Robert Flack – Legend & Goddess

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

So, last night I met Roberta Flack. I’m still not really understanding how this happened, but picture this: my Wednesday night SGA songwriter’s group gathered around a dining room table as we do every Wednesday when our gracious host, Ann Ruckert, says, “I hope you can stay a little bit after time tonight because Roberta Flack is on her way over.” Ummm….ok. I guess we could stick around for that. So, Roberta Flack comes in in a rush of hair and aura and divaness, in all her glory and she is surprised to see us all there. But she sits down, so regal, and I swear the air in the room changed. Everybody shut up. What was she going to say?

She talked about Whitney. She got a little emotional. She talked about her new album of Beatles covers. (Her cover of The Long and Winding Road is my favorite!) She talked about her upcoming concerts – at the Kennedy Center in October with the Symphony Orchestra, how traveling to far off lands like Australia and Japan to perform isn’t as easy as it used to be. She spoke about her relationship with her neighbor Yoko and how she heard John Lennon composing Imagine through the apartment walls. Holy @*&^?! How is this happening? Roberta Flack is a legend and we’re all sitting around the dining room table listening to her talk like she’s our favorite aunt sharing stories about life.

To top off this incredible night, our illustrious mentor, Ms. Ruckert, had a couple of us give Ms. Flack our newest CDs. And then Ms. Flack says, “Can you autograph it to me?” WTF. What are you supposed to write on your CD to a MUSICAL ICON? I don’t know, but I’m definitely not going to forget this night for a long time. The night I met a musical goddess and legend…. and got to autograph my CD to her! So grateful and happy!