Roberta Flack
Encyclopedia
Roberta Flack is an American
singer, songwriter
, and musician
who is notable for jazz
, soul
, R&B, and folk music
. Flack is best known for her Hot 100 #1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
", "Killing Me Softly with His Song
" and "Feel Like Makin' Love
", as well as "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of her many duets with Donny Hathaway
. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" won the 1973 Grammy
Record of the Year
and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won the same award at the Grammy Awards of 1974
. She and U2
are the only artists to win the award in consecutive years.
and was raised in Arlington, Virginia
. She first discovered the work of African American
musical artists when she heard Mahalia Jackson
and Sam Cooke
sing in a predominantly African-American Baptist
church.
During her early teens, Flack so excelled at classical piano that Howard University
awarded her a full music scholarship. She entered Howard University at the age of 15, making her one of the youngest students ever to enroll there. She eventually changed her major from piano to voice, and became an assistant conductor of the university choir. Her direction of a production of Aida
received a standing ovation from the Howard University faculty. Flack is a member of Delta Sigma Theta
sorority and was made an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma
by the Eta Delta Chapter at Howard University for her outstanding work in promoting music education.
Flack became the first African-American student teacher
at an all-Caucasian school near Chevy Chase, Maryland
. She graduated from Howard University at 19 and began graduate studies in music, but the sudden death of her father forced her to take a job teaching music and English for $2800 a year in Farmville, North Carolina
.
Flack then taught school for years in Washington, DC at Browne Junior High and Rabaut Junior High. She also taught private piano lessons out of her home on Euclid St. NW. During this period, her music career began to take shape on evenings and weekends in Washington, D.C.
area night spots. At the Tivoli Club, she accompanied opera singers
at the piano
. During intermissions, she would sing blues, folk
, and pop
standards in a back room, accompanying herself on the piano. Later, she performed several nights a week at the 1520 Club, again providing her own piano accompaniment. Around this time, her voice teacher, Frederick "Wilkie" Wilkerson, told her that he saw a brighter future for her in pop music
than in the classics. She modified her repertoire accordingly and her reputation spread. Subsequently, a Capitol Hill night club called Mr. Henry's built a performance area especially for her.
When Flack did a benefit concert for the Inner City Ghetto
Children's Library Fund, Les McCann
happened to be in the audience. He later said on the liner notes of what would be her first album "First Take" noted below, "Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I've ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more...she alone had the voice." Very quickly, he arranged an audition
for her with Atlantic Records
, during which she played 42 songs in 3 hours for producer Joel Dorn
. In November 1968, she recorded 39 song demos in less than 10 hours. Three months later, Atlantic reportedly recorded Roberta's debut album, First Take
, in a mere 10 hours. Flack later spoke of those studio sessions as a "very naive and beautiful approach...I was comfortable with the music because I had worked on all these songs for all the years I had worked at Mr. Henry's."
Flack's version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" hit number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.
Flack's Atlantic recordings did not sell particularly well, until Clint Eastwood
chose a song from First Take, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
", for the sound track of his directorial debut Play Misty for Me
; it became the biggest hit of the year for 1972 - spending six consecutive weeks at #1 and earning Flack a million-selling gold disc
. The First Take album also went to #1 and eventually sold 1.9 million copies in the United States. Eastwood, who paid $2,000 for the use of the song in the film, has remained an admirer and friend of Flack's ever since. It was awarded the Grammy Award
for Record Of The Year
in 1973. In 1983, she recorded the end music to the Dirty Harry
film Sudden Impact
at Eastwood's request.
Flack soon began recording regularly with Donny Hathaway
, scoring hits such as the Grammy-winning "Where Is the Love" (1972) and later "The Closer I Get to You" (1978) - both million-selling gold singles. On her own, Flack scored her second #1 hit in 1973, "Killing Me Softly with His Song
" written by Charles Fox
and Norman Gimbel
, and originally performed by Lori Lieberman
. It was awarded both Record Of The Year
and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 1974 Grammy Awards. Its parent album was Flack's biggest-selling disc, eventually earning Double Platinum
certification.
Flack and Hathaway recorded several duets together, including two LPs, until Hathaway's 1979 death.
of the same name), which reached #13. She began working with Peabo Bryson
with more limited success, charting as high as #5 on the R&B chart
(plus #16 Pop and #4 Adult Contemporary) with "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" in 1983. Her next two singles with Bryson, "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "I Just Came Here To Dance," fared better on adult contemporary (AC) radio than on pop or R&B radio.
