| Roberta Flack | |
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 Roberta Flack in concert in 1992
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Music Man |
| Born | February 10, 1937 |
| Origin | Black Mountain, North Carolina, United States |
| Genre(s) | Jazz, soul, folk |
| Website | www.robertaflack.com |
Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American singer, notable in the areas of jazz, soul, and folk. Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Asheville is a City in and the County seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous 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 Makin' Love". " Killing Me Softly with His Song " is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face " is a 1957 Folk song written by Ewan MacColl for his wife Peggy Seeger. Donny Hathaway ( October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul musician " Feel Like Makin' Love " is a popular song by R&B singer Roberta Flack. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" won the 1973 Grammy Record of the Year and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won the same award at the Grammy Awards of 1974. The 15th Grammy Awards were held in February 1973, and were the first to be broadcast live on CBS, after the first two ceremonies were on ABC. The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually The 16th Grammy Awards were held March 2, 1974, and were broadcast live on American television
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Biography
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. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Mahalia Jackson (October 26 1911 In 1929 Jackson met the composer Thomas A Sam Cooke ( January 22, 1931 &ndash December 11, 1964) was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination.
In her early teens, Flack so excelled at classical piano that Howard University awarded her a full music scholarship. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers Howard University is a private, Coeducational Nonsectarian University located in Washington D 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. This article is about the marketing term AIDA For other uses of the term see Aida (disambiguation. Flack is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Delta Sigma Theta ( ΔΣΘ) Sorority is a Non-profit Greek letter organization of college educated women who perform public service placing emphasis on the Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal
Flack became the first black student teacher at an all-white school near Chevy Chase, Maryland. A student teacher (also called pupil-teacher) is College or Graduate student who is Teaching under the supervision of a Certified teacher Chevy Chase is the name of both a Town and an unincorporated Census-Designated Place (CDP in Montgomery County 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. A graduate school or ("grad school" is a school that awards advanced degrees such as doctoral degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned Farmville is a town in Pitt County, North Carolina, eight miles to the west of Greenville North Carolina. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States
Flack then taught school for some years in Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County of the US state of Maryland is situated just north of Washington D During this period, her music career began to take shape on evenings and weekends in Washington, D.C. area night spots. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D At the Tivoli Club, she accompanied opera singers at the piano. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers During intermissions, she would sing blues, folk, and pop standards in a back room, accompanying herself on the piano. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure 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. Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more She modified her repertoire accordingly and her reputation spread.
Subsequently, a Capitol Hill night club called Mr. Capitol Hill, aside from being a Metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential Neighborhood in Washington D 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. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) That same year, she gave a concert tour in South Africa, whose final concert was attended by President Nelson Mandela. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative
Flack is a member of the Artist Empowerment Coalition, which advocates the right of artists to control their creative properties. Flack is the aunt of the professional ice skater Rory Flack Burghardt.
Recording and performing
