ROBERTA FLACK
Name: Roberta Flack
Also known as The Music Man
Born: 10 February 1937 Asheville, North Carolina, United States
Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an
American singer, notable in the areas of jazz, soul, and folk. Flack is best
known for singles such as "Killing Me Softly with His Song," "The First Time
Ever I Saw Your Face," "Where Is the Love?" (one of her many duets with Donny
Hathaway), and "Feel Like Making Love". "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won
the 1974 Grammy for Record of the Year.
Flack was raised in Arlington, Virginia. She first discovered the work of
African American musical artists when she heard Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke
sing in a predominantly black Baptist church.
In her early teens, Flack so excelled at classical piano that Howard University
awarded her a full music scholarship. She matriculated at Howard University at
the age of 15, making her one of the youngest students ever to enroll there. She
eventually changed her major from piano to voice, and became an assistant
conductor of the university choir. Her direction of a production of Aida
received a standing ovation from the Howard University faculty.
Flack became the first black student teacher at an all-white school near Chevy
Chase, Maryland. She graduated from Howard University at 19 and began graduate
studies in music, but the sudden death of her father forced her to take a job
teaching music and English for $2800 a year in Farmville, North Carolina.
Flack then taught school for some years in Montgomery County, Maryland. During
this period, her music career began to take shape on evenings and weekends in
Washington, D.C. area night spots. At the Tivoli Club, she accompanied opera
singers at the piano. During intermissions, she would sing blues, folk, and pop
standards in a back room, accompanying herself on the piano. Later, she
performed several nights a week at the 1520 Club, again providing her own piano
accompaniment. Around this time, her voice teacher told her that he saw a
brighter future for her in pop music than in the classics. She modified her
repertoire accordingly and her reputation spread.
Subsequently, a Capitol Hill night club called Mr. Henry's built a performance
area especially for her.
In 1999, a star with Flack's name was placed on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. That
same year, she gave a concert tour in South Africa, whose final concert was
attended by President Nelson Mandela.
Flack is a member of the Artist Empowerment Coalition, which advocates the right
of artists to control their creative properties.
Name: Roberta Flack
Also known as The Music Man
Born: 10 February 1937 Asheville, North Carolina, United States
Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an
American singer, notable in the areas of jazz, soul, and folk. Flack is best
known for singles such as "Killing Me Softly with His Song," "The First Time
Ever I Saw Your Face," "Where Is the Love?" (one of her many duets with Donny
Hathaway), and "Feel Like Making Love". "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won
the 1974 Grammy for Record of the Year.
Flack was raised in Arlington, Virginia. She first discovered the work of
African American musical artists when she heard Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke
sing in a predominantly black Baptist church.
In her early teens, Flack so excelled at classical piano that Howard University
awarded her a full music scholarship. She matriculated at Howard University at
the age of 15, making her one of the youngest students ever to enroll there. She
eventually changed her major from piano to voice, and became an assistant
conductor of the university choir. Her direction of a production of Aida
received a standing ovation from the Howard University faculty.
Flack became the first black student teacher at an all-white school near Chevy
Chase, Maryland. She graduated from Howard University at 19 and began graduate
studies in music, but the sudden death of her father forced her to take a job
teaching music and English for $2800 a year in Farmville, North Carolina.
Flack then taught school for some years in Montgomery County, Maryland. During
this period, her music career began to take shape on evenings and weekends in
Washington, D.C. area night spots. At the Tivoli Club, she accompanied opera
singers at the piano. During intermissions, she would sing blues, folk, and pop
standards in a back room, accompanying herself on the piano. Later, she
performed several nights a week at the 1520 Club, again providing her own piano
accompaniment. Around this time, her voice teacher told her that he saw a
brighter future for her in pop music than in the classics. She modified her
repertoire accordingly and her reputation spread.
Subsequently, a Capitol Hill night club called Mr. Henry's built a performance
area especially for her.
In 1999, a star with Flack's name was placed on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. That
same year, she gave a concert tour in South Africa, whose final concert was
attended by President Nelson Mandela.
Flack is a member of the Artist Empowerment Coalition, which advocates the right
of artists to control their creative properties.