With her graceful presence, genre-crossing versatility and ability to give voice to the full range of love’s highs and lows, Flack is widely considered one of soul and R&B’s greatest ever artists.
Flack was born in 1937 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to musical parents. Her mother Irene was a church choir organist, meaning Flack was introduced to religious and classical music early on. She began playing the piano aged nine and by 15 she was admitted to Howard University to study music on a full scholarship, one of the youngest students to be accepted in the school’s history.
At 19, the new Howard graduate aspired to be an opera singer, before taking up a teaching post in North Carolina. Alongside this work, Flack started performing in nightclubs during evenings and weekends, weaving elements of classical, blues, folk, Motown and pop. Her virtuosity landed her regular spots at venues across Washington DC and in 1968, a residency at Mr Henry’s Restaurant led Flack to give up teaching for good.
Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway.
She became acquainted with soul jazz pianist and singer Les McCann, who in turn introduced her to Atlantic Records – by early 1969 she was recording her debut album First Take, reportedly in a window of 10 hours. The album documented those years at Henry’s, immortalising the cross-genre collection of tracks she had spent so long practising there. In the liner notes of the original edition, McCann wrote: “Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more.”
It took until 1971, however, and a placement on the soundtrack to Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty for Me, before her cover of Ewan MacColl’s folk ballad The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face became her first major US hit. It spent six weeks at No 1 in 1972, earning a Grammy award for record of the year in 1973. Killing Me Softly With His Song earned her the same award in 1974, making Flack the first artist to win in two consecutive years (a feat since repeated by U2 and Billie Eilish). That year she scored another US No 1 with Feel Like Makin’ Love.