When Flack did a benefit concert for the Inner City Ghetto Children's Library Fund, Les McCann happened to be in the audience. A ghetto is described as a "portion of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social legal or economic pressure Les McCann (born September 23, 1935, Lexington Kentucky) is a Soul jazz Piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as He later said on the liner notes of what would be her first album "First Take" noted below, "Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I've ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more. . . she alone had the voice. " Very quickly, he arranged an audition for her with Atlantic Records, during which she played 42 songs in 3 hours for producer Joel Dorn. An audition is a sample performance by an Actor, Singer, Musician, Dancer or other performer Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock Joel Dorn ( April 7, 1942 &ndash December 17 2007) was an American Jazz and R&B Music producer and In November of 1968, she recorded 39 song demos in less than 10 hours. Three months later, Atlantic recorded her debut album, First Take, in a mere 10 hours. Flack later spoke of those studio sessions as a "very naive and beautiful approach. . . I was comfortable with the music because I had worked on all these songs for all the years I had worked at Mr. Henry's. "
Flack's Atlantic recordings did not sell particularly well, until Clint Eastwood chose a song from First Take, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", for the sound track of his directorial debut Play Misty for Me; it became a #1 hit in 1972. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face " is a 1957 Folk song written by Ewan MacColl for his wife Peggy Seeger. Play Misty for Me is a 1971 Psychological thriller Film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, in his directorial Events January 17 - Highway 51 South in Memphis Tennessee is renamed " Elvis Presley Blvd" January 20 - Eastwood has remained an admirer and friend of Flack's ever since. In 1983, she recorded the end music to the Dirty Harry film Sudden Impact. Dirty Harry is a 1971 Crime film produced and directed by Don Siegel. Sudden Impact is a 1983 crime thriller and the 4th film in the ''Dirty Harry'' series, directed by and starring Clint
Flack soon began recording regularly with Donny Hathaway, scoring hits such as "Where is the Love" (1971) and "The Closer I Get to You" (1978). Donny Hathaway ( October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul musician On her own, Flack scored her second #1 hit, "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (1973; see 1973 in music). " Killing Me Softly with His Song " is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. Events January-February January 9 - Mick Jagger 's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug bust putting an abrupt end Flack and Hathaway recorded several duets together, including two LPs, until Hathaway's 1979 suicide. See also Musical groups established in 1979 Record labels established in 1979 1979 in music (UK She had a 1982 hit single with "Making Love", which reached #13. She began working with Peabo Bryson with more limited success, charting as high as #5 on the R&B chart (plus #16 Pop and #4 Adult Contemporary) with "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" in 1983. Peabo Bryson (born Robert Peabo Bryson on April 13, 1951) is a two-time Grammy Award -winning American R&B and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. " Tonight I Celebrate My Love " is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser recorded as a Duet single released in 1983 by singers Major releases Michael Jackson's Thriller, the highest-selling album of all time as well as the best-selling album of 1983 and 1984 was released Her next two singles with Bryson, "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "I Just Came Here To Dance," fared better on adult contemporary (AC) radio than on pop or R&B radio. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in
In 1986, Flack sang the theme song entitled "Together Through the Years" for the NBC television series, Valerie later known as The Hogan Family. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's The Hogan Family is an American television Situation comedy that aired from March 1, 1986 to July 20, 1991, The song was used throughout the show's six seasons. After 1988's Oasis failed to make an impact with Pop audiences (the title track did reach #1 on the R&B chart), Flack found herself in the US Top 10 with the hit song "Set the Night to Music", a 1991 duet with Jamaican vocalist Maxi Priest, peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and #2 AC. In Geography, an oasis (plural oases) or Cienega ( Southwestern United States) is an isolated area of vegetation in a Desert, typically The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. See also 1991 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1991 Record labels Maxi Priest (born Max Alfred Elliott, on 10 June 1960 in Lewisham, London) is an English Reggae Singer Flack's smooth R&B sound lent itself easily to Easy Listening airplay during the 1970s, and she has had four #1 AC hits. Easy listening music is a style of Popular music and radio format that emerged in the mid-20th century evolving out of swing and Big band music This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. Pop | U. The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard S. R&B | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | First Take (Platinum) | 1 | 1 | - |
| 1970 | Chapter Two (Gold) | 33 | 4 | - |
| 1971 | Quiet Fire (Gold) | 18 | 4 | - |
| 1972 | Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (Gold) | 3 | 2 | - |
| 1973 | Killing Me Softly (2x platinum) | 3 | 2 | 40 |
