Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
Roberta Flack was born on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and raised in Arlington, Virginia, where she honed her musical talents in church. A prodigy, she began piano lessons at age nine and earned a full music scholarship to Howard University, graduating at 19 with degrees in music and English. She taught school while performing nights at D.C. clubs, until soul-jazz artist Les McCann discovered her at a 1968 benefit concert, leading to her Atlantic Records deal and debut album First Take (1969), featuring the hit "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". Flack scored massive hits like "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (1973), won multiple Grammys, and shaped the Quiet Storm genre with smooth, jazz-infused soul; she passed away at age 88.
Donny Hathaway, born October 1, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois, was a gifted singer, songwriter, pianist, and arranger who blended R&B, jazz, gospel, and soul. Raised by his grandmother in Chicago's gospel scene, he attended Howard University (overlapping with Flack), then joined Curtis Mayfield's Impressions as a songwriter before signing with Atlantic Records. His solo debut Everything Is Everything (1970) showcased his rich voice and orchestral style, with holiday staple "This Christmas"; hits like "A Song for You" followed, cementing his influence on 1970s soul.
Flack and Hathaway, both Howard alumni on Atlantic, teamed up at label head Jerry Wexler's suggestion, releasing the million-selling duet album Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972), anchored by the Grammy-winning "Where Is the Love". They reunited for "The Closer I Get to You" (No. 1 R&B, No. 2 pop in 1978) on Flack's Blue Lights in the Basement. Tragically, amid Hathaway's struggles with paranoid schizophrenia and depression, he died by suicide on January 13, 1979, after half-finishing their second duets album; Flack completed it as Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (1980), yielding posthumous hits "Back Together Again" and "You Are My Heaven".
Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
A2 You've Got A Friend (Carole King 3:24)
A3 Baby I Love You (Ronny Shannon 3:24)
A4 Be Real Black For Me (Mann, Hathaway, Flack 3:30)
A5 You've Lost That Loving Feeling (Mann-Weil, Spector 6:36)
B1 For All We Know (J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis 3:38)
B2 Where Is The Love (Ralph MacDonald, William Salter 2:43)
B3 When Love Has Grown (Donny Hathaway, Eugene McDaniels 3:31)
B4 Come Ye Disconsolate (Traditional 4:50)
B5 Mood (Roberta Flack 7:00)
Label: Atlantic – SD 7216
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Seventies Soul
The critically acclaimed, Grammy-winning 1972 album by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway is known for its intimate chemistry, soulful arrangements, and a seamless blend of R&B, pop, folk, jazz, and gospel influences.
The album is noted for its "understated elegance and simmering passion," featuring quietly intense singing from Flack and gospel-influenced vocals from Hathaway. The rich, elastic voices of the duo match perfectly in close-knit harmony.
It successfully marries various genres, offering a unique sound that blends R&B with folk, jazz, blues, and classical elements, a reflection of their musical training at Howard University.
The album features creative interpretations of contemporary hits alongside original compositions. Covers include a slow-burning soul ballad version of The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and a definitive R&B/folk take on Carole King's "You've Got a Friend". Originals include the "Black is Beautiful" anthem "Be Real Black for Me".
The album's standout track was the runaway chart hit "Where Is the Love," a bittersweet lovers' plea that won the duo a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1973.
The album's moods range from the funky "Baby I Love You" to the solemn hymn "Come Ye Disconsolate," closing with "Mood," a seven-minute, classically-derived instrumental piano duet showcasing their musical prowess.
The record is widely considered one of the all-time great duet albums in R&B history, capturing the essence of love, longing, and deep connection with a "divine match" of talent.
(Provided by SoulYears.com)