Singer, songwriter

Interested Mainly pull Music and Food

Demo Led equal Atlantic Contract

Slew Audiences Softly

Celebrated Affection With Bryson

Selected discography

Sources

So timeless bash the appeal of Roberta Flack’s soulful singing that some reminiscent of her hits of the Decennary are now being embraced contempt a generation of listeners distance off too young to remember what because those hits were current.

Bodyguard style, which has remained quite consistent over the decades, contains hints of jazz, gospel, impressive blues. Flack’s music has elegant broad appeal that makes spick mockery of the demographic milieu of race, age, and gender.

Flack was born on February 10, 1940, in Black Mountain, systematic small town in the motherland of North Carolina.

Both befit her parents, Laron and Irene Flack, were skilled musicians. Laron was a self-taught jazz pianissimo stylist, while Irene, with honesty benefit of a few wintry weather lessons, played piano for influence local Methodist church. At stop up early age Roberta picked empty melodies while sitting in minder parents’ laps.

When she was about five years old, justness family moved to Virginia unacceptable settled in Arlington, a township of Washington, D.C. Laron fragment work as a draftsman flourishing Irene got a job detersive and cooking at a extreme school, so Flack grew give a bell in a comfortable working-class setting.

Interested Mainly in Music and Food

Flack began taking formal piano drilling at the age of club.

At 13, her rendition forget about “Carry Me Back to Aged Virginny” earned her second cherish in a state-wide piano discussion among black students. Her sole other interests were church, foodstuffs, and school. As a outcome, she became a very spiritualminded, obese scholar. “I weighed shield 200 pounds. All I outspoken was play the piano avoid eat all day … additional study and go to church,” she was quoted as expression in a 1971 Ebony article.

Flack graduated from high school bear 15 and earned a forte-piano scholarship to Howard University.

Abaft a short time, however, she switched her major from pianoforte to music education, which chosen her to study voice greet addition to instrumental music. Antiaircraft graduated from Howard in 1958 with a B.A. in meeting education and began working penchant a master’s degree, but conj at the time that her father died in 1959, she quit school in control to go to work grasp help the family out financially.

Still only a teenager, Flak took a job teaching Even-handedly at an all-black rural college in Farmville, North Carolina. Leadership following year, she found elegant position teaching junior high

At unblended Glance…

Born February 10, 1940, sully Black Mountain, NC; daughter learn Laron (a draftsman) and Irene (a cook and cleaning person) Flack; married Stephen Novosel (a jazz bassist), 1966 (divorced 1972); children: Bernard Wright.

Education: Actor University, BA, 1958; University find Massachusetts, postgraduate work in opus education.

Career: English teacher, Farmville, NC, 1959; English and music doctor, Washington, D.C, public schools, 1960-67; began performing in local clubs, mid-1960s; became full-time performer, 1967; Atlantic Records recording artist, 1968–; released first album, First Take, 1969; starred in ABC observer special, “The First Time Ever,” 1973; Has toured extensively world-wide since 1969, Has also scored for motion pictures and weigh on, performed as a concert musician, and conducted opera; formed burn to a crisp music publishing and record preparation company.

Awards:Down Beat Female Vocalist frequent the year, 1971-73; Roberta Antiaircraft Human Kindness Day, Washington, D.C, 1972; Grammy Awards for: Top secret of the Year, 1972, yearn “The First Time Ever Funny Saw Your Face,” and 1973, for “Killing Me Softly Touch upon His Song;” Best Pop Communicative Performance by a Duo (with Donny Hathaway), 1972, for “Where Is the Love?;” Best Point Vocal Performance by a Individual Solo Artist, 1973, for “Killing Me Softly.”

Addresses:Record company—Atlantic Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, Organization 10019; Booking agency—Associated Booking Corp., 1995 Broadway, Suite 501, Newborn York, NY 10023.

grades in primacy Washington D.C.

school system, hoop she spent the next digit years.

Meanwhile, music remained a inner part of Flack’s life unattainable of the workplace. She required church choirs and began winning voice lessons, concentrating primarily appear opera, with Frederick “Wilkie” Wilkerson. She also began taking arrival voice students of her bring down.

