1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:10,733 ♪♪ 2 00:00:27,766 --> 00:00:29,433 [ Cheers and applause ] 3 00:00:29,433 --> 00:00:31,533 [ Drumming ] 4 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,866 -♪ People always talkin' ♪ 5 00:00:37,866 --> 00:00:42,200 ♪ About man's inhumanity to man ♪ 6 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,233 ♪ What you tryin' to do ♪ 7 00:00:45,233 --> 00:00:50,800 ♪ To make this a better land? ♪ 8 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:54,500 ♪ Just pick up your paper ♪ 9 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:57,833 ♪ Turn on your TV ♪ 10 00:00:57,833 --> 00:01:03,266 ♪ You see a lot of demonstrations ♪ 11 00:01:03,266 --> 00:01:06,433 ♪ For equality ♪ 12 00:01:06,433 --> 00:01:11,433 ♪ Folks wouldn't have to suffer ♪ 13 00:01:11,433 --> 00:01:15,633 ♪ If there was more love, more love, more love ♪ 14 00:01:15,633 --> 00:01:20,000 ♪ These are tryin' times, Try... ♪ 15 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,666 In 1968, I had worked as a singer 16 00:01:23,666 --> 00:01:26,300 at a little club on Capitol Hill 17 00:01:26,300 --> 00:01:29,633 where a lot of senators came with their families on Sundays, 18 00:01:29,633 --> 00:01:32,033 and it was also a gay bar, and it was, like, 19 00:01:32,033 --> 00:01:36,366 very cosmopolitan, kind of interesting place. 20 00:01:36,366 --> 00:01:38,433 I met people that I had never met before. 21 00:01:38,433 --> 00:01:41,166 I got a chance to do my first national television show 22 00:01:41,166 --> 00:01:42,800 out of that club. 23 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:44,666 ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ 24 00:01:44,666 --> 00:01:48,933 The transition to the stage was a smooth one for me personally. 25 00:01:48,933 --> 00:01:51,166 ♪ The whole thing ♪ 26 00:01:51,166 --> 00:01:53,366 -Did you want to be a music teacher, 27 00:01:53,366 --> 00:01:55,766 or did you dream of stardom then? 28 00:01:57,833 --> 00:01:59,733 -I always dreamed of stardom. 29 00:01:59,733 --> 00:02:02,533 [ Piano playing ] 30 00:02:02,533 --> 00:02:05,800 [ Applause ] 31 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:07,200 ♪ Ow! ♪ 32 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,033 -We just heard a selection performed by the full orchestra, 33 00:02:10,033 --> 00:02:14,166 but there's one vital instrument that I left out -- the voice, 34 00:02:14,166 --> 00:02:16,366 in this instance, a very beautiful voice. 35 00:02:16,366 --> 00:02:18,633 -It's a story. 36 00:02:18,633 --> 00:02:21,100 [ Applause ] 37 00:02:21,100 --> 00:02:24,000 It ain't a story you think it is. 38 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,266 -The last time I was in Washington, D.C., 39 00:02:26,266 --> 00:02:27,700 I heard a lady sing, 40 00:02:27,700 --> 00:02:30,566 probably one of the greatest singers today, 41 00:02:30,566 --> 00:02:32,866 -A woman who went from being a schoolteacher 42 00:02:32,866 --> 00:02:36,800 to being recognized as one of the top performers in the world. 43 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,100 -Whose music for years has been making people laugh and cry, 44 00:02:40,100 --> 00:02:42,366 sometimes at the same time. 45 00:02:42,366 --> 00:02:46,733 -A singer, Roberta Flack. -Roberta Flack. 46 00:02:46,733 --> 00:02:50,600 -♪ Was early Sunday ♪ 47 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,433 -I'll never forget the first time I ever saw that face. 48 00:02:53,433 --> 00:02:55,533 She was accepting a Grammy Award on television, 49 00:02:55,533 --> 00:02:57,733 having already become a star, and I'd never, 50 00:02:57,733 --> 00:02:59,700 until this very moment, met her in person. 51 00:02:59,700 --> 00:03:01,866 -♪ Sister Jones ♪ -Since then, Roberta Flack 52 00:03:01,866 --> 00:03:05,200 has become a music legend with four Grammys under her belt 53 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,033 and a growing list of successful albums. 54 00:03:08,033 --> 00:03:09,133 -♪ Just passed away ♪ 55 00:03:09,133 --> 00:03:11,600 -How does it feel to be legendary status? 56 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,333 -It's, uh, breathtaking. 57 00:03:15,333 --> 00:03:18,433 -I hope for another hundred years that we hear her singing. 58 00:03:18,433 --> 00:03:20,633 [ Applause ] -♪ I heard her whisper ♪ 59 00:03:20,633 --> 00:03:24,400 ♪ "Thank you, Jesus" ♪ 60 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,966 [ Applause ] 61 00:03:27,966 --> 00:03:30,900 [ Drumming ] 62 00:03:30,900 --> 00:03:34,100 ♪♪ 63 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:38,466 -The first time I saw her, 64 00:03:38,466 --> 00:03:41,200 I had a chance to sit in the back of the audience. 65 00:03:44,500 --> 00:03:48,166 And she had those people like that. 66 00:03:48,166 --> 00:03:50,600 [ Applause ] 67 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:52,633 Great artists -- 68 00:03:52,633 --> 00:03:55,366 one of the telling points is 69 00:03:55,366 --> 00:03:59,200 the audience leans forward. 70 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,200 Roberta had that, you know? 71 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,200 [ Applause continues ] 72 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,566 And she almost missed the train completely. 73 00:04:06,566 --> 00:04:11,100 ♪♪ 74 00:04:11,100 --> 00:04:15,166 She recorded "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." 75 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,866 It had been out almost three years. 76 00:04:20,866 --> 00:04:22,733 Then Clint Eastwood said, 77 00:04:22,733 --> 00:04:24,366 "I'm gonna put it in this movie." 78 00:04:26,533 --> 00:04:28,400 -The song was out there. It had been out there. 79 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,600 And every now and then, you'd hear it on the radio. 80 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,366 But it did not have the wide acceptance 81 00:04:34,366 --> 00:04:38,666 until people could associate something visual with it. 82 00:04:38,666 --> 00:04:42,600 -For Clint Eastwood, an invitation to terror. 83 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:43,700 -[ Screams ] 84 00:04:43,700 --> 00:04:45,533 -Play "Misty" for me. 85 00:04:45,533 --> 00:04:47,466 -I wanted to do a nice, idyllic scene 86 00:04:47,466 --> 00:04:49,866 where he was sort of reconciling 87 00:04:49,866 --> 00:04:54,366 with the girlfriend, the Donna Mills character. 88 00:04:54,366 --> 00:04:59,000 I heard the Roberta Flack song on radio coming to work one day, 89 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,600 and I said, "Oh, yeah, this tells the story." 90 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:03,900 ♪♪ 91 00:05:03,900 --> 00:05:07,700 -And I get a phone call one morning. 92 00:05:07,700 --> 00:05:10,366 Clint Eastwood's on the phone. 93 00:05:10,366 --> 00:05:12,966 He said, "I just finished directing my first film. 94 00:05:12,966 --> 00:05:15,266 It's called 'Play Misty for Me.'" 95 00:05:15,266 --> 00:05:19,133 And he said, "I want to use that song in the montage 96 00:05:19,133 --> 00:05:22,333 that the whole movie builds to." 97 00:05:22,333 --> 00:05:25,533 So I said, "Knock yourself out, Jack." 98 00:05:25,533 --> 00:05:29,633 He said, "But I only have $1,000." 99 00:05:29,633 --> 00:05:32,933 I said, "You can have it for 1,000 cents." 100 00:05:32,933 --> 00:05:34,800 Gonna be in a movie. 101 00:05:37,066 --> 00:05:38,200 -He called me in Virginia. 102 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,833 That was a big thrill for my mom. 103 00:05:40,833 --> 00:05:42,600 And we talked and he said he wanted to use it. 104 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,500 And I said no. 105 00:05:45,500 --> 00:05:47,866 By this time, I had become a little bit 106 00:05:47,866 --> 00:05:50,633 commercially concerned about what people were gonna hear. 107 00:05:50,633 --> 00:05:52,766 And I said, "It's too long. I'd like to do it again." 108 00:05:52,766 --> 00:05:54,033 He said, "No, I'd like to use it." 109 00:05:54,033 --> 00:05:56,666 So I said, "Well, take the first 8 or 16 bars out. 110 00:05:56,666 --> 00:05:58,000 You don't need that piano intro." 111 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,933 He said, "I want every note... 112 00:06:02,366 --> 00:06:04,000 ...every breath." 113 00:06:07,300 --> 00:06:13,133 The story is that he was driving down the Los Angeles freeway 114 00:06:13,133 --> 00:06:14,633 and heard the song. 115 00:06:14,633 --> 00:06:18,433 ♪ The first time ♪ 116 00:06:20,166 --> 00:06:24,466 ♪ Ever I saw your face ♪ 117 00:06:24,466 --> 00:06:27,900 He said the song just totally hypnotized him. 118 00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:31,133 And he found himself driving off the side of the freeway. 119 00:06:31,133 --> 00:06:36,233 ♪ Thought the sun ♪ 120 00:06:36,233 --> 00:06:44,100 ♪ Rose in your eyes ♪ 121 00:06:44,100 --> 00:06:46,700 ♪ Eyes ♪ 122 00:06:46,700 --> 00:06:53,400 ♪ And the moon and the stars ♪ 123 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,100 [ Playing piano ] 124 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,966 ♪ Were the gifts you gave ♪ 125 00:07:05,733 --> 00:07:11,466 ♪ To the dark ♪ 126 00:07:11,466 --> 00:07:17,333 ♪ And the endless skies, my love ♪ 127 00:07:19,866 --> 00:07:22,366 ♪ The first time ♪ 128 00:07:22,366 --> 00:07:28,800 ♪ Ever I kissed your mouth ♪ 129 00:07:31,333 --> 00:07:35,833 ♪ I felt the Earth move in my... ♪ 130 00:07:35,833 --> 00:07:38,500 -Anyway, it goes into the movie. 131 00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:40,700 Next thing you know, you're getting calls 132 00:07:40,700 --> 00:07:42,266 For "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" 133 00:07:42,266 --> 00:07:43,900 from the Clint Eastwood movie. 134 00:07:46,300 --> 00:07:49,633 -If that hadn't happened, she might have spent her life 135 00:07:49,633 --> 00:07:51,366 singing at Mr. Henry's. 136 00:07:53,166 --> 00:07:56,400 And the world kicked the doors down. 137 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:59,600 -And the winner is... 138 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,666 "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." 139 00:08:02,666 --> 00:08:05,766 -Roberta Flack. [ Cheers and applause ] 140 00:08:05,766 --> 00:08:07,133 -And that sold four million records 141 00:08:07,133 --> 00:08:09,200 and won the Grammy for Record of the Year. 142 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:10,666 It skyrocketed her. 143 00:08:10,666 --> 00:08:12,300 [ Applause ] 144 00:08:14,366 --> 00:08:16,533 -This is a very exciting occasion for me. 145 00:08:16,533 --> 00:08:19,133 I could stand here and thank a million people. 146 00:08:19,133 --> 00:08:20,866 I'd like to thank everybody. 147 00:08:20,866 --> 00:08:22,566 Thank you very much. 148 00:08:22,566 --> 00:08:24,800 [ Applause ] 149 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:26,800 ♪♪ 150 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:28,433 If he had not heard the song 151 00:08:28,433 --> 00:08:31,100 and not almost driven off the freeway, who knows? 152 00:08:31,100 --> 00:08:32,533 Maybe I wouldn't be here today. 153 00:08:32,533 --> 00:08:36,166 But I think things happen by divine plan. 154 00:08:36,166 --> 00:08:41,300 ♪♪ 155 00:08:41,300 --> 00:08:43,466 -With some musicians, it's relatively easy 156 00:08:43,466 --> 00:08:44,900 to categorize their music. 157 00:08:44,900 --> 00:08:47,800 You can say they're pop singers or rock 'n' roll 158 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,200 or rhythm and blues or jazz or whatever. 159 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,033 With this particular woman, 160 00:08:52,033 --> 00:08:54,333 one can label it as indeed many would label 161 00:08:54,333 --> 00:08:57,166 the woman herself -- pure, gorgeous... 162 00:08:57,166 --> 00:08:58,566 -That's right. -...unforgettable. 163 00:08:58,566 --> 00:09:01,033 -That's exactly right. And modest. 164 00:09:01,033 --> 00:09:03,333 -And modest. My guest today... 165 00:09:03,333 --> 00:09:04,733 -[ Laughs ] -...is an artist, 166 00:09:04,733 --> 00:09:06,533 Miss Roberta Flack. 167 00:09:06,533 --> 00:09:09,066 Roberta, when you look back at your childhood, 168 00:09:09,066 --> 00:09:12,233 what special experiences do you remember? 169 00:09:12,233 --> 00:09:13,500 What are they? What quickly comes to mind? 170 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:15,633 -Some of them I couldn't tell you, but... 171 00:09:15,633 --> 00:09:16,933 -Well, you can't tell me why? 172 00:09:16,933 --> 00:09:18,900 -Well, because they're just so personal, you know? 173 00:09:18,900 --> 00:09:20,333 But I'm being totally honest with you. 174 00:09:20,333 --> 00:09:22,833 There are some things that I just couldn't tell you. 175 00:09:22,833 --> 00:09:25,600 But to close my eyes for two seconds and think, 176 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,700 really think about the answer to your question... 177 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:29,900 [ Piano playing ] 178 00:09:29,900 --> 00:09:34,933 ♪♪ 179 00:09:34,933 --> 00:09:37,500 I was very popular because I could play anything. 180 00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:39,566 -On the piano? -On the piano. 181 00:09:39,566 --> 00:09:41,433 ♪♪ 182 00:09:41,433 --> 00:09:46,166 My mother was a church organist, and I did grow up in the church. 183 00:09:46,166 --> 00:09:48,533 Being a little girl, 184 00:09:48,533 --> 00:09:51,066 and being in such awe of my mother's ability 185 00:09:51,066 --> 00:09:55,100 to play the organ and make such beautiful sounds, 186 00:09:55,100 --> 00:10:00,000 which I did not understand, but which I loved, 187 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,733 and then it seemed like it was only a matter 188 00:10:02,733 --> 00:10:05,000 of a little, tiny bit of time, 189 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,666 and I was sitting on the organ bench myself. 