Disc 1 1 Killing Me Softly With His Song 2 There's A River 3 Jesse 4 Why Don't You Move In With Me 5 Some Gospel According To Matthew 6 Suzanne 7 Reverend Lee 8 First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
From her humble beginnings in Arlington, Virginia, Roberta Flack rose to global stardom with her soulful renditions of The First Time Ever I Saw You Face and Killing Me Softly With His Song, both songs earning her Grammy Record Of The Year awards in 1973 and 1974 respectively. This memorable concert performance recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the height of her success in 1975 is testament to her singing talent and features many of her greatest hits. Globally acclaimed as one of the all-time greats, Roberta Flack’s ability to relay a story through song is unparalleled. Her style transcends musical genres, effortlessly moving from soul to pop, from jazz to folk and each time creating memorable hits that have become part of music history. Already a classically trained pianist, Roberta received a music scholarship to attend Howard University at the tender age of 15, making her one of the youngest entrants ever to attend. Graduating at the age of 19, her career path took an unexpected turn when she was forced to take a teaching job following the sudden death of her father. Now based in Washington DC, Roberta spent evenings and weekends playing the piano and singing at several night spots, where she came to the attention of Les McCann who commented that her voice “touched, tapped, trapped and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known”. He quickly arranged an audition with Atlantic Records where she performed an impressive 42 songs in 3 hours and was rewarded with a record contract. Her Atlantic recordings were not the fast sellers predicted but all that changed when Clint Eastwood chose ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ to feature in his directorial debut film Play Misty For Me. The exposure had the desired result and the song spent 6 consecutive weeks at the top of the charts, earning Roberta a million-selling gold disc and the 1973 Grammy Award for Record of the Year in the process. It also kicked started sales of her debut album First Take, taking it to number one in the charts, eventually selling almost 2 million copies in the U.S. alone. She followed her early success with another number one ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’, a hit which earned her a further two Grammy Awards in 1974 and cemented her reputation as songstress of global appeal. As the ‘80s began the popularity of her music was waining as trends changed and music audiences turned their attentions to pop but she once again found herself in the US Top 10 in 1991 following a collaboration with Jamaican vocalist Maxi Priest on the hit song ‘Set The Night To Music’. In 1999 she received another accolade when she was awarded her own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and ended the year with a successful tour of South Africa. Much of her time is now spent as a humanitarian and mentor, including the founding of the Roberta Flack School of Music located in the Bronx section of New York City, where underprivileged children are provided a free music education programme.