All of this is to say that I first encountered Roberta Flack’s music through the voice of my mother. I don’t remember which song or songs, I just remember hearing my mother sing a song that was on the radio.

Mike Connolly directed a BBC documentary telling her life story and gives an insight into the magic of her voice. Rreporter Karen Gabay.

I’m thinking of this in the wake of Roberta Flack’s death. The brilliant vocalist’s life story has been much in the news of late. It’s a fascinating tale of determination, skill, and happenstance, and the telling of it was important because,