190 00:10:07,666 --> 00:10:10,433 ♪♪ 191 00:10:10,433 --> 00:10:14,266 I started studying classical piano repertoire 192 00:10:14,266 --> 00:10:17,800 when I was about 9 years old. 193 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:22,033 But we had a sort of high form of church liturgy. 194 00:10:22,033 --> 00:10:25,466 And the music that I grew up playing was, you know, 195 00:10:25,466 --> 00:10:26,900 the Handel "Messiah" 196 00:10:26,900 --> 00:10:28,800 and the Bach "Christmas Oratorio" 197 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,133 and parts of the Mozart requiems. 198 00:10:31,133 --> 00:10:33,566 I mean, that's what I grew up hearing. 199 00:10:36,233 --> 00:10:38,966 All of these beautiful, beautiful melodies 200 00:10:38,966 --> 00:10:44,066 that were available when I was like 9 and 10 and 11, you know, 201 00:10:44,066 --> 00:10:47,500 ♪ Full moon and empty arms, da-di-da-di-di ♪ 202 00:10:47,500 --> 00:10:50,366 The Chopin nocturnes and preludes 203 00:10:50,366 --> 00:10:54,566 and, oh, my goodness, I just would just sit and cry 204 00:10:54,566 --> 00:10:58,633 silently when I played Chopin. 205 00:10:58,633 --> 00:11:07,733 ♪♪ 206 00:11:07,733 --> 00:11:09,866 When I played, 207 00:11:09,866 --> 00:11:13,866 that was when I felt the presence of God. 208 00:11:13,866 --> 00:11:17,000 And I felt very grown up. 209 00:11:19,300 --> 00:11:22,066 That stayed with me for a long, long time. 210 00:11:24,766 --> 00:11:26,866 But my mother used to look at me and shake her head 211 00:11:26,866 --> 00:11:30,600 because she didn't understand my mind. 212 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:34,300 You know, I've always been, in my family, 213 00:11:34,300 --> 00:11:37,000 considered sort of different. 214 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,933 [ Distant piano playing and applause ] 215 00:11:40,933 --> 00:11:42,900 -Let's talk some history here. 216 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:48,966 Roberta was a genius, 217 00:11:48,966 --> 00:11:54,966 and they never knew what to do with her. 218 00:11:54,966 --> 00:11:57,166 That has been her -- 219 00:11:57,166 --> 00:11:59,600 her lot in life, 220 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,266 her lot, her plight. 221 00:12:01,266 --> 00:12:05,133 ♪♪ 222 00:12:05,133 --> 00:12:09,100 -I competed in the James Bland Memorial Scholarship contest 223 00:12:09,100 --> 00:12:13,100 in Richmond, Virginia, when I was about 13 years old. 224 00:12:13,100 --> 00:12:15,433 And I was still quite young, although I was in high school 225 00:12:15,433 --> 00:12:19,033 and just about to graduate. 226 00:12:19,033 --> 00:12:23,766 But I do recall this experience because I should have won, 227 00:12:23,766 --> 00:12:25,333 but I didn't. 228 00:12:25,333 --> 00:12:26,700 And one of the reasons I didn't win 229 00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:29,066 was because it was a segregated contest. 230 00:12:29,066 --> 00:12:32,266 ♪♪ 231 00:12:32,266 --> 00:12:34,433 The kind of performance that I gave 232 00:12:34,433 --> 00:12:38,166 could have been very easily a colorless one. 233 00:12:38,166 --> 00:12:41,400 I mean, you know, I played a Scarlatti sonata, 234 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:43,100 and I played it in the style 235 00:12:43,100 --> 00:12:45,733 that Scarlatti was supposed to be played. 236 00:12:45,733 --> 00:12:47,833 I didn't play it as a little Black girl from Virginia 237 00:12:47,833 --> 00:12:49,666 playing a Scarlatti sonata. 238 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:54,300 You know, they loved my performance, 239 00:12:54,300 --> 00:12:56,233 but they didn't know quite how to deal with it. 240 00:12:56,233 --> 00:12:58,233 I think they expected me to play something else 241 00:12:58,233 --> 00:13:01,866 or to sing something else. 242 00:13:01,866 --> 00:13:03,466 So I should have really been judged 243 00:13:03,466 --> 00:13:07,100 on the basis of my ability to perform Scarlatti, 244 00:13:07,100 --> 00:13:08,700 no matter what my color. 245 00:13:10,833 --> 00:13:12,666 And that's something I never quite understood 246 00:13:12,666 --> 00:13:14,233 for a long, long time. 247 00:13:14,233 --> 00:13:21,300 ♪♪ 248 00:13:21,300 --> 00:13:24,433 -When you are a prodigy, essentially... 249 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,400 ...wanting to succeed in a realm 250 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:34,800 where Black kids were not supposed to succeed 251 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,333 at a moment when racism in America 252 00:13:38,333 --> 00:13:43,366 is at one of the peaks of its expression, 253 00:13:43,366 --> 00:13:47,033 how could a little kid overcome all that? 254 00:13:49,233 --> 00:13:52,933 Many children create imaginary friends. 255 00:13:52,933 --> 00:13:55,766 Occasionally, children create imaginary friends 256 00:13:55,766 --> 00:13:59,000 who are also alter egos. 257 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:01,266 And that's what Rubina Flake was. 258 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,566 -All of the experiences that I had as a child, 259 00:14:07,566 --> 00:14:12,100 even those that were just fun, were always based on music. 260 00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:16,766 I realized that I had developed in a rather one-sided way. 261 00:14:16,766 --> 00:14:20,833 I mean, I interpreted everything based on my knowledge, my love, 262 00:14:20,833 --> 00:14:24,666 and my understanding for music. 263 00:14:24,666 --> 00:14:26,333 Everything. 264 00:14:28,333 --> 00:14:33,366 -"Roberta Flack has always held two souls within her body. 265 00:14:33,366 --> 00:14:36,066 She was herself the daughter of a draftsman 266 00:14:36,066 --> 00:14:37,966 and a church choir organist 267 00:14:37,966 --> 00:14:41,766 who learned to play music at her mother's knee. 268 00:14:41,766 --> 00:14:44,500 Even then, in her deepest being, 269 00:14:44,500 --> 00:14:50,500 she was also Rubina Flake, renowned concert artiste, 270 00:14:50,500 --> 00:14:53,133 effortlessly dazzling Carnegie Hall crowds 271 00:14:53,133 --> 00:14:55,966 with her performances. 272 00:14:55,966 --> 00:14:59,333 Rubina helped Roberta endure the indignities 273 00:14:59,333 --> 00:15:02,466 faced by gifted Black children in the South, 274 00:15:02,466 --> 00:15:05,700 as when she'd sing "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" 275 00:15:05,700 --> 00:15:07,600 for contest judges in hotels 276 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:11,533 where she wasn't allowed to stay the night. 277 00:15:11,533 --> 00:15:15,633 Rubina had no need to respect others' restrictions." 278 00:15:15,633 --> 00:15:19,433 ♪♪ 279 00:15:19,433 --> 00:15:21,166 -There was a lady named Mrs. Hightower 280 00:15:21,166 --> 00:15:24,566 who was the superintendent at my Sunday school, 281 00:15:24,566 --> 00:15:27,066 and she came to my mother when I was about 9 282 00:15:27,066 --> 00:15:29,500 and said, "You know, she has some real talent. 283 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:32,666 We need to see that she gets piano lessons." 284 00:15:32,666 --> 00:15:33,966 And, of course, we couldn't afford it, 285 00:15:33,966 --> 00:15:37,900 and Mrs. Hightower and her husband did. 286 00:15:37,900 --> 00:15:39,800 So I started studying with a lady 287 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:41,866 whose name's Alma Blackman. 288 00:15:41,866 --> 00:15:45,800 Real fine pianist. Brilliant, brilliant lady. 289 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:49,766 And she gave me everything that she knew. 290 00:15:49,766 --> 00:15:51,300 And by the time I was 15, 291 00:15:51,300 --> 00:15:54,700 I had gotten a full scholarship to Howard University. 292 00:15:54,700 --> 00:15:57,366 ♪♪ 293 00:15:57,366 --> 00:15:58,600 I always felt like 294 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:02,133 I was given more credit than I deserved. 295 00:16:02,133 --> 00:16:03,833 Everybody assumed that I could handle 296 00:16:03,833 --> 00:16:06,266 more than I could really handle, so consequently, 297 00:16:06,266 --> 00:16:10,566 I grew away from my family at a very young age. 298 00:16:10,566 --> 00:16:14,033 I stayed on the campus, you know, in the dormitory. 299 00:16:14,033 --> 00:16:15,366 That was a big step. 300 00:16:15,366 --> 00:16:17,700 But for my family, it was the natural step for me 301 00:16:17,700 --> 00:16:19,900 because they felt like "Well, she's gone anyway." 302 00:16:19,900 --> 00:16:21,533 I was only 15. 303 00:16:24,033 --> 00:16:25,633 I had never been away from my home 304 00:16:25,633 --> 00:16:28,166 and never been away from my family. 305 00:16:28,166 --> 00:16:30,500 I never slept in a bed by myself. 306 00:16:32,900 --> 00:16:37,133 I'd never paid for a meal. 307 00:16:37,133 --> 00:16:38,200 I mean, little things, you know, 308 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,033 that you tend to take for granted. 309 00:16:40,033 --> 00:16:43,133 And I had to learn a lot about, you know, 310 00:16:43,133 --> 00:16:45,200 life outside of my family circle 311 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,233 in a very, very short space of time. 312 00:16:49,233 --> 00:16:54,633 What I learned is that the world was bigger than I imagined. 313 00:16:54,633 --> 00:16:59,466 ♪♪ 314 00:16:59,466 --> 00:17:03,666 I had a full scholarship as a piano major. 315 00:17:03,666 --> 00:17:08,400 At one point, the dean of the School of Music came to me. 316 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:10,600 He said to me, "You know, you're a wonderful pianist, 317 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:12,833 but there aren't many opportunities 318 00:17:12,833 --> 00:17:17,433 for young Black people to be a concert pianists. 319 00:17:17,433 --> 00:17:18,866 I'm not saying that you can't do it. 320 00:17:18,866 --> 00:17:20,500 Nothing is impossible. 321 00:17:20,500 --> 00:17:23,966 But you ought to have a couple of education courses." 322 00:17:25,966 --> 00:17:27,333 And it was a wonderful thing 323 00:17:27,333 --> 00:17:30,333 because it was as a result of my teaching experience 324 00:17:30,333 --> 00:17:33,833 that I had a chance to really perform for the first time 325 00:17:33,833 --> 00:17:36,033 in front of the kids that I was teaching. 326 00:17:36,033 --> 00:17:45,633 ♪♪ 327 00:17:45,633 --> 00:17:48,066 And I'd like for you, as you sing it, 328 00:17:48,066 --> 00:17:49,333 to really, really, really 329 00:17:49,333 --> 00:17:51,533 try to get the message of the song across. 330 00:17:51,533 --> 00:17:55,433 Pretend you're singing this song to a group of foreign students 331 00:17:55,433 --> 00:17:57,200 who don't even speak our language. 332 00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,400 So not only do you have to enunciate the words clearly, 333 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,600 but you also have to make the words almost picturesque. 334 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,266 Make them very descriptive. 335 00:18:05,266 --> 00:18:08,500 I taught in the inner city in Washington, D.C. 336 00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:10,400 I taught them Beatles songs. 337 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,100 I taught them Ray Charles, Jackson 5, 338 00:18:13,100 --> 00:18:15,966 everything that I could think of. 339 00:18:15,966 --> 00:18:18,900 We learn the song by learning how to read the notes. 340 00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:20,500 Let's try this right from the beginning. 341 00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:23,200 Okay, here we go. [ Playing piano ] 342 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:27,433 ♪ Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do ♪ 343 00:18:27,433 --> 00:18:31,100 ♪ Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do ♪ 344 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:33,500 I always did believe as a teacher that you start 345 00:18:33,500 --> 00:18:37,300 with what they know and move to what they don't know. 346 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:45,366 And it was a really incredible experience for me musically. 347 00:18:45,366 --> 00:18:47,266 But I wanted to play. 348 00:18:47,266 --> 00:18:54,400 ♪♪ 349 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:57,133 -I met her sometime in '64. 350 00:19:00,366 --> 00:19:06,433 And she was teaching grade school. 351 00:19:06,433 --> 00:19:10,166 But we, uh -- we had music in common. 352 00:19:10,166 --> 00:19:15,333 ♪♪ 353 00:19:15,333 --> 00:19:19,433 When we got married, we lived in D.C. 354 00:19:19,433 --> 00:19:22,100 And then we moved to Virginia. 355 00:19:25,100 --> 00:19:28,933 We had a big house out there with a swimming pool 356 00:19:28,933 --> 00:19:31,100 and a lot of animals. 357 00:19:31,100 --> 00:19:34,066 Roberta lovedcats and dogs. 358 00:19:36,166 --> 00:19:39,300 But that's when we started getting a lot of [bleep] 359 00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:44,766 ♪♪ 360 00:19:44,766 --> 00:19:46,400 -This is still... 361 00:19:47,900 --> 00:19:49,800 Interracial marriages were still -- 362 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:50,966 -Oh, man. 363 00:19:50,966 --> 00:19:53,500 -'Cause the Loving decision was in '67. 364 00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:55,200 -There you go. 365 00:19:57,866 --> 00:20:02,066 That neighborhood out there was a white neighborhood. 