In Memoriam: Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack passed away at the age of 88.
What a beautiful life lived. The homie, Gio Russonello, wrote a worthy obituary and tribute to her in today's New York Times.
For many of us, the first song that comes to mind is her definitive cover of "Killing Me Softly" and then its definitive 1996 remix by the Fugees.
For many of us, our mind goes to the iconic 1972 album she recorded with her fellow Howard University alum, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway.
Our minds, ears, and hearts should go there because both represent music that touched generations of us.
I never met Ms. Flack or saw her live, but as a teenager, I fell down the most wonderful Roberta Flack rabbit hole and began taking her whole. Listening to entire albums like First Take, Quiet Fire, Blue Light in the Basement, and Oasis until I knew every chord and adlib.
It's fascinating that Ms. Flack recorded all of her major albums (including the Roberta and Donny album) on Atlantic Records. This is the same label that was also home to Aretha Franklin's iconic years. People view Ms. Flack and Ms. Franklin as being so different from each other, but my mind always goes to their similarities. Both phenomenal singers, both excellent pianists, both church girls who took the church with them into the world, both deeply soulful and earnest in their artistry.
I feel like with the two of them complementing each other, I have all the feminine soul power I need.
When I heard that Ms. Flack passed, I was prepping for my African American Music graduate seminar and I knew that I was going to introduce my students to her genius in class. I have a refrain that I repeat throughout the semester and it is that knowing and recognizing Negro Spirituals is a key to understanding Black American music. And that's where my mind went with Ms. Flack and her deep relationship with Negro Spirituals.
The first moment I shared with my students wasn't even a performance. It was a moment of reflection and clarity when she traveled to Ghana in 1971 for the Soul to Soul Music Festival in Accra. While in Ghana, she traveled to the slave dungeons in Cape Coast. As she walked into the dungeon, she described the oppression she felt there. Poignantly, her response was to sing. She began to sing, "Oh Freedom, Oh Freedom! Oh Freedom over me. And before I be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free."
My god. If there were ever a place to sing that spiritual, Elmina and Cape Coast slave dungeons are it.
The second Roberta moment I shared with my students was the opening tune from her Quiet Fire album, "Go Up, Moses." This song isn’t a Negro Spiritual, but a response to one. There is a Negro Spiritual entitled, "Go Down Moses" and honey, apparently Ms. Flack was done with asking Moses to go down and free us because she wrote a whole jam that insists that Moses must go UP because, "We been down too long."
“Go Up Moses” is the epitome of Ms. Flack's quiet fire: her ability to softly and firmly reframe the whole narrative. Shift what we thought soul was. Reach us in places we didn't even know we needed to be touched. Thank God, there was a Roberta Flack.
I beg you to listen to some Roberta. You can start with this most excellent mix by my dear friend, DJ Lynnee Denise. It's beautiful.
For the second part of Lynnee Denise's tribute to Ms. Flack, she convened a group of Black women who love them some Roberta Flack. I was honored to join Zandria Robinson and Elisa Moorhead in gushing about how Ms. Flack touched our lives.
On a personal note, extolling Ms. Flack's genius was one of my first forays into television. My late mentor (and another Howard alumnus), Greg Tate, heard me going on and on about her and recommended the BBC interview me for a documentary they were shooting about her entitled, Killing Me Softly: The Roberta Flack Story.
Thankfully, PBS would not be outdone and they devoted an episode of their American Masters series to her.
I think it best to let Ms. Flack give us the parting words. Today, in the announcement of her passing, her Facebook account posted this Ms. Flack quote and it is perfect for these dark times and for always,
"Remember: Always walk in the light. If you feel like you're not walking in it, go find it. Love the light."
Thank you, Dr. Fredara. I adore Roberta Flack and I spent the entire day of her passing listening to her genius, her understated brilliance, her elegance. Flack's voice embraces my spirit and soul, and you are right about the deep Black spirituals connection in her work. I'll admit I have my favorite Flack musical moments, particularly when they synthesize everything you discuss. I can't get over her pillowy perfection on "Feel Like Making Love" propelled by that earthy and snareless rhythm (featuring, I assume, New Orleans-bred drummer legend Idris Mohammed and Harlem percussionist extraordinaire Ralph McDonald). I retreat into "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" like a warm cozy bed in the dead of winter. I groove hard with her and maestro Donny Hathaway and catch myself singing both their verses and each of their harmonies. And I lose myself in hearing Luther Vandross' voice poke out on those duets (with all due respect to Luther's amazing background vocalist colleagues). I never tire of these songs from her repertoire. Although I am not as connected to some of her 80s sounding material (my bad), I still let it play yesterday. Your piece was what I needed in the moment as well. Bless the ancestors.
P.S. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention "Tryin' Times" which I used to perform religiously with Dwight Trible. Lord have mercy.
I always resonated with Roberta Flack more than I did with Aretha Franklin. Both are phenomenal but for me, Aretha was a hurricane where Roberta was the refreshing wind after a storm. She cleared away clouds in a gentle yet impactful way. Donny and Roberta are the soundtrack to my self-care routine. It is music I can get lost in while enduring the drudgery of shaving my head. She will be missed, but as always, at least we have her music 🎶!