Roberta Flack is one of the most distinctive and influential voices in American music, a singer whose quiet power redefined soul, jazz, and pop in the 1970s. Born on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and raised in Arlington, Virginia, Flack grew up surrounded by gospel and classical music. A piano prodigy, she earned a music scholarship to Howard University at just 15, making her one of the youngest students ever to attend the school. Originally focused on classical piano, she shifted toward vocal performance, where her natural gift for emotional storytelling emerged.
Flack began her career as a music teacher by day and nightclub performer by night in Washington, D.C. Her intimate, understated style caught the attention of jazz musician Les McCann, who helped her secure a record deal with Atlantic Records in the late 1960s. Her debut album, First Take (1969), introduced her hushed, soulful approach—a departure from the belting style common among her peers.
In 1971, Flack’s breakthrough arrived when Clint Eastwood used her song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in his film Play Misty for Me. The track soared to No. 1, won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1973, and made Flack a household name. Unlike most chart-toppers, the song was nearly whispered, proving that quiet intensity could captivate the world.
Flack followed with another classic, “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973), which again earned her the Grammy for Record of the Year—making her the first artist to win the award in consecutive years. The song, with its conversational phrasing and aching vulnerability, became her signature and has since been covered countless times.
Throughout the 1970s, Flack crafted a string of enduring hits, often in collaboration with Donny Hathaway. Their duets “Where Is the Love” and “The Closer I Get to You” remain soulful milestones. Her ability to blend pop accessibility with jazz sophistication gave her music a timeless quality, while her stage presence—poised, elegant, commanding without flash—set her apart in an era of flamboyant performers.
While her mainstream success slowed after the 1980s, Flack continued recording and performing internationally, embracing jazz standards, R&B ballads, and pop crossover songs. She also championed music education, creating programs to support aspiring young musicians.
Roberta Flack’s influence is profound: her phrasing, restraint, and emotional clarity paved the way for artists from Alicia Keys to Norah Jones. She proved that soul could whisper instead of shout, that music could move mountains with tenderness instead of thunder.
In recent years, Flack has faced health challenges, including a 2022 diagnosis of ALS that ended her performing career and contributed to her passing away in 2025. Still, her legacy endures, etched into the fabric of American song. Her recordings remain touchstones of intimacy and artistry—proof that a single voice, sung softly, can echo across generations.
The Very Best Of Roberta Flack
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