Peak UK Chart Position: #6 in March 1973.

Celebrating her birthday today is Roberta Flack – born Roberta Cleopatra Flack, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, United States – who turns 78 years of age. .She is best known for her classic US #1 singles “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love”, and for “Where Is The Love” and “The Closer I Get To You”, two of her many duets with Donny Hathaway. Flack was the first, and remains the only, solo artist to win the Grammy Award for ‘Record of the Year’ on two consecutive years: “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” won at the 1973 Grammys as did “Killing Me Softly With His Song” at the 1974 Grammys.

Quick facts:

• Lori Lieberman was the first to record the song “Killing Me Softly…” in late 1971, releasing it in early 1972.
• The song has since been covered by numerous artists, including a version by the Fugees that won the 1997 Grammy for ‘Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal’, and was number one in the UK in 1996 for five weeks.
• In 1999 Flack’s version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It ranked number 360 on Rolling Stone‘s list of ‘The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time’ and number 82 on Billboard‘s greatest songs of all time.
• Also in 1999, a star with Flack’s name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Her biggest UK hit is her duet with Peabo Bryson from 1983, “Tonight I Celebrate My Love”.