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https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/24/roberta-flack-soul-and-rb-icon-behind-killing-me-softly-dies-aged-88>
"Roberta Flack, the US singer behind a string of hits including
Killing Me
Softly With His Song, has died aged 88. “We are heartbroken that the glorious
Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24, 2025,” a statement from
her spokesperson read. “She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta
broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator.”
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.
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."
RIP,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
