Obituary: Noted R&B singer Roberta Flack, best remembered for her 1970s hit, "Killing Me Softly," has died at the age of 88. I didn't think she was that old, but she didn't hit the big time until later on. According to the linked obit, she had been a teacher for a time.
Born to a musical family in Black Mountain, N.C., Flack was inspired as a girl by the gospel work of Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. He began studying piano at the age of 9; something of a musical prodigy, she entered Howard University in Washington, D.C., at 15 on a full scholarship.
Her graduate work was cut short by her father’s death, and she taught school in North Carolina and the District of Columbia. She also began work as a nightspot performer in D.C.; a fateful engagement at the club Mr. Henry’s was attended by jazz pianist Les McCann, then a crossover star at Atlantic Records. McCann brought Flack to the attention of the label, which signed her in 1968.
_______________________
The woman who was assaulted when she was dragged out of a Coeur d'Alene town hall, stands to get a great big settlement, in my view. If you see the video of the assault, there was no excuse for the kind of treatment she received.
_________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment