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The Walter W. Gerboth Music Library of Brooklyn College pays tribute to the singer-songwriter and musician Roberta Flack, who passed last week at the age of 88. With a career spanning multiple generations of soul, R&B, pop music and more genres, using her voice, writing and early piano training in both gospel and classical studies to craft original melodies and reinterpretations – either in solo work or her frequent collaborations with Donny Hathaway – that have remained memorable for the last half-century. Flack's accolades, like consecutive Grammy Awards for Record of the Year (1973/74), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2020) and induction into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame (2021), all speak to a lasting mark made on her industry.

Please enjoy these ten recordings:

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (from the album First Take, 1969) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqW-eO3jTVU
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” (from Quiet Fire, 1971) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k90ILIe3p_U
“Where Is the Love” (duet with Donny Hathaway) (from Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, 1972) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI7UOwOhKEs
“Killing Me Softly with His Song” (from Killing Me Softly, 1973) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEbi_YjpA-Y
“The Closer I Get to You” (duet with Donny Hathaway) (from Blue Lights in the Basement, 1977) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgZOKpDoIs0
“If Ever I See You Again” (from Roberta Flack, 1978) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QagJBN2bXII
“Oasis” (from Oasis, 1988) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU9VQujOEag
“Unforgettable” (duet with Mark Stevens) (from Set the Night to Music, 1991) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8pxrbdKU68
“Tenderly” (from Roberta, 1994) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixK5B9ZHGDQ
“Let It Be” (from Let It Be Roberta, 2012) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_9OU2uGArQ