In 1986, Flack sang the theme song entitled "Together Through the Years" for the NBC
television series, Valerie later known as The Hogan Family
. The song was used throughout the show's six seasons. Oasis
was released in 1988 and failed to make an impact with pop audiences, though the title track reached #1 on the R&B chart and a remix of "Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes)
" topped the dance
chart in 1989. Flack found herself again in the US Top 10 with the hit song "Set the Night to Music", a 1991 duet with Jamaican vocalist Maxi Priest
that peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
charts and #2 AC. Flack's smooth R&B sound lent itself easily to Easy Listening
airplay during the 1970s, and she has had four #1 AC hits.
In 1999, a star with Flack's name was placed on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. That same year, she gave a concert tour in South Africa
, to which the final performance was attended by President Nelson Mandela
.
In 2010, she appeared on the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, singing a duet of "Where Is The Love" with Maxwell.
Flack is a member of the Artist Empowerment Coalition, which advocates the right of artists to control their creative properties.
Flack is also a spokesperson for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
; her appearance in commercials for the ASPCA featured The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
In the Bronx section of New York City, the Hyde Leadership Chart School's after-school music program is called "The Roberta Flack School of Music" and is in partnership with Flack, who founded the school, which provides free music education to underprivileged students.
Flack is the aunt of the professional ice skater Rory Flack Burghart.
is mentioned in the song "What A Catch, Donnie
" on Fall Out Boy
's fifth studio album, Folie à Deux.
American experimental producer Flying Lotus had a song named after her ('Robertaflack') on his 'Los Angeles' album.
In 1991, Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam
recorded a covered version of "And So It Goes" called "微涼" in the album "夢了、瘋了、倦了". Although it was not officially promoted by the record company, it was played by many DJs, and it has become one of the favourites of Sandy's fans.
In the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "My Lovely Man", on the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Anthony Kiedis sings "I listen to Roberta Flack, but I know you won't come back."
s are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
. Flack has received four awards from thirteen nominations.
|-
|rowspan="1"| || "You've Got a Friend
" (with Donny Hathaway
) || Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group
||
|-
|rowspan="3"| || "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
" || Record of the Year
||
|-
| Quiet Fire
|| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
||
|-
| "Where Is the Love" (with Donny Hathaway) || Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| || Killing Me Softly || Album of the Year
||
|-
|rowspan="2"| "Killing Me Softly with His Song
" || Record of the Year ||
|-
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female ||
|-
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"| "Feel Like Makin' Love
" || Record of the Year ||
|-
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| || "The Closer I Get to You" (with Donny Hathaway) || Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| || Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway
|| Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
||
|-
| "Back Together Again" (with Donny Hathaway) || Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| || Roberta
|| Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
||
|-
|-
|rowspan="3"| ||| || Favorite Female Artist (Pop/Rock) ||
|-
| || Favorite Female Artist (Soul/R&B) ||
|-
| | "Killing Me Softly with His Song
" || Favorite Single (Pop/Rock) ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| ||| || Favorite Female Artist (Soul/R&B) ||
|-
| | "Feel Like Makin' Love
" || Favorite Single (Soul/R&B) ||
|-
|| ||| || Favorite Female Artist (Soul/R&B) ||
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who is notable for jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, R&B, and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. Flack is best known for her Hot 100 #1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who was later to become his wife. At the time the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married to someone else. MacColl and Seeger included the song in their...
", "Killing Me Softly with His Song
Killing Me Softly with His Song
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Roberta Flack whose version topped the U.S...
" and "Feel Like Makin' Love
Feel Like Makin' Love (Roberta Flack song)
"Feel Like Makin' Love" was covered by American R&B and neo soul musician D'Angelo for his second studio album Voodoo . It was released April 8, 2000, on Virgin Records as the album's fifth and last single. His cover version features a quiet storm sound and heavy use of multi-tracking for vocals....
", as well as "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of her many duets with Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" won the 1973 Grammy
Grammy Awards of 1973
The 15th Grammy Awards were held on March 3, 1973, and were the first to be broadcast live on CBS, after the first two ceremonies were on ABC. CBS has been the TV home for the Grammy Awards ever since. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1972...
Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won the same award at the Grammy Awards of 1974
Grammy Awards of 1974
The 16th Grammy Awards were held March 2, 1974, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1973.- Award winners :* Record of the Year...
. She and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
are the only artists to win the award in consecutive years.
Biography
Flack was born in Black Mountain, North CarolinaBlack Mountain, North Carolina
Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,511 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge range in the Southern Appalachians.-History:Black...
and was raised in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
. She first discovered the work of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
musical artists when she heard Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
and Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
sing in a predominantly African-American Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church.
During her early teens, Flack so excelled at classical piano that Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
awarded her a full music scholarship. She entered Howard University at the age of 15, making her one of the youngest students ever to enroll there. She eventually changed her major from piano to voice, and became an assistant conductor of the university choir. Her direction of a production of Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
received a standing ovation from the Howard University faculty. Flack is a member of Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority and was made an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and university bands. The Sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Station in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,500 active members in 145 active chapters, and over 40,000 alumni...
by the Eta Delta Chapter at Howard University for her outstanding work in promoting music education.
Flack became the first African-American student teacher
Student teacher
A student teacher is a college or graduate student who is teaching under the supervision of a certified teacher in order to qualify for a degree in education...
at an all-Caucasian school near Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
. She graduated from Howard University at 19 and began graduate studies in music, but the sudden death of her father forced her to take a job teaching music and English for $2800 a year in Farmville, North Carolina
Farmville, North Carolina
Farmville is a town in Pitt County, North Carolina, eight miles to the west of Greenville, North Carolina. According to a census taken in 2008 the estimated population is 4,615...
.
Flack then taught school for years in Washington, DC at Browne Junior High and Rabaut Junior High. She also taught private piano lessons out of her home on Euclid St. NW. During this period, her music career began to take shape on evenings and weekends in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area night spots. At the Tivoli Club, she accompanied opera singers
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
at the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. During intermissions, she would sing blues, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
standards in a back room, accompanying herself on the piano. Later, she performed several nights a week at the 1520 Club, again providing her own piano accompaniment. Around this time, her voice teacher, Frederick "Wilkie" Wilkerson, told her that he saw a brighter future for her in pop music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
than in the classics. She modified her repertoire accordingly and her reputation spread. Subsequently, a Capitol Hill night club called Mr. Henry's built a performance area especially for her.
When Flack did a benefit concert for the Inner City Ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
Children's Library Fund, Les McCann
Les McCann
Les McCann is an American soul jazz piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as a crossover artist into R&B and soul.-Biography:...
happened to be in the audience. He later said on the liner notes of what would be her first album "First Take" noted below, "Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I've ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more...she alone had the voice." Very quickly, he arranged an audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
for her with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, during which she played 42 songs in 3 hours for producer Joel Dorn
Joel Dorn
Joel Dorn was an American jazz and R&B music producer and record label entrepreneur. He worked at Atlantic Records, and later founded the 32 Jazz, Label M, and Hyena Records labels...
. In November 1968, she recorded 39 song demos in less than 10 hours. Three months later, Atlantic reportedly recorded Roberta's debut album, First Take
First Take (album)
First Take is the debut album by the Jazz singer Roberta Flack. It was released in 1969 on Atlantic Records. After a track from this album, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was included by Clint Eastwood in his 1971 film Play Misty for Me with the song becoming a #1 hit in the United States,...
, in a mere 10 hours. Flack later spoke of those studio sessions as a "very naive and beautiful approach...I was comfortable with the music because I had worked on all these songs for all the years I had worked at Mr. Henry's."
Flack's version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" hit number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.
Flack's Atlantic recordings did not sell particularly well, until Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
chose a song from First Take, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who was later to become his wife. At the time the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married to someone else. MacColl and Seeger included the song in their...
", for the sound track of his directorial debut Play Misty for Me
Play Misty for Me
Play Misty for Me is a 1971 American psychological thriller film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, in his directorial debut. Jessica Walter and Donna Mills co-star. The original music score was composed by Dee Barton.-Plot:...
; it became the biggest hit of the year for 1972 - spending six consecutive weeks at #1 and earning Flack a million-selling gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The First Take album also went to #1 and eventually sold 1.9 million copies in the United States. Eastwood, who paid $2,000 for the use of the song in the film, has remained an admirer and friend of Flack's ever since. It was awarded the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Record Of The Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
in 1973. In 1983, she recorded the end music to the Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
film Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact
Sudden Impact is a 1983 American crime thriller and the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood...
at Eastwood's request.