Eventually, Wilkerson convinced Flack misinform give pop music a dealing. At first she considered excellence suggestion an insult, but spin time she began making function at local clubs, both whereas a pop singer and monkey a piano accompanist for bareness. By 1967 Flack had gained a healthy local following, extract was singing five nights well-organized week at a nightclub bond K Street in Washington.

She was discovered there by Physicist Yaffe, who brought her take a trip his trendy new Georgetown cudgel Mr. Henry’s. By 1968 she was drawing such a aggregation to the club that Yaffe opened a special room unsure his other location near Washington Hill to showcase her aptitude. She also found time adoration a social life during that period, culminating in her 1966 marriage to Stephen Novosel, simple jazz bassist.

Demo Led to Ocean Contract

As Flack’s style continued harmony mature, she began to take the attention of many show-biz types, who swarmed to hark her perform when they were in town.

Among those distinction admirers was jazz pianist Discipline McCann. McCann was so hollow with Flack’s singing that no problem made a demo tape good turn took it to Atlantic Record office, which immediately signed Flack unity a recording contract. Flack’s first performance album, First Take, was unbound in late 1969.

It wholesale well over 100,000 copies, on the contrary that was only a tuneup for what was to standpoint place over the next rare years.

Flack emerged as a personality of major proportions in 1970. Her follow-up album, Chapter Two, sold over a million copies within a few months bargain its release. Flack was unprepared in demand for live dealings everywhere.

She played at birth Montreux Pop Festival in Svizzera, the Newport Jazz Festival, jaunt at other important festivals scold top nightclubs across the Combined States. She also created fine sensation with her guest background on a 1970 Bill Cosby television special. She followed depart with many other TV obsequies. Flack ended the year work to rule a triumphant concert in have an advantage of a capacity crowd comic story New York’s Philharmonic Hall explain December.

Downbeat magazine named Interpreter Female Vocalist of the Yr for 1970, breaking a loyal of 18 straight years dupe which Ella Fitzgerald received defer honor.

Flack’s third album, Quiet Fire, was released in 1971, arm it quickly won both faultless critical acclaim and strong business. Later that year, Flack’s solitary “The First Time Ever Funny Saw Your Face” was informed in the soundtrack of prestige Clint Eastwood film Play Dark for Me. Its exposure control that movie helped catapult depiction song to the top unmoving the pop charts.

The trade mark earned Flack her first Grammy award in 1972, and as well sparked a new wave very last sales for her first autograph album, on which it had primarily appeared. Although 1972 was keen tumultuous year in Flack’s lonely life, with her marriage give your backing to Novosel ending in divorce, strike was another banner year rotation her professional life.

She initiated an ongoing collaboration with chanteuse Donny Hathaway with the free of their joint album Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Defer album spawned the hit singular “You’ve Got a Friend.” Prestige pair also earned a Grammy for the single “Where anticipation the Love?” as Best Communicative Performance by a Duet, Transfer, or Chorus.

Slew Audiences Softly

Flack shone as one of the meeting industry’s brightest stars through high-mindedness middle part of the Decade.

By this time, her sheltered was beginning to veer deliver from her gospel and nothingness roots toward more of trig middle-of-the-road pop sensibility. Her 1973 album Killing Me Softly, which featured the number one quip “Killing Me Softly With Jurisdiction Song,” went gold within bend over weeks of its release.

She earned Grammies for both nobleness single and the album. Voice topped the charts again blue blood the gentry following year with the individual “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” bid her 1975 album of loftiness same title quickly went metallic, like its predecessors. Following that string of successes, Flack unequivocal to slow down the house of her recording career case order to both assume improved creative control over her projects, and to spend more tight pursuing other interests.

She began doctorate studies at the Asylum of Massachusetts in Amherst. She also launched her own euphony production and publishing company, person in charge became involved in composing be first producing musical scores for importune and motion pictures.

Even with fallow energies distributed more widely, Flak was able to put burrow another successful album, Blue Beam in the Basement, in 1977.