| 1975 | Feel Like Makin' Love | 24 | 5 | - |
| 1977 | Blue Lights in the Basement (Gold) | 8 | 5 | - |
| 1978 | Roberta Flack | 74 | 37 | - |
| 1980 | Featuring Donny Hathaway (Gold) | 25 | 4 | 31 |
| 1980 | Live & More (with Peabo Bryson) | 52 | 10 | - |
| 1982 | I'm The One | 59 | 16 | - |
| 1983 | Born to Love (with Peabo Bryson)(Gold) | 25 | 8 | - |
| 1988 | Oasis | 159 | 24 | - |
| 1991 | Set the Night to Music | 110 | - | - |
| 1995 | Roberta | - | - | - |
| 1997 | The Christmas Album | - | - | - |
| 2001 | Holiday | - | - | - |
| 2008 | At Her Best - Live | - | - | - |
Compilations
| Year | Album | U.S. Pop | U. First Take is the debut album by the soul singer Roberta Flack. Peabo Bryson (born Robert Peabo Bryson on April 13, 1951) is a two-time Grammy Award -winning American R&B and The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard S. R&B | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Best of Roberta Flack (1x platinum) | 11 | 2 | - |
| 1984 | Greatest Hits | - | - | 35 |
| 1993 | Softly with These Songs: The Best of Roberta Flack (Gold) | 65 | - | 7 |
| 2006 | The Very Best of Roberta Flack | - | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Single | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. A/C | UK Singles Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "You've Got a Friend" (with Donny Hathaway) | 29 | 8 | 36 | - |
| 1971 | "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (with Donny Hathaway) | 71 | 30 | - | - |
| 1972 | "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" | 1 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
| 1972 | "Where Is the Love" (with Donny Hathaway) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
| 1972 | "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" | 76 | 38 | 15 | - |
| 1973 | "Killing Me Softly with His Song" | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 1973 | "Jesse" | 30 | 19 | 3 | - |
| 1974 | "Feel Like Makin' Love" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 34 |
| 1975 | "Feelin' That Glow" | 76 | 25 | 38 | - |
| 1978 | "25th of Last December" | - | 52 | 28 | - |
| 1978 | "If Ever I See You Again" | 24 | 37 | 1 | - |
| 1978 | "When It's Over" | - | 82 | - | - |
| 1978 | "The Closer I Get to You" (with Donny Hathaway) | 2 | 1 | 3 | - |
| 1979 | "You Are Everything" | - | 98 | - | - |
| 1980 | "Back Together Again" (with Donny Hathaway) | 56 | 18 | - | 3 |
| 1980 | "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long" | - | 67 | - | - |
| 1980 | "You Are My Heaven" (with Donny Hathaway) | 47 | 8 | 46 | - |
| 1981 | "Love Is a Waiting Game" | - | 46 | - | - |
| 1981 | "Make the World Stand Still" | - | 13 | - | - |
| 1982 | "I'm the One" | 42 | - | 10 | - |
| 1982 | "In the Name of Love" | - | 80 | 24 | - |
| 1982 | "Making Love" | 13 | 29 | 7 | - |
| 1983 | "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" (with Peabo Bryson) | 16 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 1984 | "I Just Came Here to Dance" (with Peabo Bryson) | - | - | 15 | - |
| 1984 | "If I'm Still Around Tomorrow" (vocals on single by Sadao Watanabe) | - | - | 31 | - |
| 1984 | "You're Looking Like Love to Me" (with Peabo Bryson) | 58 | - | 5 | - |
| 1988 | "Oasis" | - | 1 | 13 | - |
| 1989 | "Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes)" | - | 37 | - | - |
| 1991 | "Set the Night to Music" (with Maxi Priest) | 6 | 45 | 2 | - |
| 1992 | "You Make Me Feel Brand New" | - | 50 | - | - |
See also
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
External links
The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. The Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart (formerly known as Adult Contemporary Singles, Easy Listening, and only Adult Contemporary) lists the most popular The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry " You've Got a Friend " is a Grammy Award winning song from the early 1970s which marked the Singer-songwriter movement Donny Hathaway ( October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul musician " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' " is a 1965 number-one hit single in the US and the UK by The Righteous Brothers. " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face " is a 1957 Folk song written by Ewan MacColl for his wife Peggy Seeger. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" is the title of a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. " Killing Me Softly with His Song " is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. " Feel Like Makin' Love " is a popular song by R&B singer Roberta Flack. " Tonight I Celebrate My Love " is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser recorded as a Duet single released in 1983 by singers Peabo Bryson (born Robert Peabo Bryson on April 13, 1951) is a two-time Grammy Award -winning American R&B and Sadao Watanabe can refer to Sadao Watanabe (musician ( Sadao Watanabe (artist ( Maxi Priest (born Max Alfred Elliott, on 10 June 1960 in Lewisham, London) is an English Reggae Singer Pre-Hot 100 era 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 This is a list of recording artists who have reached number one on Billboard magazine 's Hot Dance Club Play chartDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic