Former Teacher Made Grammy History with "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly"

Decades after the fact, Roberta Flack still is recognized as the only solo artist to win Record of the Year for two consecutive years, 1973 and 1974. She won the initial award for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Here, you can listen to a 2006 remastered version from Rhino Atlantic. Also on YouTube, there's a compelling live music video posted by AI Videoworks. It's from Flack's 1975 performance recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, upscaled to 4K using Machine Learning.  Flack sang beautifully, but her music didn't take off right away. When it did, her career soared to rarefied heights. Although she didn't repeat the remarkable success she had in the '70s, she kept on working until a particularly cruel disease took away her voice.The thumbnail photo of Flack, taken in 1976, is credited to Atlantic Records. You can go to Wikipedia to see other photos including one that's in the chapters. Taken in 1995 at the Meyerhoff theater in Baltimore, Md., the later photo is credited to John Mathew Smith and Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com and is available for use under the license CC BY SA 2.0. The artwork framing two sides of the thumbnail photo was created by Bob Jones. Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the music tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many. Send us Fan MailThis is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.