ABOUT
Roberta Flack (February 10, 1937 - February 24, 2025) was a highly acclaimed and influential R&B/soul singer with a smooth, sophisticated style and a flair for soft, jazz-influenced ballads who became famous during the 1970s. Best known for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (1972), "Killing Me Softly With His Song" (1973), and "Feel Like Makin' Love" (1974), which all topped the charts, other big hits include "Where Is The Love" (1972) and "The Closer I Get To You" (1978), both performed as duets with Donny Hathaway.
Born Roberta Cleopatra Flack in Black Mountain, North Carolina into a musical family, she played piano in church as a child and won a full music scholarship to Howard University at age 15, where she majored in voice. She worked as a high school music and English teacher before she was discovered by jazz musician Les McCann while performing at a Washington, D.C. nightclub, leading to a recording contract with Atlantic. Her numerous honors and accolades include being the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years (in 1973 and 1974 for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song," respectively). She continued to record and perform actively up to her retirement in 2022.
LINKS
- The Chicago Sun Times remembers Roberta Flack.
SHOP EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS FOR ROBERTA FLACK
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- Roberta Flack - CDs, vinyl, & more - Amazon.com
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SONGS
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Roberta Flack And Donny Hathaway
- Where Is The Love 1972
(This song won a Grammy in 1973 for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.) - You've Got A Friend 1971
(This song topped the charts for James Taylor (1971).)
Roberta Flack
- Feel Like Makin' Love 1974
(This song topped both the Adult Contemporary and Pop/Rock charts and also became a hit for Bob James (1974).) - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 1972
(This sensual, romantic ballad topped both the Adult Contemporary and Pop/Rock charts and earned Roberta Flack a Grammy in 1973 for Record of the Year. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a remake of a 1957 folk song of the same title by British singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl that he wrote for his (then) future wife Peggy Seeger.) - Jesse 1973
- Killing Me Softly With His Song 1973
(This song topped the charts and later also became a hit for Al B. Sure! (1988). In 1974, Roberta Flack's version of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" won her Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. In 1999, this song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It is also included in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and Billboard's Greatest Songs Of All Time.)
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