Soulful Award-Winning Songstress Roberta Flack will Set the Night to Music at Hard Rock Live on March 1
Tickets on Sale Friday, January 8 at 1 p.m.
Hollywood, Fla. - Soulful and smooth award-winning songstress Roberta Flack will Set the Night to Music at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Monday, March 1 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 8 at 1 p.m.
North Carolina-native Roberta Flack discovered her earliest musical influences at the church sneaking out to hear such gospel luminaries as Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers. At nine, she began taking piano lessons and at 13, she won second place honors with her performance of a Scarlatti sonata in a statewide contest. By the age of 15, she enrolled at Howard University on a full music scholarship, making her one of the youngest students to ever enroll there. Majoring in music education, Flack became the first black student teacher at an all-white school near Chevy Chase, Maryland.
At Washington D.C.'s posh Tivoli Club, Flack would sing and play blues and folk songs and pop standards on an old upright piano in the back. At the 1520 Club, she gained exposure to entertainment greats like Burt Bacharach, Al Hibbler, Carmen McRae, Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Ramsey Lewis, and Johnny Mathis. She would often share her stage and her piano stool with them and even found herself playing with Liberace one night.
In 1968, Flack was "discovered" by famed musician Les McCann at a concert for the Inner City Ghetto Children's Library Fund. Three months later, she recorded First Take, her debut album. Among the songs she cut was "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Officially released in 1969, the album also contained her first single, "Compared To What." One year later, she released her second album, Chapter Two. "Reverend Lee" and "Do What You Gotta' Do" both became singles from the album.
In 1971, she released "You've Got A Friend" with Donny Hathaway. Her third album, Quiet Fire, yielded the single, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" In 1972, Clint Eastwood included "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" in his thriller, Play Misty for Me. In seven weeks, it went to #1 on the charts. At the same time, the singer's fourth album, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, was released. Two days after it hit the stores, Washington, D.C. proclaimed April 22nd as Roberta Flack Day, kicking off a weekend celebration, that included Down Beat's award as Top Female Vocalist, a D.C. youth award, and gold records. Only a few weeks later, came the new Hathaway/Flack single, "Where Is The Love?" The album quickly went gold, as did the single, which remained in the Top 10 for two months straight. At the subsequent Grammy Awards ceremony in March 1973, "First Time Ever" won Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while "Where Is The Love" won for Best Pop Vocal by a Duo.
Simultaneously, Flack's then-current single, "Killing Me Softly With His Song," became the #1 pop and R&B song in the country. At the 1974 Grammys, Killing Me Softly won as Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal by a Female. The follow-up single, "Feel Like Makin' Love," went to #1 on the Pop, R&B, and Easy Listening charts. It became Roberta's eighth million-seller in less than two-and-a-half years.
Blue Lights in the Basement (1977) was released next followed by a new collaboration with Donny Hathaway titled, "The Closer I Get To You." Her umpteenth chart-topping single, it was certified gold, as was the Blue Lights album, which had reached #1 on both the Pop and R&B charts. The year 1980 saw
Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway followed by Live and More, a collaboration and co-production with Peabo Bryson. In 1982, she released The Best of Roberta Flack.
Her second collaboration with Peabo Bryson, Born to Love, debuted in 1983 and produced another huge smash, "Tonight I Celebrate My Love." Other singles released soon after included 1985's "People on a String" from the White Knights soundtrack and 1986's "We Shall Overcome" to commemorate Martin Luther King's birthday. The 1980s also saw the release of Oasis whose title track became a #1 R&B single and Set the Night to Music.
The ‘90s saw Roberta (1994), The Christmas Album (1997) and a weekly syndicated radio show, "Brunch with Roberta Flack" as well as a variety of benefit shows and a Sesame Street appearance. In 1999, Flack was selected to receive a coveted star on Hollywood's legendary Walk of Fame.
In 2002, Roberta Flack in Concert was released on DVD. Flack participated in Nile Rogers' We Are Family movie and single (directed by Spike Lee), which set an example of unity among all Americans. Holiday (2003), a timeless collection of seasonal favorites was released and in 2005, Songs From the Neighborhood, an all star tribute to the music of the late Fred "Mr." Rogers, followed.
Today, Roberta Flack remains a shining inspiration to her fans, peers and younger musicians in the music industry. She is an outspoken participant in the AEC (Artist Empowerment Coalition) whose primary goal is advocacy for artists' rights and control of their creative properties.
Tickets cost $75, $60 & $45*; all seats are reserved and available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, open Monday - Saturday from noon to 7pm and on Sunday - only open on event days at noon. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at http://www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com/Fran/Local%20Settings/Fran/Fran/Fran/Fran/Local%20Settings/Fran/Fran/Fran/Fran/Fran/Fran/Fran/julianne.carelli/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK90/www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.
Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility has quickly emerged as the entertainment capital of South Florida. Attracting music, comedy and sports fans, this 5,500-seat indoor arena further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. For more information please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com.
About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino provides quality guest experiences where South Floridians can play, stay, dine, and shop. Eighty-nine tables offer Blackjack, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold'em Bonus Poker and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Play one of the more than 2,500 Vegas-style slots including the Native-American casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player's Club members experience an exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and celebrity show kitchen. Convene in The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise for Texas Hold ‘em, limit Texas Hold 'em, Seven Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Café-Hollywood, part of Hard Rock's 127 globally recognized rock ‘n roll themed restaurants. The Green Lodging Certified by the State of Florida, AAA, Four Diamond rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 16 restaurants and lounges, 40,000-square-feet of meeting room space, a European-style spa, auto salon, 22 retail shops, 14 nightclubs, Paradise Live, and Hard Rock Live. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327-ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com.
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