Flack soon began recording regularly with Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
, scoring hits such as the Grammy-winning "Where Is the Love" (1972) and later "The Closer I Get to You" (1978) - both million-selling gold singles. On her own, Flack scored her second #1 hit in 1973, "Killing Me Softly with His Song
Killing Me Softly with His Song
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Roberta Flack whose version topped the U.S...
" written by Charles Fox
Charles Fox (composer)
Charles Ira Fox is an American composer for film and television. His most heard compositions are probably the "love themes" , and the dramatic theme music to ABC's Wide World of Sports and the original Monday Night Football.....
and Norman Gimbel
Norman Gimbel
Norman Gimbel is an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes whose writing career includes such titles as "Sway", "Canadian Sunset", "Summer Samba", "The Girl from Ipanema", "Killing Me Softly With His Song", "Meditation" and "I Will Wait for You", along with an Oscar for...
, and originally performed by Lori Lieberman
Lori Lieberman
Lori Lieberman is an American singer. She was born in California and grew up in Switzerland, and signed a deal with Capitol Records in the early 1970s. Her self-titled debut album featured the tune "Killing Me Softly with His Song", written by composers Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel after...
. It was awarded both Record Of The Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 1974 Grammy Awards. Its parent album was Flack's biggest-selling disc, eventually earning Double Platinum
Double Platinum
Double Platinum is a 1999 musical telefilm starring Diana Ross and Brandy.-Plot:The story begins with a scene featuring star singer Olivia King leaving her daughter Kayla, who was an infant at the time. It is revealed that Kayla was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but in her later years, she would move...
certification.
Flack and Hathaway recorded several duets together, including two LPs, until Hathaway's 1979 death.
1980s-present
Flack had a 1982 hit single with "Making Love" (the title track of the 1982 filmMaking Love
Making Love is a 1982 American film. It tells the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality and the love triangle that develops around him, his wife and another man...
of the same name), which reached #13. She began working with Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...
with more limited success, charting as high as #5 on the R&B chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
(plus #16 Pop and #4 Adult Contemporary) with "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" in 1983. Her next two singles with Bryson, "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "I Just Came Here To Dance," fared better on adult contemporary (AC) radio than on pop or R&B radio.
In 1986, Flack sang the theme song entitled "Together Through the Years" for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series, Valerie later known as The Hogan Family
The Hogan Family
The Hogan Family is an American television situation comedy that aired from March 1, 1986 to July 20, 1991...
. The song was used throughout the show's six seasons. Oasis
Oasis (Roberta Flack album)
Oasis was Roberta Flack's first solo album of newly recorded songs since 1982's I'm the One. It was released in 1988 and features the number-one U.S...
was released in 1988 and failed to make an impact with pop audiences, though the title track reached #1 on the R&B chart and a remix of "Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes)
Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes)
"Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out " is the Ashford & Simpson-penned, 1989 single by Roberta Flack. The single was the follow-up to her number one R&B hit, "Oasis". "Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out " stalled at number thirty-seven on the U.S. R&B singles chart, failing to chart on the Billboard Hot 100...
" topped the dance
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart in 1989. Flack found herself again in the US Top 10 with the hit song "Set the Night to Music", a 1991 duet with Jamaican vocalist Maxi Priest
Maxi Priest
Max Alfred "Maxi" Priest is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with a R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most...
that peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts and #2 AC. Flack's smooth R&B sound lent itself easily to Easy Listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
airplay during the 1970s, and she has had four #1 AC hits.
In 1999, a star with Flack's name was placed on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. That same year, she gave a concert tour in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, to which the final performance was attended by President Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
.
In 2010, she appeared on the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, singing a duet of "Where Is The Love" with Maxwell.
Flack is a member of the Artist Empowerment Coalition, which advocates the right of artists to control their creative properties.
Flack is also a spokesperson for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty towards animals...
; her appearance in commercials for the ASPCA featured The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
In the Bronx section of New York City, the Hyde Leadership Chart School's after-school music program is called "The Roberta Flack School of Music" and is in partnership with Flack, who founded the school, which provides free music education to underprivileged students.