366 00:20:02,066 --> 00:20:06,133 They knew this was an interracial couple living here. 367 00:20:06,133 --> 00:20:08,533 You know, they didn't want to accept us. 368 00:20:11,033 --> 00:20:14,900 We had to put a fence around the property at our house. 369 00:20:17,866 --> 00:20:21,666 I don't think her mother ever accepted it. 370 00:20:21,666 --> 00:20:24,533 Her sisters did. 371 00:20:24,533 --> 00:20:29,366 And, I mean, I knew her sisters very well. 372 00:20:29,366 --> 00:20:34,633 My family disowned me for about seven years, 373 00:20:34,633 --> 00:20:38,933 and my mother came and wanted to talk to me. 374 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,466 But I was really in love with this girl, you know? 375 00:20:48,733 --> 00:20:51,166 We already had the connection there, 376 00:20:51,166 --> 00:20:53,133 you know, being musicians. 377 00:20:53,133 --> 00:20:58,466 I didn't know how great a musician she was. 378 00:20:58,466 --> 00:21:01,633 You know, she was a top-flight musician, huh? 379 00:21:01,633 --> 00:21:07,033 ♪♪ 380 00:21:07,033 --> 00:21:08,333 -My piano teacher said to me, 381 00:21:08,333 --> 00:21:11,233 "They need a new accompanist at this restaurant." 382 00:21:11,233 --> 00:21:13,200 It was a little Italian restaurant called the Tivoli 383 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:13,966 in Georgetown. 384 00:21:15,833 --> 00:21:17,866 Seated about 60 people. 385 00:21:17,866 --> 00:21:19,500 And it was an Italian menu. 386 00:21:20,433 --> 00:21:22,500 And opera, Italian opera. 387 00:21:22,500 --> 00:21:24,000 And there I was, playing. 388 00:21:26,766 --> 00:21:28,666 One Christmas season, 389 00:21:28,666 --> 00:21:31,233 and he said to me, "Roberta, stop playing the arias. 390 00:21:32,066 --> 00:21:33,133 Play Christmas carols." 391 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,466 So, I started doing all the Christmas songs. 392 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:39,900 I was singing ♪ Chestnuts roasting on an ♪ 393 00:21:39,900 --> 00:21:41,600 And then everybody got quiet. 394 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,433 He sort of opened up the back room, then, for me. 395 00:21:46,433 --> 00:21:49,666 The title of this next song that we're going to do 396 00:21:49,666 --> 00:21:51,933 and turn the remaining four letters around -- 397 00:21:52,733 --> 00:21:57,400 -The owner, Henry Yaffe, built a room for her upstairs. 398 00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,200 -♪ And if only fools ♪ 399 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:00,966 -Installed church pews, 400 00:22:00,966 --> 00:22:05,166 probably as a kind of homage to her church background. 401 00:22:07,166 --> 00:22:08,600 -♪ Alfie ♪ 402 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:12,333 -I think he wanted to create an intimate space for her, 403 00:22:12,333 --> 00:22:16,033 to capture this quality in her music that feels inviting. 404 00:22:16,033 --> 00:22:19,033 -We want you to sing with us, this time, on this song. 405 00:22:19,033 --> 00:22:21,166 -And that's one of the things that made her such a hit. 406 00:22:21,166 --> 00:22:23,566 -[ Scat singing ] 407 00:22:23,566 --> 00:22:26,000 And you answer -- Very good. 408 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,000 People started coming, not just to hear me play 409 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,566 for other people to sing, 410 00:22:30,566 --> 00:22:33,666 but to hear what I was going to do in between those arias. 411 00:22:33,666 --> 00:22:34,566 [ Cheering and applause ] -Go ahead! 412 00:22:36,033 --> 00:22:39,100 -That's where I had my first chance to realize what it meant 413 00:22:39,100 --> 00:22:40,533 to be under that light. 414 00:22:40,533 --> 00:22:42,700 [ Cheering and applause ] 415 00:22:42,700 --> 00:22:46,033 ♪ Do do do ♪ 416 00:22:46,033 --> 00:22:48,900 ♪ Come on, people ♪ 417 00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:50,800 ♪ Come on, children ♪ 418 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:55,866 ♪ Come on down to the glory river ♪ 419 00:22:55,866 --> 00:22:58,533 ♪ Gonna wash you up ♪ 420 00:22:58,533 --> 00:23:01,633 ♪ And wash you down ♪ 421 00:23:01,633 --> 00:23:05,566 ♪ Lay the devil down ♪ 422 00:23:05,566 --> 00:23:11,066 ♪ Gonna lay that devil down ♪ 423 00:23:11,933 --> 00:23:14,666 ♪ Come on, people ♪ -♪ Do do do ♪ 424 00:23:14,666 --> 00:23:17,266 -♪ Sons and mothers ♪ 425 00:23:17,266 --> 00:23:18,933 -She's a woman 426 00:23:18,933 --> 00:23:21,366 and at a time when women, strong women, 427 00:23:21,366 --> 00:23:24,166 who had something of their own that was different 428 00:23:24,166 --> 00:23:25,933 were really catching hell, you know, 429 00:23:25,933 --> 00:23:27,400 as far as trying to break through. 430 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:29,566 -♪ We can build the dream ♪ 431 00:23:29,566 --> 00:23:31,200 -That was one of the things that attracted me to her. 432 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,333 I saw what appeared to be this very timid person, 433 00:23:35,333 --> 00:23:37,966 just shy and reserved, but underneath, 434 00:23:37,966 --> 00:23:40,066 I knew there was a strong, powerful person 435 00:23:40,066 --> 00:23:42,800 because of the way she sang. -♪ In my soul ♪ 436 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,566 -♪ Soul ♪ -♪ Fury's gonna take me ♪ 437 00:23:45,566 --> 00:23:47,600 ♪ To my glory goal ♪ 438 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:50,766 ♪ In my mind ♪ 439 00:23:50,766 --> 00:23:55,366 ♪ Can't study war no more ♪ 440 00:23:55,366 --> 00:23:57,033 ♪ Save the people ♪ 441 00:23:57,966 --> 00:23:59,700 -I signed her without ever hearing her. 442 00:24:01,700 --> 00:24:02,900 Because Les McCann called here. 443 00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:04,366 He said, "There's a girl in Washington. 444 00:24:04,366 --> 00:24:05,500 Her name is Roberta Flack." 445 00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:07,100 I said, "I heard about Roberta Flack before. 446 00:24:07,100 --> 00:24:09,400 Leave me alone. I don't want any chick singers. 447 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:10,966 They're a problem. They're a hassle, you know. 448 00:24:10,966 --> 00:24:13,200 Like you want to record her that, you record her. 449 00:24:14,566 --> 00:24:16,733 I just don't want to record, you know, a female vocalist." 450 00:24:18,033 --> 00:24:20,500 Les McCann didn't want to know about no for an answer. 451 00:24:22,300 --> 00:24:25,000 So, "Fine, I'll send her a contract," 452 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:26,466 and then, you know, then I heard the tape 453 00:24:26,466 --> 00:24:29,766 and then I heard her and -- [ Scoffs ] it was unbelievable. 454 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,233 We want people who buy James Brown records 455 00:24:36,233 --> 00:24:40,333 and Andrés Segovia records to buy Roberta Flack records. 456 00:24:40,333 --> 00:24:42,200 We hear all of that in her. 457 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:48,600 -I didn't know anything about the record business. 458 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:49,866 I only knew music. 459 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:52,700 I'd never heard my voice recorded, 460 00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:54,633 never heard my piano playing recorded. 461 00:24:56,433 --> 00:24:58,233 So, they said, "Come to New York 462 00:24:58,233 --> 00:25:01,100 and we want you to just go into the studio. 463 00:25:02,033 --> 00:25:03,033 How many songs do you know?" 464 00:25:03,033 --> 00:25:05,066 I said, "Oh, about 600 songs." 465 00:25:06,333 --> 00:25:08,333 Of course, that included all the classical music, 466 00:25:08,333 --> 00:25:09,600 all the Bach, the Chopin... -[ Laughs ] 467 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,633 -and they said, "Well, we'd like for you to do some. 468 00:25:11,633 --> 00:25:12,566 We'll just set you up." 469 00:25:13,566 --> 00:25:15,633 We went in. I recorded 40 songs. 470 00:25:17,333 --> 00:25:19,900 The 10 or 11 songs that are on that album 471 00:25:19,900 --> 00:25:22,166 were from that session 472 00:25:22,166 --> 00:25:23,900 and they called that album "First Take" 473 00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:26,066 because I did them like in one take. 474 00:25:27,233 --> 00:25:29,866 ♪ Tryin' times ♪ 475 00:25:29,866 --> 00:25:34,366 ♪ Is what the world is talkin' about ♪ 476 00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:38,233 ♪ You got confusion ♪ 477 00:25:38,233 --> 00:25:40,966 ♪ All over the land ♪ 478 00:25:44,700 --> 00:25:47,500 ♪ Mother against daughter ♪ 479 00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:52,400 -Listen, Roberta Flack already had a repertoire of songs 480 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,233 that she was doing at Mr. Henry's. 481 00:25:56,233 --> 00:25:58,133 You know, that was her regular gig 482 00:25:58,133 --> 00:26:03,900 and she already had a thing, a vibe, a following. 483 00:26:03,900 --> 00:26:05,333 -♪ To suffer ♪ 484 00:26:05,333 --> 00:26:07,866 -All she did was came to New York 485 00:26:07,866 --> 00:26:11,133 and recorded all  her tunes, bro. 486 00:26:11,133 --> 00:26:13,000 -♪ Tryin' times ♪ 487 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:16,566 -And all they needed to do was to sit there and let her do it. 488 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:40,133 -"First Take" was recorded in 1969 489 00:26:40,133 --> 00:26:41,800 and, to me, 490 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:43,933 it's a Black Lives Matter record. 491 00:26:43,933 --> 00:26:46,266 -♪ I remember ♪ -Before that hashtag term 492 00:26:46,266 --> 00:26:47,600 was invented, 493 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,266 she was singing political songs that are very much 494 00:26:50,266 --> 00:26:53,300 about the moment of Black Power in the 1960s. 495 00:26:57,500 --> 00:27:00,200 The first song, "Compared to What," 496 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:02,933 is like a cutting, sardonic approach 497 00:27:02,933 --> 00:27:05,433 to, you know, what it means to live in America 498 00:27:05,433 --> 00:27:07,066 in the time of white supremacy. 499 00:27:08,533 --> 00:27:10,466 And it's right there, it's the first track, 500 00:27:10,466 --> 00:27:12,333 and it still is relevant. 501 00:27:29,466 --> 00:27:31,566 ♪ Trying to make it real ♪ 502 00:27:32,833 --> 00:27:34,000 [ Applause ] 503 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,633 -When you really look at the work that she did 504 00:27:36,633 --> 00:27:39,133 on those early Atlantic albums, 505 00:27:39,133 --> 00:27:41,733 it's not just one thing. 506 00:27:41,733 --> 00:27:43,066 It's this eclecticism. 507 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:46,033 And that's part of the power of it. -♪ Twisted ♪ 508 00:27:46,033 --> 00:27:48,533 ♪ Children are killin' frogs ♪ 509 00:27:48,533 --> 00:27:52,700 -You have these politically kind of agitprop songs. 510 00:27:52,700 --> 00:27:54,400 You have beautiful, windswept, 511 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,300 romantic ballads. 512 00:27:56,300 --> 00:27:58,966 Covers of Leonard Cohen. 513 00:27:58,966 --> 00:28:02,200 The song, sung in Spanish, about Black beauty. 514 00:28:04,166 --> 00:28:06,300 You get the full range of who she is, 515 00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:08,200 as a human being, as a woman. 516 00:28:10,266 --> 00:28:12,066 But you also get the sense 517 00:28:12,066 --> 00:28:13,366 of her kind of political heaviness, 518 00:28:13,366 --> 00:28:16,166 her commitment to this idea of oneness 519 00:28:16,166 --> 00:28:18,666 and that everybody should be included. 520 00:28:20,633 --> 00:28:23,433 But there's one song on there that really stands out. 521 00:28:25,933 --> 00:28:27,900 -"Ballad of the Sad Young Men" was written 522 00:28:27,900 --> 00:28:30,933 for a little known musical called "The Nervous Set." 523 00:28:32,833 --> 00:28:36,966 But when Roberta Flack performs it at Mr. Henry's, 524 00:28:36,966 --> 00:28:40,500 for her, that song was always about homophobia. 525 00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:43,800 ♪♪ 526 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:50,000 -This is at a time in which it's still illegal to be gay. 527 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,200 So, singing about gay people, that was not something 528 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,200 that any R&B musicians were doing at the time. 529 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:59,700 -♪ Sing a song of sad ♪ 530 00:28:59,700 --> 00:29:02,633 ♪ Young men ♪ 531 00:29:03,666 --> 00:29:05,533 ♪ Glasses full ♪ 532 00:29:05,533 --> 00:29:09,666 ♪ Of rye ♪ 533 00:29:11,066 --> 00:29:16,400 ♪ All the news is bad ♪ 534 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,833 ♪ Again ♪ 535 00:29:19,833 --> 00:29:23,800 ♪ Kiss your dreams ♪ 536 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,833 ♪ Goodbye ♪ 537 00:29:29,666 --> 00:29:37,000 ♪ All the sad young men ♪ 538 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:41,900 ♪♪ 539 00:29:41,900 --> 00:29:46,633 ♪ Sitting in the bars ♪ 540 00:29:47,500 --> 00:29:50,333 -In concerts in the early 1970s, she would say, 541 00:29:50,333 --> 00:29:53,233 "This is a song about gay men," and she would perform it. 542 00:29:54,966 --> 00:29:58,600 -She was simply acknowledging the humanity 543 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:00,700 and validity of their stories. 