Roberta Flack grew up in Arlington, Virginia. From the age of nine she took piano lessons and when she was 13 she was allowed to replace her mother Irene as organist in the church choir. Because she was allowed to skip some classes as a child, she was allowed to attend the conservatory at the age of 15, where she graduated three years later. Before her breakthrough in music, she spent five more years teaching English and music in high schools. Although she initially focused on jazz and classical repertoire, she gradually switched to pop music. In this she was also encouraged by her singing teacher. Thus she started performing in clubs as a pianist and singer.
Roberta was discovered in 1968 by the jazz musician Les McCann. In 1971 she already entered the Billboard Hot 100 with a few covers of well-known hits, which she sang together with Donny Hathaway, a former classmate of hers. However, her big break didn't come until 1972 when she had a U.S. No. 1 hit with The First Time I Saw Your Face. That song had already been recorded in 1969, but only became popular three years later because it was used in Clint Eastwood's film Play Misty for Me. The song even garnered two Grammys.
She is probably best known for her rendition of Killing Me Softly with His Song, written by composer duo Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, who wrote it for Lori Lieberman who also released the first version in 1972. The song reached number 3 in the Top 40 in 1973, and even reached number 1 in 1996 in performance by the Fugees. In the Netherlands she also had a hit with Feel Like Makin' Love. In her homeland America both songs reached the highest position of the Billboard Hot 100. Nine years after Feel Like Makin' Love, Roberta entered the Top 40 once again with the song Tonight I celebrate my love, a duet with Peabo Bryson. After that song it became quiet around Roberta Flack, both in the Netherlands and in the United States. In 1991 she was once again at number 6 in America with Set the Night to Music, a duet with Maxi Priest, this song did not reach the charts in the Netherlands. Her most recent album is Holiday, a CD of Christmas songs from 2003.