo. The duo becomes the Him & Her Trio with Jonathan Lee on lead guitar.  Jonathan brings a new dimension to their sound. His influence is apparent in the trio’s new choice of covers. Him & Her is having fun mixing the blend of their individual styles with Jonathan’s versatile guitar playing. The trio gets audiences groovin’, especially when Andy Pepper joins them on drums forming the Him & Her Band! The ensemble is having a good time writing, arranging, recording and releasing singles.  Audiences in venues throughout the Texas Hill Country are enJOYing their new sets and the band has its sight set on playing festivals and theaters. Because Brenda and Michael have years of experience teaching workshops at festivals (Brenda teaching voice and vocal harmony and Michael teaching harmonica), they are the perfect performance/teaching package for festivals offering workshops.

Brenda has been performing original music in Texas, the Midwest, England and Ireland since she pedaled 9,000 miles on her bicycle from Iowa to Texas in 1991. Formerly, a music therapist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where she pioneered the music therapy program, an unexpected stop at the Kerrville Folk Festival (KFF) led to pursuing a new career as a singer-songwriter. By 2001 she had released a tape (remember those?) and 3 CDs, and formed Texas Hot Flash, including Michael. Michael grew up in England and moved to Texas as a teenager to pursue a career in high technology. Twenty years later, he started performing with harmonica as his primary instrument. Brenda and Michael met at KFF in 1999 and were married in 2000. In 2005, Texas Hot Flash won an Austin Music Award, released 3 CDs, performed throughout Central Texas, Southern California, and the Midwest where they opened for the Charlie Daniels Band. With these successful roots, Him & Her has created a special musical chemistry and performed throughout the Texas Hill Country, the U.S and Europe. In 2015, Him & Her came full circle when they performed at KFF. Jonathan is an accomplished guitarist who joined the group in 2019, rounding out the sound to create the Him & Her Trio. Andy joined on drums in 2022 to form the Him & Her Band. 

Him & Her has released 3 CDs: Him & Her On Solid Ground (2013), Him & Her In The Groove (2016), and Him & Her Do Texas Women (2018) – a collection of songs, produced by Duke Davis & Brenda Freed, celebrating female Texas songwriters: Shelley King, Karen Abrahams, Toby Solomon, Rosie Flores & Rachel Gladstone, Marghi Allen, Terri Hendrix, Kim Miller, Cindy Walker, Susan Gibson, Kerry Polk, Brenda Freed, Teresa Kenas, Nancy Beaudette & Jean Synodinos, and Ruthie Foster.  The Him & Her Trio has released three singles, including videos, and regularly releases videos on youtube of live recordings reflecting the influence of Jonathan Lee, including some instrumental music from the likes of Jeff Beck and Frank Zappa.

Following a break from performing publicly due to the Covid pandemic, the Him & Her Trio, or Band is now booking primarily outdoor gigs and playing music they added to their repertoire while in quarantine.  See the schedule for upcoming performances.

Texas Hot Flash was revived for a 2020 house concert, and then there was the pandemic. Texas Hot Flash– a cappella and then some – was originally born out of Brenda Freed’s 2001 Smilin’ Inside album release for which her song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down” was orchestrated a cappella. In order to perform the song “live” Brenda recruited Amy Cartee and Karen Peters to sing the harmonies. The sound was so well-received, the three women named themselves Texas Hot Flash and started performing all kinds of a cappella music: originals of their own, other singer songwriter material, some classic 60’s songs, jazz standards and they even had a Christmas show. Later they added songs with instrumentation in any combination of guitar, piano, djembe, spoons, baritone ukulele, bass, mandolin and harmonica played by harmonica aficionado, Michael D’Eath. Thus, the “and then some.”

In 2005, Texas Hot Flash won an Austin Music Award, released 3 CDs, and performed throughout Central Texas, Southern California, and the Midwest where they opened for the Charlie Daniels Band. That same year they went their own individual musical paths. Brenda and Michael became the Him & Her duo.  However, in 2010, Texas Hot Flash performed a reunion house concert at the request of Arhaven House Concerts.

Fast forward. In 2018 Him & Her released their third album: Him & Her Do Texas Women. Once again, Brenda recruited Amy and Karen to sing harmony at the CD release party. They had so much fun rehearsing and were so well-received, they decided to revive Texas Hot Flash. When Arhaven House Concerts heard they had reunited, Texas Hot Flash was booked for a 2020 house concert.  They performed the house concert and thought they were off and running again, and then the Covid pandemic hit.  There is no revival of Texas Hot Flash in sight, however, music from their 3 CDs is available for digital download at texashotflash.bandcamp.com and their history is recorded in video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTC4hncffe4brlVeNcUWTFA and www.facebook.com/TexasHotFlash

Brenda Freed has performed and worked in music-related professions all her life.  From age 6 through her college years she sang at every opportunity. She received a BA in Music Education/Music Therapy.  She taught K-12 music, then pioneered the music therapy program at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics while earning her Master’s Degree.  Brenda has published articles and presented her music therapy techniques across the U.S. and in Germany.  All the while she performed in bands.  A 9000-mile bicycle tour led her to Texas in 1991 where she has been songwriting, performing, recording and teaching since.

Brenda has released 10 CDs of mostly original material: 1 tape (remember those?) and 3 Brenda Freed CDs, 3 CDs with her 2005 Austin Music Award winning group Texas Hot Flash, and 3 CDs with her duo, Him & Her.  Brenda’s 3 music CDs and the 3 Texas Hot Flash CDs are available for digital download at brendafreed.bandcamp.com. Her tours include the U.S., England and Ireland. 

Brenda currently performs as the Him & Her duo, trio or band. Her rare solo appearances are usually in singersongwriter showcases.  Brenda teaches voice, piano and guitar by skype, and teaches voice and vocal harmony workshops at conferences and festivals.  She has produced a line of Effortless Music Instruction products.  Her Effortless Singing 2 CD Set, Effortless Harmony Singing 2 CD Set, and Effortless Music Reading Measure Cards are available at https://www.himandhertx.com/store/. Digital downloads of Effortless Singing and Effortless Harmony Singing are available at http://brendafreed.bandcamp.com and all major download and streaming sites. 

And, Brenda has more music-related businesses and activities.  Feel free to dig deeper into the site.  When Brenda says her life is a life of music, she means it! For a more detailed bio of Brenda’s life and accomplishments, click here.