Flack is the aunt of the professional ice skater Rory Flack Burghart.
Influences
Her collaboration with Donny HathawayDonny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
is mentioned in the song "What A Catch, Donnie
What a Catch, Donnie
"What a Catch, Donnie" is Fall Out Boy's second digital download single and third radio single from their fifth studio album Folie à Deux . It was released as part of the build up to the new album on iTunes on October 14, 2008 and charted on the US and Canadian singles chart...
" on Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
's fifth studio album, Folie à Deux.
American experimental producer Flying Lotus had a song named after her ('Robertaflack') on his 'Los Angeles' album.
In 1991, Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam
Sandy Lam
Sandy Lam, also known as Lam Yik Lin, is a Cantopop singer who sings in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Japanese.-Career:...
recorded a covered version of "And So It Goes" called "微涼" in the album "夢了、瘋了、倦了". Although it was not officially promoted by the record company, it was played by many DJs, and it has become one of the favourites of Sandy's fans.
In the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "My Lovely Man", on the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Anthony Kiedis sings "I listen to Roberta Flack, but I know you won't come back."
Grammy Awards
The Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
. Flack has received four awards from thirteen nominations.
|-
|rowspan="1"| || "You've Got a Friend
You've Got a Friend
"You've Got a Friend" is a song from 1971, originally written and performed by Carole King. It was included in her album Tapestry of 1971, but was made famous by James Taylor's cover version the same year...
" (with Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
) || Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...
||
|-
|rowspan="3"| || "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who was later to become his wife. At the time the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married to someone else. MacColl and Seeger included the song in their...
" || Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
||
|-
| Quiet Fire
Quiet Fire
Quiet Fire is Roberta Flack's third album, released in 1971. The album features Roberta's cover of the 1960 Shirelles classic...
|| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
||
|-
| "Where Is the Love" (with Donny Hathaway) || Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| || Killing Me Softly || Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
||
|-
|rowspan="2"| "Killing Me Softly with His Song
Killing Me Softly with His Song
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Roberta Flack whose version topped the U.S...
" || Record of the Year ||
|-
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female ||
|-
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"| "Feel Like Makin' Love
Feel Like Makin' Love (Roberta Flack song)
"Feel Like Makin' Love" was covered by American R&B and neo soul musician D'Angelo for his second studio album Voodoo . It was released April 8, 2000, on Virgin Records as the album's fifth and last single. His cover version features a quiet storm sound and heavy use of multi-tracking for vocals....
" || Record of the Year ||
|-
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| || "The Closer I Get to You" (with Donny Hathaway) || Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| || Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway
Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway
Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway is Roberta Flack's ninth album. It was intended as the second duets album to feature Donny Hathaway and her. Hathaway only recorded two songs for this album before his suicide...
|| Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs...
||
|-
| "Back Together Again" (with Donny Hathaway) || Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ||
|-
|rowspan="1"| || Roberta
Roberta (album)
Roberta is Roberta Flack's fourteenth album, released in 1994. It consists of cover versions of jazz and soul standards.-Track listing:#"Let's Stay Together"#"Sweet Georgia Brown"#"Thrill Is Gone"#"It Might Be You"#"In a Sentimental Mood"...
|| Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album is an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
||
|-
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Flack has received one award from six nominations.|-
|rowspan="3"| ||| || Favorite Female Artist (Pop/Rock) ||
|-
| || Favorite Female Artist (Soul/R&B) ||
|-
| | "Killing Me Softly with His Song
Killing Me Softly with His Song
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Roberta Flack whose version topped the U.S...
" || Favorite Single (Pop/Rock) ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| ||| || Favorite Female Artist (Soul/R&B) ||
|-
| | "Feel Like Makin' Love
Feel Like Makin' Love (Roberta Flack song)
"Feel Like Makin' Love" was covered by American R&B and neo soul musician D'Angelo for his second studio album Voodoo . It was released April 8, 2000, on Virgin Records as the album's fifth and last single. His cover version features a quiet storm sound and heavy use of multi-tracking for vocals....
" || Favorite Single (Soul/R&B) ||
|-
|| ||| || Favorite Female Artist (Soul/R&B) ||
External links
- Official web site
- [ Roberta Flack] at Allmusic
- Peter Reilly's review of Quiet Fire
- Roberta Flack at Wenig-Lamonica Associates