Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack is an American singer of Soul Music, Jazz and Folk, born the February 10th 1937 in Asheville, in North Carolina. She is especially known for her tube Killing Me Softly With This Song , which will be taken again well later by the group of Rap The Fugees.

Biography

An exceptionally gifted childhood

Influenced as of childhood by the black sacred music, omnipésente in its birthplace, Roberta Flack start to play of the Piano on an old instrument repaired by his/her father. Exceptionally gifted teenager, it takes piano lessons and of song traditional, while its exceptional school results lead it to jump several classes, so much and so that it must finally redouble a year not to harm her personal development. She begins at the 15 years age a musical course at the University from Howard, which at the time makes of her the youngest pupil of this University. While directing its own group and while playing of the Organ to the church, Roberta integrates then an university of music into Chevy Chase, in the Maryland, of which it is the very first black pupil. She will obtain the diploma at 19 years from it seulemement, and is on the point of continuing her studies when the death of her father the force to leave the benches of the school to ensure her own subsistence.

Beginning difficult

She then becomes professor of English and music in a school of Farmville, North Carolina, a trade which frustrates it more especially as its native State is at the very least reactionary and segregationist. She leaves then for Washington, where she will spend four years to be taught in schools for poor children.

It is during this period that the career of professional musician of Roberta Flack finally seems to take form. It accompanies by the singers of opera in Trivoli Club of Washington, singing Blues during the interludes. It is in this context that it is located by the owner of the 1520 Club, where it starts to work two evenings per week. Its exceptional voice and its modernistic approach of great classic attract an exceptional audience to him, among which one often finds great names like Burt Bacharach, Woody Allen or Bill Cosby, that it regularly invites to divide the scene with it. To the summer 1968, Roberta thus passes very logically an audience for the famous label Soul Atlantic Records (which counts among its artists quantity of stars of the stature of Ray Charles)

The discovery and success

Musician impassioned and quasi professional since already of many years, Roberta Flack has when it passes this hearing a personal repertory of some 600 songs! In 3 hours, she interprets of them 42 for the producer of Atlantic Joel Dorn, which is subjugated. The first album of Roberta, First take , thus leaves in next November. It is followed one year later by Chapter Two , which contains in particular compositions of Bob Dylan (Just Like has Woman) and Buffy Sainte-Marie. But these albums, however greeted by the critic, hardly have success until an unexpected event does not propel Roberta Flack on the front of the scene: in 1972, Clint Eastwood, then realizer beginning, chooses a song of the first album of Roberta, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face , for the original soundtrack of sound thriller Play Misty For Me . Success is immediate, and the individual one arisen for the occasion reaches the first place of the American charts, followed by the fourth album of the singer, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway .

Consequently, Roberta Flack accumulates successes, discs of gold and rewards. Its album Killing Me Softly , which contains the song of the same name, is worth to him in 1974 the Grammy Awards of the best album, the best song and the best singer of the year. Individual the Killing Me Softly remains at the top of the charts months during, all confused musical genres!

Roberta Flack continued to leave the albums, which it often produces it even, throughout the Années 1970, 80 and 90, gaining many successes. Its single vision of the Soul, that it mixes at the same time with the Folk and the Classical music, had a great influence on many artists with the passing of years. Symbol of the fight of the Blacks for the recognition of their rights, at the same time with the the United States and in South Africa, where she sang in front of the president Nelson Mandela itself in 1999, Roberta Flack was classified among the " the 100 most important women of the Rock'n'roll " by American television channel VH1, and has its star on the Alley of the stars with Hollywood.

Active member of the AEC (Artist Empowerment Coalition), association which fights for control by the artists of the intellectual property of their works, Roberta Flack continues today to record and produce albums.

Discography

1969 - First Take
1970 - Chapter Two
1971 - Calm Fire
1972 - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
1973 - Killing Me Softly
1975 - Feel Like Makin' Coils
1977 - Blue Lights In The Basement
1978 - Roberta Flack
1980 - Featuring Donny Hathaway
1980 - Live & More (with Peabo Bryson)
1982 - I' m The One
1983 - Born To Love (with Peabo Bryson)
1988 - Oasis
1991 - Set The Night To Music
1995 - Roberta
1997 - The Christmas Album
2001 - Holiday

Simple: Roberta Flack

Random links: