Roberta Flack, Grammy Award-winning singer known for her soulful R&B songs, died at her home at the age of 88, surrounded by her family.  In November of 2022, she was diagnosed with ALS, forcing her to retire from the spotlight as it made it impossible for her to sing and difficult for her to speak.  She was a great singer, singing songs like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, which are embedded in American music history.

Born in 1937 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Roberta Cleopatra Flack earned a music scholarship at the age of 15 to Howard University for piano.  In 1968, she was hired at Mr. Henry’s, a nightclub in Washington, DC (it still stands today!).  Flack asked to work three days a week, which would give her enough money to quit her music teaching jobs.  Working there would do her wonders, as Flack was discovered by jazz musician Les McCann and immediately signed a contract with Atlantic Records.

In 1969, Flack released a recording of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”.  However, it was initially recorded in 1957 by Peggy Seegar as a folk song.  Flack heard the song on an airplane and wanted to cover it.  This version of the song is what Clint Eastwood would use for his 1971 horror film, Play Misty for Me.  This put Flack in the spotlight and skyrocketed her to stardom.  The 1969 recording cemented her in American music, and her cover of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is the version we all know and love.  Within weeks, the track was number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the first of three songs to hit No. 1.

In March of 1973, Flack would earn her first string of Grammys at the 15th Grammy Awards.  She and her friend, Donny Hathaway (whom she collaborated with multiple times), won Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus for their song, “Where is the Love?”  Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” won Record and Song of the Year.  In 1974, at the 16th Grammy Awards, Flack won Record and Song of the Year again for “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, becoming the first artist to win Record of the Year back-to-back.  Throughout the course of her career, Flack would release 20 albums, earning her a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.  After decades in the music industry as one of the most influential women, it was much deserved.

Aside from being a legendary vocalist, Flack advocated for music education and animal welfare.  In 2010, she started the Roberta Flack Foundation, which supported both those causes.  You can learn more information about her foundation here: Roberta Flack Foundation.

Roberta Flack was an incredible musician, spanning across genres like folk, jazz, pop, and R&B.   Her voice and legacy is one that will never be forgotten.  Her music inspired people during her lifetime, and her memory will “last ’til the end of time.”