544 00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:06,066 -[ Chanting ] 545 00:30:06,066 --> 00:30:09,133 -But it's not just the lyrics and the themes 546 00:30:09,133 --> 00:30:11,400 that are so ahead of their time. 547 00:30:13,233 --> 00:30:15,366 It's also the way she sings these songs. 548 00:30:16,933 --> 00:30:20,566 -♪ I told Jesus ♪ 549 00:30:20,566 --> 00:30:24,100 ♪ Be alright ♪ 550 00:30:24,100 --> 00:30:26,333 -She has that quality 551 00:30:26,333 --> 00:30:27,766 that brings you into the music. 552 00:30:27,766 --> 00:30:29,733 -♪ Changed ♪ 553 00:30:29,733 --> 00:30:33,100 -Like she's living the lyric and you live it with her. 554 00:30:33,100 --> 00:30:34,533 -♪ Name ♪ 555 00:30:37,733 --> 00:30:41,066 -♪ I told Jesus ♪ 556 00:30:41,066 --> 00:30:42,900 ♪ Be alright ♪ 557 00:30:44,233 --> 00:30:46,300 My voice is a gift. 558 00:30:46,300 --> 00:30:47,933 ♪ Alright ♪ 559 00:30:47,933 --> 00:30:51,900 For years, I wanted to be a concert pianist 560 00:30:51,900 --> 00:30:53,800 and I practiced and I practiced. 561 00:30:54,500 --> 00:30:56,966 And that's a very important foundation. 562 00:30:56,966 --> 00:30:59,333 ♪ Told Jesus ♪ 563 00:30:59,333 --> 00:31:05,533 So, when I got to a point in my life where I could  sing, 564 00:31:05,533 --> 00:31:07,466 I did not have a style. 565 00:31:07,466 --> 00:31:08,866 I just had a voice. 566 00:31:10,133 --> 00:31:11,433 I think, when you tell the truth, 567 00:31:11,433 --> 00:31:14,600 you don't have to, necessarily, scream it. 568 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:16,266 As long as it is direct. 569 00:31:18,433 --> 00:31:20,166 You know, it's just honest. 570 00:31:23,866 --> 00:31:25,533 ♪ He said, The world ♪ -There's that story that's 571 00:31:25,533 --> 00:31:27,966 in the liner notes of "First Take," 572 00:31:27,966 --> 00:31:30,900 written by Les McCann, who says that, 573 00:31:30,900 --> 00:31:32,766 when he went to go see Roberta Flack, 574 00:31:32,766 --> 00:31:35,466 there was all of that "getting togetherness." 575 00:31:35,466 --> 00:31:37,633 This is one of my favorite terms to describe 576 00:31:37,633 --> 00:31:39,966 the really central quality of Black music, 577 00:31:39,966 --> 00:31:43,200 this ability to create the soulfulness in a room. 578 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,033 -When I sing the song, I don't associate it 579 00:31:46,033 --> 00:31:48,133 with the picture, the story. 580 00:31:48,133 --> 00:31:48,966 -That's what she was doing. 581 00:31:48,966 --> 00:31:50,100 She was creating soul 582 00:31:50,100 --> 00:31:51,566 in those rooms. -I think the questions 583 00:31:51,566 --> 00:31:54,533 that are asked in the song 584 00:31:54,533 --> 00:32:00,033 can be asked of life and that's [indistinct]. 585 00:32:00,033 --> 00:32:04,200 -The concept of soul was really this attempt to recreate 586 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,600 what was particular about being Black in America. 587 00:32:11,533 --> 00:32:17,000 This experience of struggle and resilience and pride. 588 00:32:19,433 --> 00:32:21,600 People have tended to think 589 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:24,833 that that has to sound a certain kind of way. 590 00:32:24,833 --> 00:32:28,033 -[ Chanting ] Pigs! -♪ No more Brothers in jail ♪ 591 00:32:28,033 --> 00:32:31,000 -Off the pigs! -♪ The pigs are gonna get killed ♪ 592 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:35,600 -Music was a space to feel solidarity. 593 00:32:36,500 --> 00:32:41,800 It was a part of creating a sense of self-respect, 594 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:43,066 possibility. 595 00:32:44,033 --> 00:32:48,100 Yeah, we needed the songs that were loud, 596 00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:50,533 that convinced us that we were doing the right thing, 597 00:32:50,533 --> 00:32:52,933 that we needed to, you know, keep on pushing. 598 00:32:54,633 --> 00:32:59,800 They were incorporated into the soundtrack of the movement. 599 00:33:01,566 --> 00:33:08,833 But change happens when people's emotions are affected... 600 00:33:09,866 --> 00:33:16,300 ...when we begin to be active participants from the heart. 601 00:33:20,866 --> 00:33:23,866 -This is Black love in sound. 602 00:33:24,900 --> 00:33:27,100 It's an idea that a lot of people talk about now, 603 00:33:27,100 --> 00:33:28,900 you know, holding up Black love, 604 00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:31,200 not just Black suffering and struggle. 605 00:33:32,366 --> 00:33:34,000 Sometimes soul can be quiet. 606 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:35,900 Sometimes it can be tender. 607 00:33:35,900 --> 00:33:39,800 Sometimes it can mean drawing on one's classical training, 608 00:33:39,800 --> 00:33:41,600 as much as the church. 609 00:33:43,533 --> 00:33:47,800 -Roberta brought a kind of reflectiveness, 610 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:52,700 a space to actually think and imagine. 611 00:33:53,966 --> 00:33:59,966 Art and music can bring about a transformation 612 00:33:59,966 --> 00:34:02,566 on the emotional level, 613 00:34:02,566 --> 00:34:07,166 regarding that which we don't yet know how to say. 614 00:34:09,100 --> 00:34:15,166 We need that obvious militancy, but we also need to know 615 00:34:15,166 --> 00:34:19,033 what it feels like to experience change. 616 00:34:19,033 --> 00:34:26,200 ♪♪ 617 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,033 -Did you get levels? 618 00:34:28,033 --> 00:34:30,233 -Show business. -You don't have her level. 619 00:34:30,233 --> 00:34:32,200 Maybe you got mine. -[ Clears throat ] 620 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:34,900 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 621 00:34:34,900 --> 00:34:37,466 -Yeah, it's a little loud. -Then there's 10, 11, 12, 13, 622 00:34:37,466 --> 00:34:39,833 14, and 15. Yeah. 623 00:34:39,833 --> 00:34:41,966 -And if we went to school. 624 00:34:41,966 --> 00:34:44,466 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 625 00:34:44,466 --> 00:34:46,466 -Yeah. 626 00:34:46,466 --> 00:34:48,033 -I don't know which one is. 627 00:34:48,033 --> 00:34:51,166 -Which do you have? Did you tell me? 628 00:34:51,166 --> 00:34:52,200 -No, I told you that. 629 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:56,233 -Okay. -I was wrong. 630 00:34:56,233 --> 00:34:57,066 -[ Clears throat ] 631 00:34:57,066 --> 00:34:59,000 -What is your first recollection 632 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,133 of the words "We shall overcome"? 633 00:35:01,133 --> 00:35:01,866 -Hmm. 634 00:35:01,866 --> 00:35:09,800 ♪♪ 635 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,766 I grew up at a time when the word black 636 00:35:12,766 --> 00:35:15,433 was the most derogatory word you could use. 637 00:35:15,433 --> 00:35:20,833 ♪♪ 638 00:35:20,833 --> 00:35:24,766 I went through the civil rights movement and, um... 639 00:35:25,833 --> 00:35:28,100 ...I learned, long after I had left Green Valley, 640 00:35:28,100 --> 00:35:30,866 that, you know, being Black was a positive thing, 641 00:35:30,866 --> 00:35:32,033 as all of us did. 642 00:35:35,433 --> 00:35:39,066 The most positive thing we could be, because it is a fact. 643 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:45,466 -"We Black/woooomen have been called many things: 644 00:35:45,466 --> 00:35:50,566 foxes, matriarchs, sisters and recently queens. 645 00:35:50,566 --> 00:35:53,766 because Black/woooomen be queens 646 00:35:53,766 --> 00:35:56,233 if they could just see their beauty, you see?" 647 00:35:59,166 --> 00:36:03,900 [ Playing piano ] Painters, why do you always paint white virgins? 648 00:36:03,900 --> 00:36:06,533 Don't you know there are beautiful Black angels 649 00:36:06,533 --> 00:36:09,033 in heaven also? 650 00:36:09,033 --> 00:36:13,400 Painters, paint beautiful Black angels. 651 00:36:17,033 --> 00:36:22,233 I did a lot of songs that were considered protest songs. 652 00:36:22,233 --> 00:36:23,633 A lot of folk music. 653 00:36:25,366 --> 00:36:27,800 Of course, the real definition of a folk song 654 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:30,066 is that it is a song of the people. 655 00:36:30,066 --> 00:36:34,466 And, as a Black musician, I had been exposed to so much 656 00:36:34,466 --> 00:36:37,700 of that kind of music, Black music -- 657 00:36:37,700 --> 00:36:41,266 the spiritual, the Black hymn, the Black folk song. 658 00:36:43,633 --> 00:36:46,766 But I protested, as a singer, with a lot of love. 659 00:36:46,766 --> 00:36:48,933 ♪ Pintor  660 00:36:46,766 --> 00:36:48,933 ♪ 661 00:36:48,933 --> 00:36:51,633 ♪ Nacido en mi tierra  ♪ 662 00:36:54,433 --> 00:36:57,300 ♪ Con el pincel  ♪ 663 00:36:57,300 --> 00:36:59,566 ♪ Extranjero  ♪ 664 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:44,300 I had the opportunity to meet Jesse Jackson and Hosea Williams 665 00:37:44,300 --> 00:37:45,500 and a number of the people 666 00:37:45,500 --> 00:37:49,666 who were working very closely with Dr. King. 667 00:37:49,666 --> 00:37:52,166 Their energy inspired me. 668 00:37:52,166 --> 00:37:55,400 ♪ Si pintas con amor  ♪ 669 00:37:55,400 --> 00:38:00,233 -They started proclaiming her as a message singer. 670 00:38:00,233 --> 00:38:02,900 -♪ Desprecias su  671 00:38:00,233 --> 00:38:02,900 ♪ 672 00:38:02,900 --> 00:38:06,733 -We would have people like Jesse Jackson over 673 00:38:06,733 --> 00:38:09,033 and other guys in the movement. 674 00:38:09,033 --> 00:38:10,300 -♪ También los quiere  ♪ 675 00:38:10,300 --> 00:38:13,133 -That made us controversial, so to speak. 676 00:38:15,366 --> 00:38:20,000 But she was a strong lady and she had convictions 677 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,100 about her music and where she wanted to go. 678 00:38:24,633 --> 00:38:27,933 I knew that and I was 679 00:38:27,933 --> 00:38:30,200 as supportive as I could be about that, 680 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,433 but I know it's going to be a rough road for her. 681 00:38:33,433 --> 00:38:35,400 -Would you like for me to not do it? 682 00:38:37,066 --> 00:38:39,066 -Absolutely not. 683 00:38:39,066 --> 00:38:43,133 Because you have to be happy doing what you're doing. 684 00:38:43,133 --> 00:38:46,433 Otherwise, we would probably never be together, 685 00:38:46,433 --> 00:38:49,666 if she weren't able to be what she is. 686 00:38:49,666 --> 00:38:50,933 She is a musician. 687 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:55,933 But she was already out and about, 688 00:38:55,933 --> 00:38:57,933 traveling, touring, 689 00:38:57,933 --> 00:38:59,633 when we kind of broke up. 690 00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:03,466 You know, I didn't want to go on, 691 00:39:03,466 --> 00:39:06,900 but the success is probably the whole thing. 692 00:39:07,733 --> 00:39:10,100 I mean, I'm still running around, 693 00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:13,033 making $10 gigs, [ Laughing ] you know, 694 00:39:13,033 --> 00:39:14,733 and she's going on the road, 695 00:39:14,733 --> 00:39:17,600 coming home with bags full of cash money. 696 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:20,200 It was hard, man. 697 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:21,266 It was very hard. 698 00:39:23,666 --> 00:39:26,366 It was time for me to go, you know? 699 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,633 ♪ O-o-h, child ♪ 700 00:39:36,633 --> 00:39:37,633 ♪ Things are gonna get ♪ 701 00:39:37,633 --> 00:39:40,633 ♪ Easier ♪ 702 00:39:40,633 --> 00:39:42,300 -♪ O-o-h ♪ 703 00:39:42,300 --> 00:39:45,933 -♪ O-o-h, child ♪ 704 00:39:45,933 --> 00:39:46,933 -♪ O-o-h ♪ 705 00:39:46,933 --> 00:39:48,466 -♪ Get brighter ♪ 706 00:39:48,466 --> 00:39:52,033 -The music aside, you know, the political aspect, 707 00:39:52,033 --> 00:39:55,000 she was enmeshed in it, always. 708 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:56,766 She rolled up her sleeves. 709 00:39:57,833 --> 00:40:02,800 And she had a longstanding relationship with Jesse Jackson. 710 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:04,200 -♪ Child ♪ 711 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:06,733 -That was resonant for her, 712 00:40:06,733 --> 00:40:07,766 and for him. 713 00:40:09,733 --> 00:40:12,133 ♪ Someday ♪ 714 00:40:13,833 --> 00:40:15,866 -Met her at Mr. Henry's many years ago. 715 00:40:16,933 --> 00:40:21,066 In '68, we came to Washington with the People's Campaign 716 00:40:21,066 --> 00:40:22,700 and many of us gathered there. 717 00:40:22,700 --> 00:40:24,266 -♪ Brighter ♪ 718 00:40:24,266 --> 00:40:28,200 -And she had all the style, the substance, musicianship... 719 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:29,833 -♪ Someday ♪ 720 00:40:29,833 --> 00:40:33,200 -...but also was socially relevant, 721 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:34,566 bluntly unafraid. 722 00:40:36,166 --> 00:40:37,433 You knew something was going on 723 00:40:37,433 --> 00:40:39,733 that was different and wonderful. 724 00:40:41,533 --> 00:40:44,700 It had great meaning in those times. 725 00:40:44,700 --> 00:40:47,166 [ Mellow funk plays ] 726 00:40:49,333 --> 00:40:51,566 -Roberta Flack was everywhere in the 1970s. 727 00:40:52,300 --> 00:40:54,833 You know, standing next to Jesse Jackson 728 00:40:54,833 --> 00:40:57,200 and standing up for Black Power 729 00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:01,466 and, at the very same time, crossing racial boundaries. 730 00:41:03,266 --> 00:41:05,233 She was both one of the first shareholders 731 00:41:05,233 --> 00:41:09,066 in the pioneering Black radio station WBLS 732 00:41:09,066 --> 00:41:12,266 and one of the only Black soloists 733 00:41:12,266 --> 00:41:14,000 to tour with Bob Dylan 734 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,566 on the Rolling Thunder Revue. 