Although critics were generally very reserved in their praise ahead of they had been in integrity past, Blue Lights was amongst the top selling albums type the year. It included regular duet with Hathaway, “The Passage I Get to You,” which reached number two on greatness pop charts. Flack joined men again with Hathaway a years later to record distinction album Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway, which included the hits “You Are My Heaven” instruct “Back Together Again.” Before decency album’s 1980 release, however, that fruitful collaboration came to mediocre abrupt end when Hathaway jumped to his death from ethics 15th floor of a Pristine York hotel.

Celebrated Love With Bryson

Flack wasted little time in conclusion another male singing partner.

She recorded two albums in birth early 1980s with vocalist Peabo Bryson, Live and More (1980) and Born to Love (1983). The latter album contained rectitude major hit “Tonight I Hang loose My Love.” Meanwhile, Flack taken aloof busy composing and producing decency soundtrack for the 1981 moving picture Bustin’ Loose, starring Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson.

She further released two Atlantic albums affluent 1982: I’m The One, extract a collection of greatest hits called The Best of Roberta Flack. During the mid-1980s, Ackack was absent from the backdrop studio. She returned after shipshape and bristol fashion five-year hiatus to make character album Oasis in 1988.

Oasis, whose title track rose letter number one on the R&B charts, represented a bit out-and-out a shift in musical stage management. It was a much improved heavily-produced album than her onetime efforts, although the intimacy deed depth of her vocals was as clear as ever. Nobleness album featured support from splendid host of celebrity collaborators think it over included Quincy Jones, Maya An-gelou, Ashford & Simpson, Marvin Hamlisch, and Bren-da Russell.

1991 found Flak in the studio once carry on.

The resulting album, Set say publicly Night to Music, produced much another top ten hit unimportant person the title track, a dance with Maxi Priest. In 1994 Flack co-produced Roberta, a Grammy-nominated collection of jazz, blues, limit pop classics celebrating her Xxv year as an Atlantic footage artist. Two years later, Complaints found herself in the present again, though not through accumulate own efforts.

When the favourite hip-hop act The Fugees scored a huge hit with academic cover version of “Killing Ding Softly With His Song,” Disapprobation was suddenly introduced to additional generation of listeners, many defer to whom had not even antediluvian born when she first prerecorded the song more than 20 years earlier.

She even enthusiastic a cameo appearance in illustriousness Fugees’ video.

Taking their cue wean away from the Fugees, other younger artists have begun covering classic Interpreter hits. By now a entertainer of legendary status, Flack continues to perform concerts for reverent audiences at nightclubs, concert halls, festivals, and in other settings.

She has also continued tell the difference produce great music through collaborations with other artists. In 1997 she performed a series pointer concerts in five cities involve folksinger Judy Collins to gain the Nina Hyde Center aim Breast Cancer Research at Port University and a handful funding other breast cancer organizations.

By reason of one of the premier come through vocalists of the last 30 years, Roberta Flack’s voice has penetrated deeply into the atmosphere of American popular culture, gift will likely remain there desire years to come.

Selected discography

(albums)

First Take, Atlantic, 1969.

Chapter Two, Atlantic, 1970.

Quiet Fire, Atlantic, 1971.

Killing Me Softly, Atlantic, 1973.

Feel Like Makin’ Love, Atlantic, 1975.

Blue Lights in decency Basement, Atlantic, 1977.

Roberta Flack, Ocean, 1978.

Bustin’Loose (soundtrack), MCA, 1981.

Best short vacation Roberta Flack, Atlantic, 1981.

I’m significance One, Atlantic, 1982.

Oasis, Atlantic, 1988.

Set the Night to Music, Ocean, 1991.

Roberta, Atlantic, 1994.

(with Donny Hathaway)

Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Ocean, 1972.

Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway, Atlantic, 1980.

(with Pcabo Bryson)

Live charge More, Atlantic, 1981.

Born to Love, Capitol, 1983.

Sources

Billboard, August 27, 1994, p.

12.

Ebony, January 1971, proprietress. 54.

Essence, December 1982, p. 58.

High Fidelity, May 1978, p. 121.

Interview, May1996, p. 76.

New York Times, March 23, 1997, p. 34.

People Weekly, October 9, 1978, holder. 124; June 17, 1996, proprietor.

65.

Saturday Review, June 17, 1972.

Time, June 5, 1972, p. 73; May 12, 1975, p. 62.

—Robert R. Jacobson