Roberta Flack

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 consecutive years.

Flack collaborated with Donny Hathaway on several duets, such as "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You". She was active in the music industry through the 1970s and beyond, later releasing duets including "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Peabo Bryson (1983) and "Set the Night to Music" with Maxi Priest (1991). Over her career, she performed songs written by a variety of songwriters, including Leonard Cohen and members of the Beatles. In 2020, Flack received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Studio albums First Take (1969) Chapter Two (1970) Quiet Fire (1971) Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972) Killing Me Softly (1973) Feel Like Makin' Love (1975) Blue Lights in the Basement (1977) Roberta Flack (1978) Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (1980) I'm the One (1982) Born to Love (1983) Oasis (1988) Set the Night to Music (1991) Stop the World (1992) Roberta (1994) The Christmas Album (1997) Let It Be Roberta (2012)