Roberta Cleopatra Flack, the singer, songwriter, and pianist whose Mezzo-soprano captivated fans and garnered scores of record sales in the 1970s, died on the morning of Feb. 24 in her Manhattan home. She had suffered from ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in recent years, and had retired from performing in 2022.
Flack’s musical sensibilities were nurtured in her Arlington ,Va. upbringing. Her piano proficiency secured a full musical scholarship to Howard University at 15, where she transitioned into singing and conducting. Upon graduation, she taught school in the Washington, D.C. area while performing in local clubs.
By 1968 she had attracted the attention of pianist/vocalist Les McCann who quickly arranged an audition with Atlanta Records leading to her debut, 1969’s “First Take.”
“Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known,” McCann recalled in it’s liner notes.
“I laughed, cried, and screamed for more… she alone had the voice.”
Perhaps the most significant milestone in her career came when superstar Clint Eastwood selected “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” for the soundtrack to 1972’s “Play Misty for Me,” becoming a star overnight.
She won two consecutive Grammy Records of the Year in for this in 1973, and 1974’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” With fellow Howard alum Donny Hathaway, she scored a million-selling duet album with 1972’s “Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway.”
Her popularity declined by the end of the decade, but she remained a huge influence on music as a new generation embraced her, evidenced by the Fugees’ hip-hop remake of “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” in 1996, and samplings by Li’ Kim, Nas, T.I., Scarface, and other notables.
A little known facet of her persona was her commitment to social activism, as she counted among her intimates the academic Angela Davis, media icons John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.
Roberta Flack was married to double-bassist Steve Novosel from 1965 to 1972. She never remarried and had no children.
The winner of five Grammys during her career, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. For more information on Ms. Flack go to http://www.robertaflack.com/.
