Roberta Flack, one of the premiere vocal stylists to perform in popular music, has sadly passed away on February 24th. She had been in poor health over the last few years, suffering from a stroke and later diagnosed with ALS. Flack was eighty-eight.
With a voice that was subtle yet resonant and powerfully emotional, Flack seemed to capture attention immediately after deciding to make music her career. After first becoming a school teacher in Washington D.C., the Howard University graduate began venturing out to perform at small clubs around town. This eventually lead to a meeting with executives at Atlantic Records and after a three-hour audition, Flack was signed to the label and her 1969 debut release, "First Take" quickly followed. The album did receive critical acclaim yet not much commercial attention. Her next two releases over the next couple of years, "Chapter Two" and "Quiet Fire" didn't fare much better.
However Flack earned a fan with actor Clint Eastwood. He was in the process of making his directorial film debut in 1971, "Play Misty For Me" and not only did he use her sensual version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" from her debut (originally a folk song written by British political singer/songwriter, Ewan MacColl in 1957) but he devoted the entire recording to a memorable sequence in the film. And because of the popularity of "Play Misty For Me", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was promptly released as a single, becoming a smash hit in the US, reaching number one for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Flack would go on to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for this song.
Flack had befriended fellow label mate, singer Donny Hathaway, recording several songs he had written on her previous albums, and it was suggested that they should record an album together. "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway" was released in 1972 and the single, "Where Is the Love" became a popular top-five pop hit and earning the duo a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
She went to work on her next solo album and Flack hit number one again the following year with the title track, "Killing Me Softly With His Song". This single would go on to win the singer another Grammy for Record of The Year, making her the only artist at the time to have won this honor consecutively (U2 would later also achieve this feat). The song would find new life again in 1996 when The Fugees gave it a hip-hop beat and took it back to the top of the charts in the U.S. and Britain.
Flack would enjoy more hits with "Feel Like Makin' Love" (another number one pop hit); reteaming with Hathaway on "The Closer I Get to You", "You Are My Heaven" and "Back Together Again"; "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", a duet with Peabo Bryson and "Set the Night to Music" with Maxi Priest.
Roberta Flack achieved a great amount of success throughout her lengthy career yet she had little interest in fame. Her focus remained always on the music. Never flashy nor ever felt the need to flaunt, what Flack brought with her singular gifts were considerable songs that are intuitive and heartfelt. She was a true original whose musical contributions will continue to endure for many generations to come.
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