735 00:41:17,266 --> 00:41:20,500 She was one of the first artists to go to Jamaica to record. 736 00:41:21,533 --> 00:41:24,366 Hanging out with Bob Marley, like touring the world, 737 00:41:24,366 --> 00:41:26,733 you know, playing music in Africa. 738 00:41:26,733 --> 00:41:29,100 This is a woman who sang at Jackie Robinson's funeral. 739 00:41:29,100 --> 00:41:31,500 She was literally everywhere. 740 00:41:32,866 --> 00:41:36,133 And I think the reason that she could be everywhere 741 00:41:36,133 --> 00:41:38,133 is because her music went everywhere. 742 00:41:38,133 --> 00:41:39,866 -[ Chanting ] Freedom for Angela! 743 00:41:39,866 --> 00:41:41,733 Freedom! Freedom! 744 00:41:41,733 --> 00:41:43,833 Freedom for Angela! 745 00:41:43,833 --> 00:41:48,866 -She came to visit me when I was in jail in Marin County. 746 00:41:48,866 --> 00:41:50,966 [ Mellow jazz plays ] 747 00:41:50,966 --> 00:41:52,966 I was really shocked when I saw her 748 00:41:52,966 --> 00:41:56,000 because I was expecting Jesse Jackson. 749 00:41:56,733 --> 00:41:58,333 I wasn't expecting her. 750 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:02,366 And it was a wonderful meeting. 751 00:42:02,366 --> 00:42:04,966 It was very brief because they did not allow me 752 00:42:04,966 --> 00:42:06,866 very long meetings. 753 00:42:06,866 --> 00:42:08,833 But, yeah, I absolutely loved her. 754 00:42:08,833 --> 00:42:11,866 I still love actually taking the time out 755 00:42:11,866 --> 00:42:14,100 to visit me in person, in jail. 756 00:42:15,466 --> 00:42:18,233 Because I knew her music and loved her music. 757 00:42:23,100 --> 00:42:26,100 -She was getting ready to make a trip to Africa... 758 00:42:28,366 --> 00:42:30,533 ...and she wanted some companionship. 759 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:33,966 She said, "Man, I need you to go with me." 760 00:42:36,266 --> 00:42:39,733 Then on Monday, I was on a plane 761 00:42:39,733 --> 00:42:42,566 with Ike & Tina Turner, The Staple Singers, 762 00:42:42,566 --> 00:42:44,000 Les McCann, 763 00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:46,166 Wilson Pickett, and Santana. 764 00:42:47,733 --> 00:42:50,266 That was my introduction to show business. 765 00:42:50,266 --> 00:43:02,733 ♪♪ 766 00:43:02,733 --> 00:43:05,700 -My wife and I were with Roberta in Ghana 767 00:43:05,700 --> 00:43:08,000 for the Soul to Soul trip with Wilson Pickett 768 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:09,633 and The Staple Singers, among others. 769 00:43:10,633 --> 00:43:12,100 Roberta didn't have to be convinced. 770 00:43:12,100 --> 00:43:13,066 She was already there. 771 00:43:14,700 --> 00:43:17,733 Her sense of social justice was very apparent. 772 00:43:19,133 --> 00:43:21,233 When she used her gifts 773 00:43:21,233 --> 00:43:23,566 to God's glory and to the people at the same time. 774 00:43:23,566 --> 00:43:29,000 ♪♪ 775 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,566 Went through the point of no return, 776 00:43:31,566 --> 00:43:34,333 where African people were put in cages 777 00:43:34,333 --> 00:43:36,366 and shipped off to America. 778 00:43:38,833 --> 00:43:40,500 This is a slave castle. 779 00:43:41,666 --> 00:43:43,366 Ghana was one of the main points 780 00:43:43,366 --> 00:43:47,333 of shipping of the slave trade to America. 781 00:43:49,266 --> 00:43:52,200 -Just being right in here, really, 782 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:55,166 I can see where a great source of my hopelessness came from. 783 00:43:58,133 --> 00:44:00,833 -This is a very depressing place. 784 00:44:01,900 --> 00:44:04,233 And it's... 785 00:44:04,233 --> 00:44:06,266 oppressive 786 00:44:06,266 --> 00:44:07,466 and... 787 00:44:07,466 --> 00:44:11,100 all sorts of just unhappy, sorrowful things. 788 00:44:13,666 --> 00:44:16,000 -I just remember Roberta came back from the castle. 789 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:18,033 She just said she was so overwhelmed by it. 790 00:44:19,333 --> 00:44:21,400 She said, when she saw where the people were trying 791 00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:24,600 to get out and escape, that she started singing. 792 00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:26,600 -♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 793 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,533 ♪ Freedom ♪ 794 00:44:30,666 --> 00:44:34,266 ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 795 00:44:34,266 --> 00:44:37,766 ♪ Freedom ♪ 796 00:44:37,766 --> 00:44:41,233 ♪ Oh ♪ 797 00:44:41,233 --> 00:44:44,166 ♪ Freedom ♪ 798 00:44:44,166 --> 00:44:48,166 ♪ Over me ♪ 799 00:44:49,633 --> 00:44:52,966 ♪ And before I'd be ♪ 800 00:44:52,966 --> 00:44:56,233 ♪ A slave ♪ 801 00:44:56,233 --> 00:44:59,466 ♪ I'd be buried ♪ -She sang a cappella 802 00:44:59,466 --> 00:45:01,566 in that cave. 803 00:45:01,566 --> 00:45:04,066 -♪ In my grave ♪ 804 00:45:04,066 --> 00:45:05,700 -Not a dry eye in the place. 805 00:45:05,700 --> 00:45:16,166 ♪♪ 806 00:45:16,166 --> 00:45:18,400 -[ Singing ] 807 00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:26,533 ♪♪ 808 00:45:26,533 --> 00:45:27,500 -Did you, um... 809 00:45:30,166 --> 00:45:31,600 ...play that tune for Les? 810 00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:33,133 -Uh... 811 00:45:33,133 --> 00:45:34,433 He heard it. 812 00:45:34,433 --> 00:45:36,100 He asked for it. 813 00:45:36,100 --> 00:45:37,166 -What was it you were playing for him 814 00:45:37,166 --> 00:45:38,466 when I saw you a minute ago? 815 00:45:38,466 --> 00:45:40,033 -It's "Sunday and Sister Jones." -Oh. 816 00:45:40,033 --> 00:45:40,700 -He asked to hear it. 817 00:45:40,700 --> 00:45:41,933 -Tsk. 818 00:45:41,933 --> 00:45:42,700 -He asked to hear it. 819 00:45:42,700 --> 00:45:43,600 -But you were -- 820 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:44,633 He wouldn't have known about it. 821 00:45:44,633 --> 00:45:46,066 -He heard it before you heard it. 822 00:45:46,066 --> 00:45:47,933 -But you told me -- No, he didn't 823 00:45:47,933 --> 00:45:49,266 -[ Laughs ] -because you told me, Gene. 824 00:45:49,266 --> 00:45:50,333 -Yes, no, he heard it, 825 00:45:50,333 --> 00:45:52,033 really, he heard it. -But you told me. 826 00:45:52,033 --> 00:45:53,333 -What did I tell you? -You told me. 827 00:45:53,333 --> 00:45:54,533 You called me on the phone and told me 828 00:45:54,533 --> 00:45:56,033 you had a song for me. -That's right. 829 00:45:56,033 --> 00:45:59,400 And you are the only person that I write exclusives for. 830 00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:01,000 -But why are you playing 831 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:02,233 my song for Les McCann? -He asked to hear it. 832 00:46:02,233 --> 00:46:03,366 He just asked to hear it. 833 00:46:03,366 --> 00:46:04,300 He can't have it. -Tsk. 834 00:46:05,533 --> 00:46:07,966 He can't have it. It's yours. 835 00:46:07,966 --> 00:46:10,233 -Is that a promise? -Yes, ma'am. 836 00:46:10,233 --> 00:46:12,733 -Because you know how I feel about your songs. 837 00:46:12,733 --> 00:46:15,733 ♪♪ 838 00:46:15,733 --> 00:46:18,366 -Sure feels great to have folks back up your music. 839 00:46:18,366 --> 00:46:20,366 [ Laughing ] It's really a trip. 840 00:46:20,366 --> 00:46:21,966 I went four years -- 841 00:46:21,966 --> 00:46:27,400 -I sit down and I just almost reconstruct a song, 842 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:30,233 not phrase by phrase or line by line, 843 00:46:30,233 --> 00:46:31,800 but thought by thought... 844 00:46:32,833 --> 00:46:34,833 ...so that there's a story in my head, 845 00:46:34,833 --> 00:46:37,866 there's a movie that goes around in my brain, 846 00:46:37,866 --> 00:46:41,533 and it may be even subtextual, it might not be literal... 847 00:46:42,866 --> 00:46:44,500 ...but that's what I do with songs. 848 00:46:45,266 --> 00:46:46,900 I reinterpret. 849 00:46:46,900 --> 00:46:47,866 That's who I am. 850 00:46:48,900 --> 00:46:50,200 -♪ When you're smiling ♪ 851 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:53,300 ♪ When you're smiling ♪ 852 00:46:55,966 --> 00:47:00,633 -There was a time when that was appreciated. 853 00:47:02,200 --> 00:47:04,866 There was the body of work 854 00:47:04,866 --> 00:47:07,600 and how you interpreted them was yourbusiness. 855 00:47:07,600 --> 00:47:09,533 -[ Singing ] 856 00:47:09,533 --> 00:47:13,066 -In the late '60s, early '70s, a new ideal emerged 857 00:47:13,066 --> 00:47:16,233 and that was someone who wrote their own material, 858 00:47:16,233 --> 00:47:18,700 performed it on the record, and could perform it live. 859 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:24,666 The split happens that creates a hierarchy 860 00:47:24,666 --> 00:47:27,100 and that did a huge disservice 861 00:47:27,100 --> 00:47:29,700 to many different kinds of artists. 862 00:47:31,133 --> 00:47:36,866 Especially, Black artists who had long worked in community 863 00:47:36,866 --> 00:47:41,033 with collaborative art forms that honor interpretation. 864 00:47:44,033 --> 00:47:45,566 So, it's about racism 865 00:47:45,566 --> 00:47:48,400 and who controls the music industry. 866 00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:52,033 -Here's a wonderful arrangement by Gordon Jenkins 867 00:47:52,033 --> 00:47:54,500 of a song that was written by Leo Robin. 868 00:47:54,500 --> 00:47:56,400 -Nobody ever criticized Frank Sinatra 869 00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:57,600 for not being original. 870 00:47:59,333 --> 00:48:01,700 His artistry  871 00:47:59,333 --> 00:48:01,700 was original. 872 00:48:02,766 --> 00:48:05,266 But the material was not original. 873 00:48:05,266 --> 00:48:08,100 -♪ Thanks for the memories ♪ 874 00:48:08,100 --> 00:48:09,833 -That wasn't his responsibility. 875 00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:13,633 His responsibility was to interpret this stuff. 876 00:48:15,400 --> 00:48:18,866 You know, so that the world could see it and absorb it. 877 00:48:20,766 --> 00:48:23,633 And that was Roberta's responsibility. 878 00:48:24,366 --> 00:48:26,200 And she met that responsibility. 879 00:48:29,633 --> 00:48:31,166 -The song's just part of it. 880 00:48:34,433 --> 00:48:36,033 Then you need the carrier. 881 00:48:37,166 --> 00:48:40,533 A hit song on somebody else could just sit. 882 00:48:41,666 --> 00:48:45,433 But the quality in her voice will take that song 883 00:48:45,433 --> 00:48:47,900 to a much, much broader audience. 884 00:48:50,466 --> 00:48:51,766 She was a carrier. 885 00:48:51,766 --> 00:48:58,866 ♪♪ 886 00:48:58,866 --> 00:49:02,266 -"Killing Me Softly with His Song" 887 00:49:02,266 --> 00:49:06,866 is a song that I feel was given to me as a gift 888 00:49:06,866 --> 00:49:09,766 because it was recorded, first, by someone else, 889 00:49:09,766 --> 00:49:11,933 written by someone else. 890 00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:20,166 -I was 19 years old and I was going through a breakup. 891 00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:24,866 We went to see Don McLean. 892 00:49:26,500 --> 00:49:29,500 And I was just sort of sitting in the back, watching him sing. 893 00:49:30,833 --> 00:49:33,700 And I felt like there was a floodlight on me. 894 00:49:34,466 --> 00:49:37,900 It was like a beeline into what I was feeling 895 00:49:37,900 --> 00:49:39,133 and what I was thinking. 896 00:49:42,200 --> 00:49:45,900 When everyone filtered out of the club, 897 00:49:45,900 --> 00:49:49,800 I stayed there and I wrote a poem on a napkin 898 00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:51,633 about what it felt like. 899 00:49:53,900 --> 00:49:56,133 And that's how "Killing Me Softly" was written. 900 00:49:56,133 --> 00:50:01,333 ♪♪ 901 00:50:01,333 --> 00:50:05,500 I had gone out to California to do a special. 902 00:50:07,966 --> 00:50:10,066 Got on the plane in L.A. 903 00:50:10,066 --> 00:50:11,966 to come back to New York by myself. 904 00:50:13,100 --> 00:50:16,266 And I open the brochure that describes 905 00:50:16,266 --> 00:50:18,066 what music you can select... 906 00:50:19,433 --> 00:50:20,733 ...and there's a song, 907 00:50:20,733 --> 00:50:23,000 "Killing Me Softly with His Song." 908 00:50:25,100 --> 00:50:26,333 Mm. 909 00:50:26,333 --> 00:50:28,166 -♪ I heard he sang ♪ 910 00:50:28,166 --> 00:50:30,700 ♪ A good song ♪ 911 00:50:30,700 --> 00:50:33,233 ♪ I heard he had style ♪ 912 00:50:33,233 --> 00:50:34,933 -And I listened to it about five times 913 00:50:34,933 --> 00:50:36,166 before the plane landed. 914 00:50:36,166 --> 00:50:37,666 ♪ Came to see him ♪ 915 00:50:37,666 --> 00:50:41,800 ♪ To listen for a while ♪ 916 00:50:41,800 --> 00:50:43,933 -When I got ready to do the song, 917 00:50:43,933 --> 00:50:46,933 I was hoping that here's some little opening there. 918 00:50:46,933 --> 00:50:48,566 Say, "Aha, you could do that. 919 00:50:48,566 --> 00:50:50,566 You don't have to do this and it would sound great." 920 00:50:51,533 --> 00:50:54,033 The whole section of, 921 00:50:54,033 --> 00:50:55,033 ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 922 00:50:55,033 --> 00:50:56,200 ♪ Da da da da da da da ♪ 923 00:50:56,200 --> 00:50:57,700 That little thing that I do in the middle. 924 00:50:58,533 --> 00:51:00,633 Nowhere on Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel's music 925 00:51:00,633 --> 00:51:02,433 is that printed. 926 00:51:02,433 --> 00:51:03,500 That's mine. 927 00:51:05,433 --> 00:51:07,466 I also changed the chord structure. 928 00:51:08,333 --> 00:51:10,200 To my ears, it sounded better. 929 00:51:11,533 --> 00:51:15,200 I was not limited to just taking the song 930 00:51:15,200 --> 00:51:16,833 off of the page and music. 931 00:51:16,833 --> 00:51:22,100 ♪♪ 932 00:51:22,100 --> 00:51:27,400 Maybe about two weeks later, went on tour with Quincy Jones. 