Roberta Flack
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Roberta Flack was an American singer born in 1937 who became one of the most influential recording artists of the 1970s, known for her smooth contralto voice and hits like "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song." Her sophisticated interpretations of soul and jazz standards helped define the sound of that era and earned her multiple Grammy Awards, making her an important figure in popular music history.
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soulfemale vocalistsjazz70srnb
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist. She performed ballads that incorporated elements of R&B, jazz, folk, and pop, and her work has been associated with the development of the quiet storm radio format. Flack achieved commercial success with singles including "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", and "Feel Like Makin' Love". She was the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in
Key facts
- Born
- Roberta Cleopatra Flack , ( 1937-02-10 ) February 10, 1937, Black Mountain, North Carolina , U.S.
- Died
- February 24, 2025 (2025-02-24) (aged 88), New York City, U.S.
- Other name
- Rubina Flake
Article
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm radio format. Her commercial success included the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", and "Feel Like Makin' Love". She became the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in consecutive years.
Flack frequently collaborated with Donny Hathaway, with whom she recorded several hit duets, including "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You". She was one of the defining voices of 1970s popular music and remained active in the industry, later finding success with duets such as "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Peabo Bryson (1983) and "Set the Night to Music" with Maxi Priest (1991). Across her decades-long career, she interpreted works by songwriters such as Leonard Cohen and members of the Beatles. In 2020, Flack received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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1937 births2025 deaths20th-century African-American women singers20th-century American pianists20th-century American singers20th-century American women singers21st-century African-American women singers21st-century American pianists21st-century American singer-songwriters21st-century American women singers429 Records artistsAfrican-American pianists