And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave

[Roberta Flack photographed by Anthony Barboza, 1971. Image ©: the National Museum of African American History and Culture.]

More sad news yesterday - one of the last of the great soul and blues divas Miss Roberta Flack has departed to Fabulon, to join the greatest choir in history no doubt.

Facts:

• In her early career Miss Flack accompanied opera singers at the piano, but was "discovered" a few years later in the early 1970s as a performer at a jazz cabaret club.
• Her big break came when Clint Eastwood chose the song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face for the soundtrack of his directing debut Play Misty For Me and it became the biggest hit of 1972.
• She was once the neighbour of John Lennon and Yoko Ono when they all lived in The Dakota apartment building in New York.
• She was the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year on consecutive occasions – in 1973 for The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and the following year for Killing Me Softly (With His Song).
• Her Roberta Flack School of Music in the Bronx provides free music education to underprivileged students.

We loved her, and her beautiful mellow voice. Here are her two greatest numbers, by way of a tribute:

Roberta Flack - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song

And speaking of "heavenly choirs"...

Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack - Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues/Rocks In My Bed/I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)/In My Solitude/Mood Indigo/Azure (Tribute to Duke Ellington, 1973)

Utter perfection.

She's a huge loss.

RIP, Roberta Cleopatra Flack (10th February 1937 - 24th February 2025)