933 00:51:29,100 --> 00:51:31,333 We did our date at the Greek Theater. 934 00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:38,533 And then it was over and they wanted an encore 935 00:51:38,533 --> 00:51:40,600 and Quincy said, "Ro, do something." 936 00:51:40,600 --> 00:51:43,166 I said, "Well, I have this new song I've been working on." 937 00:51:45,233 --> 00:51:46,433 So, I started, you know -- 938 00:51:46,433 --> 00:51:49,566 ♪ Strumming my pain with his fingers ♪ 939 00:51:49,566 --> 00:51:50,700 [ Cheering ] 940 00:51:50,700 --> 00:51:53,066 ♪ Singing my life with his ♪ 941 00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:56,366 ♪ Killing me softly ♪ 942 00:51:56,366 --> 00:51:58,000 After I finished, 943 00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:01,300 the audience would not stop screaming. 944 00:52:01,300 --> 00:52:03,466 [ Cheering, whistling, and applause ] 945 00:52:03,466 --> 00:52:05,100 And Quincy said, "Ro, 946 00:52:05,100 --> 00:52:08,266 don't sing that daggone song no more, 947 00:52:08,266 --> 00:52:09,700 until you record it." 948 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:12,000 And I said, "Okay." 949 00:52:13,700 --> 00:52:15,833 That was it. ♪ Strumming my pain ♪ 950 00:52:15,833 --> 00:52:18,133 ♪ With his fingers ♪ 951 00:52:18,133 --> 00:52:19,133 Beautiful song. 952 00:52:19,133 --> 00:52:23,400 ♪ Singing my life with his words ♪ 953 00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:30,733 ♪ Killing me softly with his song ♪ 954 00:52:30,733 --> 00:52:34,700 ♪ Telling my whole life with his words ♪ 955 00:52:34,700 --> 00:52:38,600 ♪ Killing me softly ♪ 956 00:52:38,600 --> 00:52:42,466 ♪ With his song ♪ 957 00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:45,833 -♪ Ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪ 958 00:52:45,833 --> 00:52:49,166 ♪ Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪ 959 00:52:49,166 --> 00:52:50,900 ♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪ 960 00:52:50,900 --> 00:52:56,533 ♪ Ooh ooh ooh ooh ♪ 961 00:52:56,533 --> 00:52:57,500 ♪ Ooh ooh ♪ 962 00:52:57,500 --> 00:53:01,233 ♪ I heard he sang a good song ♪ 963 00:53:01,233 --> 00:53:03,866 ♪ I heard he had a style ♪ 964 00:53:03,866 --> 00:53:07,366 ♪ And so I came to see him ♪ 965 00:53:07,366 --> 00:53:11,800 ♪ To listen for a while ♪ 966 00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:15,400 ♪ And there he was, this young boy ♪ 967 00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:18,166 ♪ A stranger to my eyes ♪ 968 00:53:18,166 --> 00:53:21,733 ♪ Strumming my pain with his fingers ♪ 969 00:53:21,733 --> 00:53:25,266 ♪ Singing my life with his words ♪ 970 00:53:25,266 --> 00:53:31,733 ♪ Killing me softly with his song ♪ 971 00:53:31,733 --> 00:53:35,600 ♪ Telling my whole life with his words ♪ 972 00:53:35,600 --> 00:53:39,033 ♪ Killing me softly ♪ 973 00:53:39,033 --> 00:53:43,466 ♪ With his song ♪ 974 00:53:43,466 --> 00:53:46,066 ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 975 00:53:46,066 --> 00:53:50,166 ♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪ 976 00:53:50,166 --> 00:53:53,200 ♪ La la la la la la ♪ 977 00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:56,866 ♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪ 978 00:53:56,866 --> 00:53:59,466 ♪ La ah ah ♪ 979 00:53:59,466 --> 00:54:04,266 ♪ Ah ♪ 980 00:54:04,266 --> 00:54:07,166 ♪ La ah ah ah ah ah ah ♪ 981 00:54:07,166 --> 00:54:10,200 ♪ He was strumming my pain ♪ 982 00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:12,600 ♪ Yeah, he was singing ♪ 983 00:54:12,600 --> 00:54:13,766 ♪ My life ♪ 984 00:54:13,766 --> 00:54:15,266 -And the winner is... 985 00:54:15,266 --> 00:54:16,300 Oh. -♪ Killing me softly ♪ 986 00:54:16,300 --> 00:54:18,266 "Killing Me Softly with His Song," 987 00:54:18,266 --> 00:54:21,333 producer Joel Dorn; Roberta Flack. 988 00:54:21,333 --> 00:54:24,033 [ Applause ] [ Orchestra plays "Killing Me Softly with His Song" 989 00:54:24,033 --> 00:54:25,166 -Whoo whoo! 990 00:54:25,166 --> 00:54:30,166 ♪♪ 991 00:54:30,166 --> 00:54:31,033 [ Whistling ] 992 00:54:31,033 --> 00:54:34,500 ♪♪ 993 00:54:34,500 --> 00:54:39,100 [ Applause continues ] 994 00:54:39,100 --> 00:54:41,666 -I'd like to thank the world! 995 00:54:43,666 --> 00:54:47,400 -Ladies and gentlemen, singing one of my first songs, 996 00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:48,633 Miss Roberta Flack. 997 00:54:50,366 --> 00:54:52,633 -I was recording and I was doing concerts 998 00:54:52,633 --> 00:54:54,300 and doing television. 999 00:54:54,300 --> 00:54:56,066 I sort of overloaded myself. 1000 00:54:58,633 --> 00:55:00,933 It suddenly dawned on me that I was tired. 1001 00:55:02,800 --> 00:55:05,066 So, I decided to pull back just a minute. 1002 00:55:07,600 --> 00:55:08,833 -Dig. 1003 00:55:08,833 --> 00:55:09,900 There's no pressure at all. 1004 00:55:11,033 --> 00:55:13,333 Ideally, to be honest with you, I had hoped we could use 1005 00:55:13,333 --> 00:55:15,033 some time tomorrow and Wednesday 1006 00:55:15,033 --> 00:55:17,366 to do some voice and piano things with you. 1007 00:55:17,366 --> 00:55:19,100 -We -- Well. -You know? 1008 00:55:19,100 --> 00:55:20,333 But if you don't want to, I'm not going to pre-- 1009 00:55:20,333 --> 00:55:22,133 Look, man, if, you know, if pressure's a word 1010 00:55:22,133 --> 00:55:23,533 we're using already, I'm not going to create 1011 00:55:23,533 --> 00:55:24,966 any kind of pressure. -Right, because I -- 1012 00:55:24,966 --> 00:55:26,500 Joel, I'm telling you, I need this time 1013 00:55:26,500 --> 00:55:28,400 to get it together. -Do what you gotta do, my dear. 1014 00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:29,833 In fact, if you want -- 1015 00:55:29,833 --> 00:55:32,766 And I decided that I would try doing one 1016 00:55:32,766 --> 00:55:34,400 of these things at a time. 1017 00:55:36,466 --> 00:55:39,400 So, I decided to produce my own album. 1018 00:55:40,766 --> 00:55:43,333 And I found it a very exciting experience. 1019 00:55:43,333 --> 00:55:46,333 [ Mellow funk plays ] 1020 00:55:46,333 --> 00:55:49,500 ♪♪ 1021 00:55:49,500 --> 00:55:52,400 I wanted to determine a little bit more 1022 00:55:52,400 --> 00:55:56,400 about what those buttons on the console meant, 1023 00:55:56,400 --> 00:55:59,466 in terms of the art that I'm trying to give to the people. 1024 00:56:01,766 --> 00:56:06,566 Because you can work up a piece of music and get in the studio 1025 00:56:06,566 --> 00:56:08,900 and they can give it a completely different sound 1026 00:56:08,900 --> 00:56:11,500 from what you conceived, as an artist, yourself. 1027 00:56:13,400 --> 00:56:15,966 You need to know something about what you're doing. 1028 00:56:15,966 --> 00:56:17,466 I mean, you really need to know. 1029 00:56:20,666 --> 00:56:26,033 All of the artistic input that I gave to this last album, 1030 00:56:26,033 --> 00:56:28,666 I've always given to my other albums. 1031 00:56:29,633 --> 00:56:31,866 I played the piano, I sang all the songs, 1032 00:56:31,866 --> 00:56:34,066 I did all the arrangements -- basic arrangements, 1033 00:56:34,066 --> 00:56:35,133 rhythm arrangements. 1034 00:56:36,300 --> 00:56:39,133 I had everything to say about everything that went on. 1035 00:56:40,666 --> 00:56:42,533 I've always done that, 1036 00:56:42,533 --> 00:56:44,666 even though I had not been given credit. 1037 00:56:47,733 --> 00:56:49,700 -We'd send her tapes 1038 00:56:49,700 --> 00:56:53,733 with ten takes, different takes that she made on them 1039 00:56:53,733 --> 00:56:55,666 and she'd say, "Well, let's take the chorus from this take 1040 00:56:55,666 --> 00:56:57,800 and put, you know, the verse from, you know." 1041 00:56:59,433 --> 00:57:00,866 Patching and matching. 1042 00:57:01,366 --> 00:57:03,633 And she would be like, "See, right there, 1043 00:57:03,633 --> 00:57:05,400 I shouldn't have taken that breath there." 1044 00:57:05,400 --> 00:57:09,966 -♪ I'm going down ♪ 1045 00:57:09,966 --> 00:57:12,033 ♪ To the river ♪ 1046 00:57:12,033 --> 00:57:15,066 -She was the nucleus for the production. 1047 00:57:15,066 --> 00:57:18,166 They just didn't give women production credit at the time. 1048 00:57:20,000 --> 00:57:23,633 You set it up, but somebody else, 1049 00:57:23,633 --> 00:57:26,700 you know, pushes the knob and they become the producers. 1050 00:57:29,133 --> 00:57:31,933 We see that in all kind of arts, 1051 00:57:31,933 --> 00:57:34,766 that the women kind of get pushed to the side 1052 00:57:34,766 --> 00:57:37,166 and the guys hold on to the credit. 1053 00:57:39,300 --> 00:57:43,666 Power is not a thing that people like to relinquish. 1054 00:57:43,666 --> 00:57:49,133 ♪♪ 1055 00:57:49,133 --> 00:57:51,700 -When you assert your own ability 1056 00:57:51,700 --> 00:57:53,433 to make a final decision, 1057 00:57:53,433 --> 00:57:55,266 you are, of course, categorized. 1058 00:57:56,366 --> 00:57:58,033 In most instances, you're called, 1059 00:57:58,033 --> 00:57:59,600 very simply, a bitch. 1060 00:58:02,833 --> 00:58:08,300 As a Black woman, it goes a step further, even. 1061 00:58:12,066 --> 00:58:13,333 To actually get back there 1062 00:58:13,333 --> 00:58:15,033 and push the buttons on the console 1063 00:58:15,033 --> 00:58:18,433 and to make the decisions, to tell men  what to do, 1064 00:58:18,433 --> 00:58:21,166 takes a lot of courage and, um, 1065 00:58:21,166 --> 00:58:22,466 I think, in that sense, 1066 00:58:22,466 --> 00:58:24,900 that I probably paved some inroads 1067 00:58:24,900 --> 00:58:28,266 for other women to do what I have done. 1068 00:58:28,266 --> 00:58:34,000 ♪♪ 1069 00:58:34,000 --> 00:58:37,266 -"Feel Like Makin' Love" was released in 1975. 1070 00:58:38,033 --> 00:58:39,566 And it definitely sounds different 1071 00:58:39,566 --> 00:58:42,433 than some of her earlier albums, 1072 00:58:42,433 --> 00:58:44,900 but that's largely because she's producing it. 1073 00:58:44,900 --> 00:58:47,633 So, she's really  getting to do what shewants to do. 1074 00:58:49,866 --> 00:58:52,000 She did it under the name Rubina Flake 1075 00:58:52,000 --> 00:58:55,033 and so a lot of people don't give her full credit for it. 1076 00:58:56,833 --> 00:58:58,666 I think there's a lot of people who don't even know? 1077 00:59:00,433 --> 00:59:02,433 -I did not know she had an alter ego. 1078 00:59:03,766 --> 00:59:05,166 Roebina Flake. 1079 00:59:06,666 --> 00:59:08,433 This is the first time I'm hearing this. 1080 00:59:11,033 --> 00:59:13,566 But we all have something that, you know, 1081 00:59:13,566 --> 00:59:16,700 we had to do to stay strong, you know... 1082 00:59:17,700 --> 00:59:20,400 ...an alter ego who could take the hits. 1083 00:59:21,666 --> 00:59:23,833 Because it happened. 1084 00:59:26,633 --> 00:59:32,466 -You know, Roberta, by imagining an alter ego, 1085 00:59:32,466 --> 00:59:35,933 allows us to understand what has been lost, 1086 00:59:35,933 --> 00:59:38,300 but also what we have to gain. 1087 00:59:39,400 --> 00:59:41,300 What would the music be like, 1088 00:59:41,300 --> 00:59:46,800 if it had not been so thoroughly influenced by a patriarchy? 1089 00:59:48,133 --> 00:59:53,533 She refused to assent to the idea 1090 00:59:53,533 --> 00:59:58,033 that women's contribution would always be limited. 1091 01:00:01,466 --> 01:00:04,000 -I think the best producers in the business 1092 01:00:04,000 --> 01:00:06,566 are musicians themselves 1093 01:00:06,566 --> 01:00:08,000 and that's what I think that I could do. 1094 01:00:08,000 --> 01:00:10,700 I think I could produce somebody else very, very well. 1095 01:00:14,400 --> 01:00:16,633 ♪ Our time ♪ 1096 01:00:16,633 --> 01:00:22,133 ♪ Short and precious ♪ 1097 01:00:22,133 --> 01:00:24,166 ♪ Your lips ♪ 1098 01:00:24,166 --> 01:00:28,100 ♪ Warm and luscious ♪ 1099 01:00:28,100 --> 01:00:29,600 ♪ You don't have ♪ -Donny Hathaway 1100 01:00:29,600 --> 01:00:32,400 met Roberta Flack at Howard University. 1101 01:00:32,400 --> 01:00:33,566 -♪ False charms ♪ 1102 01:00:33,566 --> 01:00:36,466 -They were both child prodigies, 1103 01:00:36,466 --> 01:00:37,933 music nerds. 1104 01:00:37,933 --> 01:00:41,666 Both also people who wanted to teach others about the music. 1105 01:00:41,666 --> 01:00:43,066 ♪ Be real Black ♪ 1106 01:00:43,066 --> 01:00:44,633 -They took their vocations 1107 01:00:44,633 --> 01:00:47,666 -♪ For me ♪ -very seriously. 1108 01:00:47,666 --> 01:00:49,933 What also brings them together is there's something 1109 01:00:49,933 --> 01:00:53,133 fundamentally unpretentious about both of them, 1110 01:00:53,133 --> 01:00:54,833 but when they team up, 1111 01:00:54,833 --> 01:00:57,733 they amplify each other's star power. 1112 01:00:58,566 --> 01:01:01,033 They brought out the best in each other. 1113 01:01:01,900 --> 01:01:10,066 -♪ Where is the love? ♪ 1114 01:01:10,066 --> 01:01:12,533 -He was really close to Roberta. 1115 01:01:12,533 --> 01:01:14,366 -♪ Where is the love? ♪ 1116 01:01:14,366 --> 01:01:16,033 -♪ Where is the love? ♪ 1117 01:01:16,033 --> 01:01:18,400 -She said she thought it was a crush, 1118 01:01:18,400 --> 01:01:19,733 but she eventually realized 1119 01:01:19,733 --> 01:01:23,266 it was just a creative electricity between them. 1120 01:01:23,266 --> 01:01:25,100 -♪ Soon as you were free ♪ 1121 01:01:25,100 --> 01:01:28,066 ♪ Will it ever be? ♪ 1122 01:01:28,066 --> 01:01:30,700 -Donny was a very special person. 1123 01:01:30,700 --> 01:01:31,833 -♪ Love? ♪ 1124 01:01:31,833 --> 01:01:34,300 -He was very shy. 1125 01:01:34,300 --> 01:01:35,200 -♪ You told me ♪ 1126 01:01:35,200 --> 01:01:36,533 -I think, very self-conscious 1127 01:01:36,533 --> 01:01:37,466 about his weight. 1128 01:01:37,466 --> 01:01:38,966 We both were, when we started. 