Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1939 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American singer. A notable performer in the areas of jazz, soul, and folk, Flack is best known for singles such as "Killing Me Softly With His Song", which won the 1974 Grammy for Record of the Year, and "Where Is the Love", the latter being one of her many duets with Donny Hathaway.
Flack began her professional career recording for Atlantic Records without much success, until one of her earliest recordings, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", (1969) was included on the soundtrack to Clint Eastwood's directorial debut Play Misty for Me; it became a #1 hit in 1972 (see 1972 in music).
Flack soon began working with Hathaway, with her second number one hit being "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (1973; see 1973 in music). She and Hathaway continued recording successfully together until Hathaway's suicide in 1979 (see 1979 in music). She began working with Peabo Bryson with more limited success, though she has charted with "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" (1983; see 1983 in music) and "Set the Night to Music" (1991; see 1991 in music), a duet with Maxi Priest.
Flack holds a BA degree in Music from Howard University, and taught high school Music and English briefly in North Carolina. She is the aunt of Rory Flack Burghardt, a well-known professional ice-skater.
Bustin' Loose (1981)