1129 01:01:38,966 --> 01:01:40,600 -♪ You were gonna say goodbye ♪ 1130 01:01:40,600 --> 01:01:42,866 -But I think a lot of that had a great deal to do 1131 01:01:42,866 --> 01:01:47,600 with his inability to handle, actually, what happened for him. 1132 01:01:49,733 --> 01:01:53,533 He could not balance the real  world 1133 01:01:53,533 --> 01:01:55,033 with this other, glamorous, thing 1134 01:01:55,033 --> 01:01:59,233 that he would have to get ready to go to and do, you know? 1135 01:01:59,233 --> 01:02:01,233 It was just very difficult for him. 1136 01:02:01,233 --> 01:02:06,933 ♪♪ 1137 01:02:06,933 --> 01:02:08,233 -Donny Hathaway started 1138 01:02:08,233 --> 01:02:12,733 to exhibit some unusual behavior in the early '70s. 1139 01:02:12,733 --> 01:02:14,300 Erratic behavior. 1140 01:02:15,600 --> 01:02:17,800 He dropped out of the public eye. 1141 01:02:18,700 --> 01:02:21,333 And he was eventually diagnosed 1142 01:02:21,333 --> 01:02:24,033 as having paranoid schizophrenia. 1143 01:02:24,033 --> 01:02:29,000 ♪♪ 1144 01:02:29,000 --> 01:02:31,333 -We were working on a joint album 1145 01:02:31,333 --> 01:02:33,333 where all of the cuts were going to be duets 1146 01:02:33,333 --> 01:02:35,466 and then we'd do maybe one solo thing. 1147 01:02:37,066 --> 01:02:39,600 And Donny was -- 1148 01:02:39,600 --> 01:02:41,700 he was, frankly, to be very honest with you, sick. 1149 01:02:41,700 --> 01:02:44,433 He was taking very heavy medication... -Mm-hmm. 1150 01:02:44,433 --> 01:02:47,833 ...lithium, and taking a lot of it daily. 1151 01:02:50,333 --> 01:02:53,466 -That day, he does not seem to have been, 1152 01:02:53,466 --> 01:02:55,800 from all accounts, on his medicine. 1153 01:02:57,700 --> 01:02:59,100 There was a certain moment, 1154 01:02:59,100 --> 01:03:01,800 as they're recording their songs, 1155 01:03:01,800 --> 01:03:05,433 where he suffered a very sudden break. 1156 01:03:07,733 --> 01:03:10,200 He screamed and he ran out of the studio. 1157 01:03:11,200 --> 01:03:13,066 The drummer on the session, James Mtume, 1158 01:03:13,066 --> 01:03:16,433 found him in a corner, shaking, and, when he went over to him, 1159 01:03:16,433 --> 01:03:19,100 Donny told him, "They're trying to kill me." 1160 01:03:21,866 --> 01:03:23,000 "Who's trying to kill you?" 1161 01:03:24,833 --> 01:03:25,900 "White people. 1162 01:03:27,133 --> 01:03:29,766 They have my brain hooked up to a machine 1163 01:03:29,766 --> 01:03:32,666 and they're stealing my music and my sound." 1164 01:03:32,666 --> 01:03:39,300 ♪♪ 1165 01:03:39,300 --> 01:03:41,033 -I went back to the hotel with him. 1166 01:03:43,066 --> 01:03:45,233 And, um, 1167 01:03:45,233 --> 01:03:46,833 um, it's hard to talk about this, 1168 01:03:46,833 --> 01:03:48,533 but I went back to the hotel with him, dropped him off. 1169 01:03:48,533 --> 01:03:49,833 He said, "Goodbye. See you later. 1170 01:03:49,833 --> 01:03:50,766 See you tomorrow." 1171 01:03:53,733 --> 01:03:56,600 -Nobody knows exactly what happened later that night. 1172 01:03:57,666 --> 01:04:01,000 But Donny returned to his hotel room 1173 01:04:01,000 --> 01:04:03,266 at the south edge of Central Park, 1174 01:04:03,266 --> 01:04:04,933 15 stories up... 1175 01:04:05,833 --> 01:04:10,666 ...and he either fell or jumped from that window, 1176 01:04:10,666 --> 01:04:12,033 falling to his death. 1177 01:04:14,133 --> 01:04:15,600 He was 33 years old. 1178 01:04:15,600 --> 01:04:24,333 ♪♪ 1179 01:04:24,333 --> 01:04:26,666 -For those who may be uninformed on the subject, 1180 01:04:26,666 --> 01:04:28,933 Donny Hathaway did take his own life. 1181 01:04:31,100 --> 01:04:32,600 How did that affect you? 1182 01:04:34,366 --> 01:04:35,500 -[ Sighs ] 1183 01:04:35,500 --> 01:04:37,133 Oh, you kind of caught me off-guard there. 1184 01:04:37,133 --> 01:04:39,133 It's, um -- 1185 01:04:39,133 --> 01:04:40,366 That's the first time, by the way, 1186 01:04:40,366 --> 01:04:42,900 anybody's asked me about Donny's passing in that -- 1187 01:04:42,900 --> 01:04:44,366 in that, um, 1188 01:04:44,366 --> 01:04:46,833 sort of very direct fashion. 1189 01:04:46,833 --> 01:04:50,900 It affected me tremendously, saddened me. 1190 01:04:50,900 --> 01:04:53,533 It was very difficult for me to deal with it 1191 01:04:53,533 --> 01:04:56,166 because Donny and I were together in the studio 1192 01:04:56,166 --> 01:04:59,466 the day that he passed and, um, 1193 01:04:59,466 --> 01:05:01,000 I knew that he was not well. 1194 01:05:02,366 --> 01:05:03,966 Dealing with his mental illness, 1195 01:05:03,966 --> 01:05:08,133 it had made him not as strong as he could've been, musically, 1196 01:05:08,133 --> 01:05:09,533 certainly not as strong as he was 1197 01:05:09,533 --> 01:05:11,400 when we were working together. 1198 01:05:11,400 --> 01:05:16,266 But I feel that, you know, 1199 01:05:16,266 --> 01:05:18,866 that some of us are able to handle life 1200 01:05:18,866 --> 01:05:21,666 with all of its obstacles and its up and ups and downs, 1201 01:05:21,666 --> 01:05:22,833 and some of us aren't. 1202 01:05:22,833 --> 01:05:25,866 I feel fortunate because it is very true that, 1203 01:05:25,866 --> 01:05:27,633 there, except for the grace of God, 1204 01:05:27,633 --> 01:05:30,733 in Donny's instance, could, you know, could be me. 1205 01:05:30,733 --> 01:05:37,800 ♪♪ 1206 01:05:37,800 --> 01:05:39,433 This is probably the first time I've said this. 1207 01:05:39,433 --> 01:05:40,566 I don't mind saying it. 1208 01:05:42,600 --> 01:05:46,100 I keep a light in my living room on all the time. 1209 01:05:47,166 --> 01:05:49,466 Because, Donny, that's the last piano he played. 1210 01:05:51,333 --> 01:05:53,900 He had written a song called "Lift My Spirits." 1211 01:05:53,900 --> 01:05:56,033 And he had not been writing for several years. 1212 01:05:57,133 --> 01:05:58,633 And he started playing that song. 1213 01:05:58,633 --> 01:06:00,200 He came in the kitchen, said, "Come here and listen to this," 1214 01:06:00,200 --> 01:06:01,900 and I ran out with an apron and listened. 1215 01:06:04,100 --> 01:06:07,433 So, I do feel Donny's presence around me. 1216 01:06:07,433 --> 01:06:28,300 ♪♪ 1217 01:06:28,300 --> 01:06:29,300 [ Vehicle horn blares ] 1218 01:06:29,300 --> 01:06:38,300 ♪♪ 1219 01:06:38,300 --> 01:06:41,666 -She was the first Black woman to move into The Dakota. 1220 01:06:43,333 --> 01:06:46,033 They were really not prepared for us, 1221 01:06:46,033 --> 01:06:47,800 but, you know, they adjusted. 1222 01:06:50,000 --> 01:06:52,400 And John and Yoko lived next door. 1223 01:06:55,633 --> 01:06:58,933 John used to practice his music and write things 1224 01:06:58,933 --> 01:07:02,866 the wall over from Roberta, on a grand piano. 1225 01:07:04,666 --> 01:07:05,933 They were, you know, neighbors 1226 01:07:05,933 --> 01:07:07,600 and they were good to each other. 1227 01:07:11,566 --> 01:07:14,266 -I was very blessed that I grew up 1228 01:07:14,266 --> 01:07:16,233 with the coolest neighbor in the world. 1229 01:07:18,300 --> 01:07:21,433 At first, you know, I didn't even think of Roberta 1230 01:07:21,433 --> 01:07:25,200 as this incredible artist and musician. 1231 01:07:25,200 --> 01:07:27,500 She was just this really cool neighbor. 1232 01:07:29,300 --> 01:07:30,833 We used to call Aunt Roberta... 1233 01:07:32,200 --> 01:07:33,600 ...and we were very close. 1234 01:07:35,533 --> 01:07:38,666 I remember, when I was learning to play guitar, 1235 01:07:38,666 --> 01:07:40,800 you know, she could hear me practicing 1236 01:07:40,800 --> 01:07:42,933 because we used to share walls. 1237 01:07:44,200 --> 01:07:46,133 Roberta was always really sweet about it. 1238 01:07:46,133 --> 01:07:47,566 She'd be like, "Hey, I think I heard you, 1239 01:07:47,566 --> 01:07:49,233 you know, playing guitar. It sounded great," you know. 1240 01:07:49,233 --> 01:07:50,600 She was very supportive. 1241 01:07:55,100 --> 01:07:56,966 My mom and her were very good friends 1242 01:07:56,966 --> 01:08:00,300 and they also worked together a couple of times. 1243 01:08:02,900 --> 01:08:06,333 -It's a project that John had started before he passed 1244 01:08:06,333 --> 01:08:09,266 and I did one of her songs that she wrote immediately 1245 01:08:09,266 --> 01:08:11,633 after he passed, a song called "Goodbye Sadness." 1246 01:08:12,433 --> 01:08:14,500 And it's real great song. Real sad, 1247 01:08:14,500 --> 01:08:16,266 but we tried not to make it morbid. 1248 01:08:17,666 --> 01:08:20,400 ♪ Goodbye, sadness ♪ 1249 01:08:20,400 --> 01:08:23,000 ♪ Goodbye, goodbye ♪ 1250 01:08:24,366 --> 01:08:28,200 ♪ I don't need you anymore ♪ 1251 01:08:30,133 --> 01:08:33,166 ♪ I wet my pillow ♪ 1252 01:08:33,166 --> 01:08:35,700 -She's sang "Goodbye Sadness," which was my song. 1253 01:08:36,433 --> 01:08:40,866 Mine was trying to go away from sorrow. 1254 01:08:40,866 --> 01:08:44,833 But in her song, it really sounds like goodbye, sadness, 1255 01:08:44,833 --> 01:08:47,700 and you really feel that it's gone. 1256 01:08:50,000 --> 01:08:51,233 -♪ I don't need you ♪ 1257 01:08:51,233 --> 01:08:53,800 -She has the capacity 1258 01:08:53,800 --> 01:08:56,966 to take songs as a tool to express herself. 1259 01:08:58,000 --> 01:09:00,733 But, each time she does that, it becomes Roberta. 1260 01:09:02,733 --> 01:09:05,600 -♪ I can't take it anymore ♪ -We're very close to each other 1261 01:09:05,600 --> 01:09:08,933 and our kitchen is connected. [ Laughs ] 1262 01:09:08,933 --> 01:09:12,633 And there was a beautiful spiritual exchange, 1263 01:09:12,633 --> 01:09:15,366 working together on this album. 1264 01:09:15,366 --> 01:09:17,866 -♪ I don't need you anymore ♪ 1265 01:09:17,866 --> 01:09:19,600 They understood each other 1266 01:09:19,600 --> 01:09:25,000 because they were both incredibly powerful women. 1267 01:09:25,000 --> 01:09:27,633 -Same kind of piano and doing a clef high or something. 1268 01:09:27,633 --> 01:09:28,833 Beautiful, you know. -Well, we -- 1269 01:09:28,833 --> 01:09:30,900 -My mom, she'd be in the studio, 1270 01:09:30,900 --> 01:09:34,133 producing my dad's records, 1271 01:09:34,133 --> 01:09:35,866 and people don't really think about that. 1272 01:09:36,733 --> 01:09:39,166 They imagine this sort of quiet girlfriend, 1273 01:09:39,166 --> 01:09:42,933 but my mom is often a dominating force in the room 1274 01:09:42,933 --> 01:09:44,766 and I think Roberta was just like that. 1275 01:09:47,900 --> 01:09:49,700 They both dealt with that kind of sexism, 1276 01:09:49,700 --> 01:09:52,666 but it's something that, you know, that they overcame 1277 01:09:52,666 --> 01:09:55,766 and they were tough, you know? 1278 01:09:58,766 --> 01:10:01,633 -Ladies and gentlemen, wonderful friend, 1279 01:10:01,633 --> 01:10:03,966 beautiful person -- wait till you hear this -- 1280 01:10:03,966 --> 01:10:05,266 Peabo Bryson! 1281 01:10:05,266 --> 01:10:07,266 [ Cheering and applause ] -1, 2, 3! 1282 01:10:07,266 --> 01:10:10,266 [ Funk plays ] 1283 01:10:10,266 --> 01:10:16,466 ♪♪ 1284 01:10:16,466 --> 01:10:18,566 Roberta's always been a teacher. 1285 01:10:18,566 --> 01:10:19,566 That's what she is. 1286 01:10:22,833 --> 01:10:27,100 She gave me courage and conviction about self, 1287 01:10:27,100 --> 01:10:31,100 that I could pursue anything in music and accomplish it. 1288 01:10:32,500 --> 01:10:33,533 She did that for me. 1289 01:10:34,566 --> 01:10:35,433 -♪ Feel like makin' love ♪ 1290 01:10:35,433 --> 01:10:36,366 -And she did the same thing 1291 01:10:36,366 --> 01:10:37,700 with Luther Vandross. 1292 01:10:37,700 --> 01:10:39,400 -♪ To you ♪ -♪ Feel like makin' love ♪ 1293 01:10:39,400 --> 01:10:40,833 ♪ To you ♪ 1294 01:10:40,833 --> 01:10:42,533 -We wouldn't have known Luther Vandross, 1295 01:10:42,533 --> 01:10:45,133 if it were not for Roberta Flack. 1296 01:10:46,533 --> 01:10:50,066 She recognized who and what he was before anybody else did. 1297 01:10:53,633 --> 01:10:57,966 And, at that time period, Luther was on every jingle. 1298 01:10:57,966 --> 01:10:59,833 He was the arranger. 1299 01:10:59,833 --> 01:11:03,433 He came up with the vocals for everybody around him. 1300 01:11:04,800 --> 01:11:06,533 He was a genius cat, man. 1301 01:11:09,500 --> 01:11:13,133 -Luther, mm, so special. 1302 01:11:14,233 --> 01:11:15,733 She championed Luther. 1303 01:11:17,466 --> 01:11:20,000 Roberta was there to push him from the background 1304 01:11:20,000 --> 01:11:21,500 to the front, where he needed to be. 1305 01:11:22,466 --> 01:11:24,833 Because you can stay too long in the background sometimes. 1306 01:11:24,833 --> 01:11:25,766 [ Whistling and applause ] 1307 01:11:27,800 --> 01:11:30,200 -♪ Dum dum dum, dum dum dum ♪ 1308 01:11:30,200 --> 01:11:32,066 [ Cheering and applause ] ♪ Hey, yeah, baby ♪ 1309 01:11:32,066 --> 01:11:35,166 ♪ Woh oh, honey ♪ 1310 01:11:35,166 --> 01:11:36,800 ♪ Woh oh oh oh oh ♪ 1311 01:11:36,800 --> 01:11:39,500 -And nobody wanted to sign him. 1312 01:11:39,500 --> 01:11:40,766 Can you believe that? 1313 01:11:42,200 --> 01:11:45,200 He would not even be signed, if it weren't for Roberta Flack. 1314 01:11:46,733 --> 01:11:50,366 She was the one that said to our manager, 1315 01:11:50,366 --> 01:11:51,533 "You got to help this guy." 1316 01:11:54,166 --> 01:11:56,000 -Peabo Bryson! 1317 01:11:56,000 --> 01:11:57,166 [ Cheering, whistling, and applause ] 1318 01:11:57,166 --> 01:11:58,966 -But that's kind of who she is. 1319 01:12:01,866 --> 01:12:03,000 And she did the same for me. 1320 01:12:03,000 --> 01:12:05,000 I mean, no one replaces Donny Hathaway, 1321 01:12:05,000 --> 01:12:06,633 but she put me in that role. 1322 01:12:08,766 --> 01:12:10,666 -♪ Tonight ♪ 1323 01:12:10,666 --> 01:12:12,366 ♪ I celebrate ♪ 1324 01:12:12,366 --> 01:12:14,533 ♪ My love ♪ 1325 01:12:14,533 --> 01:12:16,900 ♪ For you ♪ 1326 01:12:16,900 --> 01:12:18,933 ♪ It seems ♪ 1327 01:12:18,933 --> 01:12:23,033 ♪ The natural thing ♪ 1328 01:12:23,033 --> 01:12:25,200 ♪ To do ♪ 1329 01:12:25,200 --> 01:12:27,466 -♪ Tonight ♪ 1330 01:12:27,466 --> 01:12:29,366 ♪ No one's gonna ♪ 1331 01:12:29,366 --> 01:12:31,400 ♪ Find us ♪ 1332 01:12:31,400 --> 01:12:33,400 ♪ We'll leave the world ♪ 1333 01:12:33,400 --> 01:12:35,433 ♪ Behind us ♪ 1334 01:12:36,533 --> 01:12:41,800 -♪ When I make love to you ♪ 1335 01:12:41,800 --> 01:12:43,833 -♪ Tonight ♪ 1336 01:12:43,833 --> 01:12:45,533 ♪ I celebrate ♪ -I learned with her. 1337 01:12:45,533 --> 01:12:47,566 -♪ My love♪ -It's an inherent condition 1338 01:12:47,566 --> 01:12:49,700 -♪ For you ♪ -of working with Roberta. 1339 01:12:49,700 --> 01:12:51,733 -♪ And hope ♪ 1340 01:12:51,733 --> 01:12:53,400 -A duet is not a competition. 1341 01:12:53,400 --> 01:12:54,966 You have to play to someone's 1342 01:12:54,966 --> 01:12:56,900 strengths and weaknesses equally. 1343 01:12:56,900 --> 01:12:58,133 -♪ Too ♪ 1344 01:12:58,133 --> 01:12:59,933 -♪ Tonight ♪ 1345 01:12:59,933 --> 01:13:02,166 ♪ Our spirits will be ♪ 1346 01:13:02,166 --> 01:13:03,366 ♪ Climbing ♪ 1347 01:13:03,366 --> 01:13:05,833 That was a novel concept for me at the time. 1348 01:13:05,833 --> 01:13:08,033 I was brand-new in this thing. 1349 01:13:09,066 --> 01:13:13,966 I didn't learn how to do a duet properly until Roberta. 1350 01:13:13,966 --> 01:13:16,300 [ Cheering and applause ] [ Playing "Reverend Lee" ] 1351 01:13:18,500 --> 01:13:22,333 I learned what it really is to have stage presence. 1352 01:13:22,333 --> 01:13:32,733 ♪♪ 1353 01:13:32,733 --> 01:13:36,533 Watching her get her audience to become an intricate part 1354 01:13:36,533 --> 01:13:40,633 of the performance itself, it was masterful. 1355 01:13:40,633 --> 01:13:43,933 -This is a story about a very big, 1356 01:13:43,933 --> 01:13:45,633 strong, 1357 01:13:45,633 --> 01:13:46,733 Black... 1358 01:13:48,633 --> 01:13:49,533 ...sexy... 1359 01:13:52,733 --> 01:13:53,733 ...potbellied... 1360 01:13:56,766 --> 01:13:58,900 ...Southern Baptist minister. 1361 01:14:03,133 --> 01:14:05,000 Who thinks, like all men, that he has 1362 01:14:05,000 --> 01:14:08,666 a major program designed for the ladies. 1363 01:14:08,666 --> 01:14:10,533 -An audience, 1364 01:14:10,533 --> 01:14:13,166 they want to be a part of what's going on. 1365 01:14:13,166 --> 01:14:14,633 -The voice of his master... 1366 01:14:15,566 --> 01:14:17,000 ...rouses up a very -- 1367 01:14:17,000 --> 01:14:18,733 -But you have to invite them in. 1368 01:14:19,966 --> 01:14:21,866 --♪ Your love has ♪ -And I learned that 1369 01:14:21,866 --> 01:14:25,033 -from Roberta Flack. -♪ Captured me ♪ 1370 01:14:25,033 --> 01:14:29,166 -♪ Woh oh oh oh woh oh ♪ 1371 01:14:29,166 --> 01:14:32,800 ♪ Over and over again ♪ 1372 01:14:32,800 --> 01:14:35,533 ♪ I tried to tell myself ♪ 1373 01:14:35,533 --> 01:14:37,333 ♪ That we ♪ 1374 01:14:37,333 --> 01:14:39,700 -You teach and then you receive. -♪ Could never be more ♪ 1375 01:14:39,700 --> 01:14:42,100 ♪ Than friends ♪ 1376 01:14:42,100 --> 01:14:45,233 -So, if you see something in someone, 1377 01:14:45,233 --> 01:14:46,833 it's not just you helping them. 1378 01:14:46,833 --> 01:14:48,333 They are helping you. 1379 01:14:48,333 --> 01:14:50,500 -♪ The way you make me feel ♪ 1380 01:14:50,500 --> 01:14:52,866 -You learn something along the way. 1381 01:14:52,866 --> 01:14:54,366 -Peabo Bryson! [ Laughs ] 1382 01:14:54,366 --> 01:14:56,700 -And she was aware of that, being a teacher. 1383 01:14:58,666 --> 01:15:01,500 That's why she stayed open, all these years, 1384 01:15:01,500 --> 01:15:03,833 to the gifts of those coming through. 1385 01:15:03,833 --> 01:15:09,466 ♪♪ 1386 01:15:09,466 --> 01:15:10,766 [ Applause ] 1387 01:15:10,766 --> 01:15:19,533 ♪♪ 1388 01:15:19,533 --> 01:15:22,933 -♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪ 1389 01:15:22,933 --> 01:15:25,200 -♪ Strollin' in the park ♪ 1390 01:15:25,200 --> 01:15:28,933 ♪ Watchin' winter turn to spring ♪ 1391 01:15:32,166 --> 01:15:34,366 ♪ Walkin' in the dark ♪ 1392 01:15:34,366 --> 01:15:37,966 ♪ Seein' lovers do their thing ♪ 1393 01:15:39,833 --> 01:15:43,700 ♪ Ooh ooh ooh, that's the time I ♪ 1394 01:15:43,700 --> 01:15:46,833 ♪ I feel like makin' love ♪ 1395 01:15:46,833 --> 01:15:48,366 ♪ To you ♪ 1396 01:15:48,366 --> 01:15:50,133 ♪ Oh, baby, baby ♪ 1397 01:15:50,133 --> 01:15:52,666 ♪ That's the time I ♪ 1398 01:15:52,666 --> 01:15:55,866 ♪ Feel like makin' dreams ♪ 1399 01:15:55,866 --> 01:15:57,766 ♪ Come true ♪ 1400 01:15:57,766 --> 01:15:59,966 ♪ Oh, baby ♪ 1401 01:16:01,200 --> 01:16:02,833 ♪ And when you talk to me ♪ 1402 01:16:03,666 --> 01:16:07,666 ♪ When you're moanin' sweet and low ♪ 1403 01:16:07,666 --> 01:16:08,733 ♪ Sweet and low ♪ 1404 01:16:08,733 --> 01:16:10,666 -The song "Feel Like Makin' Love" 1405 01:16:10,666 --> 01:16:12,500 came out in 1975. 1406 01:16:12,500 --> 01:16:13,800 -♪ And my feelin's ♪ 1407 01:16:13,800 --> 01:16:16,166 ♪ Start to show ♪ -That song then gets recorded, 1408 01:16:16,166 --> 01:16:18,900 you know, some 30-plus years later, 1409 01:16:18,900 --> 01:16:20,366 by D'Angelo, 1410 01:16:20,366 --> 01:16:22,100 on his "Voodoo" album, which is considered one 1411 01:16:22,100 --> 01:16:24,500 of the classic R&B albums of this era, 1412 01:16:24,500 --> 01:16:27,033 in which hip hop and soul kind of merged. 1413 01:16:29,866 --> 01:16:33,133 It actually led the way for the transformation 1414 01:16:33,133 --> 01:16:36,500 of rhythm in Black music for the last 20 years. 1415 01:16:38,500 --> 01:16:42,033 How can we leave Roberta Flack out of that story? 1416 01:16:42,033 --> 01:16:44,600 -♪ Watchin' winter turn to spring ♪ 1417 01:16:45,800 --> 01:16:47,700 -She's in the DNA of popular music. 1418 01:16:51,300 --> 01:16:53,000 -I really hear her influence 1419 01:16:53,000 --> 01:16:53,866 all over. 1420 01:16:55,633 --> 01:16:58,300 There's so many great young women vocalists 1421 01:16:58,300 --> 01:17:00,733 who are building their own songbooks, 1422 01:17:00,733 --> 01:17:04,033 without any fear of crossing boundaries. 1423 01:17:05,400 --> 01:17:07,300 They take, as their model, 1424 01:17:07,300 --> 01:17:11,433 the freedom that Roberta established as hernorm. 1425 01:17:11,433 --> 01:17:12,633 -♪ Rose in your ♪ 1426 01:17:12,633 --> 01:17:15,433 ♪ Eyes ♪ 1427 01:17:15,433 --> 01:17:17,033 -What's it like for you to have these young artists 1428 01:17:17,033 --> 01:17:20,000 giving so much of the credit of their career to you? 1429 01:17:20,000 --> 01:17:23,300 -It's overwhelming. 1430 01:17:23,300 --> 01:17:27,300 Because when I started, I admired so many people. 1431 01:17:28,566 --> 01:17:31,233 A lot of those entertainers were before my time, 1432 01:17:31,233 --> 01:17:32,733 but I grew up in a musical family, 1433 01:17:32,733 --> 01:17:35,200 so, I always had access to those voices. 1434 01:17:36,500 --> 01:17:38,633 And now, oh, my goodness, 1435 01:17:38,633 --> 01:17:41,633 there are so many out there who are so wonderful. 1436 01:17:41,633 --> 01:17:46,800 ♪♪ 1437 01:17:46,800 --> 01:17:49,100 -When I was nine years old, 1438 01:17:49,100 --> 01:17:52,000 I found a 45 record in the basement 1439 01:17:52,000 --> 01:17:53,066 that belonged to my mother. 1440 01:17:54,333 --> 01:17:55,300 So, I played it. 1441 01:17:56,700 --> 01:17:59,433 It moved me and I realized that I wanted to find more 1442 01:17:59,433 --> 01:18:00,533 of those little records. 1443 01:18:00,533 --> 01:18:01,400 That's what we used to call them. 1444 01:18:01,400 --> 01:18:02,133 "Where are the little records?" 1445 01:18:04,600 --> 01:18:07,266 I wasn't classically trained, but they really were 1446 01:18:07,266 --> 01:18:08,866 my teachers, my musical teachers. 1447 01:18:09,566 --> 01:18:10,833 I grew an appreciation 1448 01:18:10,833 --> 01:18:13,733 for musical ideas and concepts... 1449 01:18:14,600 --> 01:18:17,033 ...just by virtue of my exposure to this music. 1450 01:18:19,333 --> 01:18:20,766 I would fall asleep to it. 1451 01:18:22,166 --> 01:18:24,566 And I think there's so much of that, you know, 1452 01:18:24,566 --> 01:18:27,066 I soaked up, even in my dreams. 1453 01:18:27,066 --> 01:18:28,733 -♪ Yeah ♪ -♪ Killing me ♪ 1454 01:18:28,733 --> 01:18:31,433 -Some artists was pierced when kids would come 1455 01:18:31,433 --> 01:18:33,700 and do another version of their song, 1456 01:18:33,700 --> 01:18:35,933 but not Roberta. 1457 01:18:35,933 --> 01:18:37,266 -Roberta Flack! 1458 01:18:37,266 --> 01:18:38,033 -It was music! 1459 01:18:38,033 --> 01:18:39,466 -♪ To the bridge ♪ 1460 01:18:39,466 --> 01:18:42,966 -♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 1461 01:18:42,966 --> 01:18:44,666 ♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 1462 01:18:44,666 --> 01:18:46,933 ♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪ -♪ Come on, come on, ah ♪ 1463 01:18:46,933 --> 01:18:49,100 ♪ Ah ah ah ah ♪ 1464 01:18:49,100 --> 01:18:53,533 -♪ La la la la la la ♪ 1465 01:18:53,533 --> 01:18:55,233 -♪ Oh oh oh ♪ 1466 01:18:55,233 --> 01:18:57,666 -♪ Hey hey hey hey ♪ -♪ Oh oh ♪ 1467 01:18:57,666 --> 01:18:59,533 -♪ Come on ♪ -♪ La ah ♪ 1468 01:18:59,533 --> 01:19:01,133 They sold 17 million records. 1469 01:19:01,133 --> 01:19:02,966 I wasn't mad. -[ Laughs ] 1470 01:19:02,966 --> 01:19:04,800 -And, when I do it onstage, I say, you know, 1471 01:19:04,800 --> 01:19:06,166 "We're going to do this song. 1472 01:19:06,166 --> 01:19:08,700 The Fugees kicked it into the 21st century." 1473 01:19:09,466 --> 01:19:11,800 ♪ Ah ah ah ♪ 1474 01:19:11,800 --> 01:19:14,400 ♪ Ah ah ah ah ah ah ♪ 1475 01:19:14,400 --> 01:19:18,200 -♪ Strumming my ♪ -♪ Pain with his fingers ♪ 1476 01:19:18,200 --> 01:19:19,433 -♪ One time ♪ 1477 01:19:19,433 --> 01:19:23,200 -♪ Singing my life with his words ♪ 1478 01:19:24,133 --> 01:19:27,700 -The only thing that's definite and sure about music is 1479 01:19:27,700 --> 01:19:30,666 that it will change, it will evolve. 1480 01:19:30,666 --> 01:19:32,700 -♪ With his song ♪ 1481 01:19:32,700 --> 01:19:36,100 -You want to be able to move with the world as it turns. 1482 01:19:36,100 --> 01:19:37,166 And it does turn. 1483 01:19:37,166 --> 01:19:38,000 -♪ Words ♪ 1484 01:19:38,000 --> 01:19:41,066 ♪ Killing me softly ♪ 1485 01:19:41,066 --> 01:19:43,300 ♪ With his ♪ 1486 01:19:43,300 --> 01:19:45,933 -We should think of part of Roberta Flack's legacy 1487 01:19:45,933 --> 01:19:49,300 as the way in which her music gets taken up again and again 1488 01:19:49,300 --> 01:19:51,600 by younger artists over the decades. 1489 01:19:53,333 --> 01:19:56,833 Being so heavily sampled in hip hop music, for instance. 1490 01:19:59,600 --> 01:20:02,266 Her music kind of refuses to die. 1491 01:20:04,666 --> 01:20:06,966 You know, the story just goes on and on and on. 1492 01:20:06,966 --> 01:20:25,300 ♪♪ 1493 01:20:25,300 --> 01:20:28,366 [ Clapping rhythmically ] 1494 01:20:28,366 --> 01:20:33,800 ♪♪ 1495 01:20:33,800 --> 01:20:35,233 [ Alert chiming ]  -Big, big night. 1496 01:20:35,233 --> 01:20:37,333 I want you to just enjoy yourself, okay? 1497 01:20:37,333 --> 01:20:38,733 -Okay. 1498 01:20:38,733 --> 01:20:40,066 -Enjoy every minute of it, 1499 01:20:40,066 --> 01:20:42,366 because, boy, do you deserve this. 1500 01:20:42,366 --> 01:20:44,000 -Thank you. 1501 01:20:44,000 --> 01:20:45,933 -Okay. I love you very much. 1502 01:20:45,933 --> 01:20:47,766 -Okay, bye. -Bye. 1503 01:20:53,066 --> 01:20:55,900 -How many Lifetime Achievement Grammys do you get? 1504 01:20:55,900 --> 01:20:57,433 You get one in your lifetime. 1505 01:20:59,533 --> 01:21:02,066 And doing what we're doing here, 1506 01:21:02,066 --> 01:21:04,633 you know, I go from crying to laughter. 1507 01:21:06,700 --> 01:21:09,933 A teacher turning to the music industry 1508 01:21:09,933 --> 01:21:11,833 and keeping that within her 1509 01:21:11,833 --> 01:21:13,666 and helping the people she did? 1510 01:21:15,500 --> 01:21:19,033 She shared her gift with the world. 1511 01:21:23,066 --> 01:21:24,500 What more can you say? 1512 01:21:24,500 --> 01:21:35,633 ♪♪ 1513 01:21:35,633 --> 01:21:38,166 -If I had to use one phrase 1514 01:21:38,166 --> 01:21:41,866 that describes how I feel about the whole experience... 1515 01:21:43,500 --> 01:21:47,566 ...it would simply be that love is a song. 1516 01:21:49,933 --> 01:21:54,466 And an honest giving of feelings and emotions. 1517 01:21:56,800 --> 01:21:57,766 As a performer, 1518 01:21:57,766 --> 01:22:00,400 if you can connect to that thought, 1519 01:22:00,400 --> 01:22:04,233 then whatever the song is, it's success. 1520 01:22:07,800 --> 01:22:09,166 I mean, you know, it's not like I'm trying 1521 01:22:09,166 --> 01:22:12,466 to sound like somebody else or be somebody else. 1522 01:22:12,466 --> 01:22:13,966 I'm happy to be Roberta Flack. 1523 01:22:13,966 --> 01:22:15,700 I'm happy to sound like I do. 1524 01:22:15,700 --> 01:22:18,666 [ Clapping rhythmically ] 1525 01:22:20,933 --> 01:22:23,466 So, that feels good. 1526 01:22:23,466 --> 01:22:25,400 I mean, I'm very satisfied with that. 1527 01:22:25,400 --> 01:22:28,433 [ Clapping rhythmically ] 1528 01:22:28,433 --> 01:22:29,166 Yeah. 1529 01:22:29,166 --> 01:22:31,066 [ Clapping rhythmically ] 1530 01:22:34,933 --> 01:22:37,866 [ "Trade Winds" plays ] 1531 01:22:37,866 --> 01:22:49,566 ♪♪ 1532 01:22:49,566 --> 01:22:53,400 -♪ Here I stand looking ♪ 1533 01:22:53,400 --> 01:22:56,966 ♪ Looking around me ♪ 1534 01:22:56,966 --> 01:23:00,400 ♪ While all around me ♪ 1535 01:23:00,400 --> 01:23:04,066 ♪ What do I see? ♪ 1536 01:23:04,066 --> 01:23:07,933 ♪ Unhappy faces ♪ 1537 01:23:07,933 --> 01:23:11,500 ♪ Behind the painted smile ♪ 1538 01:23:11,500 --> 01:23:14,900 ♪ Heartache and loneliness ♪ 1539 01:23:14,900 --> 01:23:18,766 ♪ Dressed up in modern style ♪ 1540 01:23:18,766 --> 01:23:21,866 ♪ Unhappy people ♪ 1541 01:23:21,866 --> 01:23:25,000 ♪ Living in sin and shame ♪ 1542 01:23:31,600 --> 01:23:32,866 ♪♪