Stevie Wonder And Rev Al Sharpton Honor Roberta Flack’s Memory

NEW YORK (AP) — A public memorial service bursting with choral music and the Berklee College of Music’s Nebulous String Quartet, with Stevie Wonder and the Rev. Al Sharpton also on the bill, celebrated the life and legacy of Grammy-winning singer and pianist Roberta Flack.

Flack’s songs “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song” made her a global star in the 1970s and beyond. She died last month at age 88.

Wonder was among the artists scheduled to perform during the service at a historic Harlem church, while Sharpton was to deliver the eulogy, according to the memorial program.

Flack was an influential performer with an intimate vocal and musical style that ranged easily between soul, jazz and gospel.

Her “Celebration of Life” memorial was livestreamed at www.RobertaFlack.com and on YouTube.

Here are some highlights:

For the memory of a singing legend, an historic location

Flack’s memorial was open to the public at The Abyssinian Baptist Church. Founded in 1808, it is one of the oldest Black Baptist churches in the U.S.

The church was decorated for the ceremony with stunning white and yellow bouquets and filled quickly beforehand. At center, a screen showed a young Flack at the piano and played highlights of her career.

It was a fitting location: Flack grew up with church gospel and her mother played organ at the Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia. As a teen, she began accompanying the church choir on piano.

The program featured a powerful quote from Flack.

“Remember: Always walk in the light,” it read. “If you feel like you’re not walking in it, go find it. Love the Light.”

A celebration of a life in music … with music

“Many of us are here today because she has touched not just our hearts but she also touched our souls,” said the Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, the senior church pastor who led the service.

Choir performances including a rousing rendition of “Amazing Grace” came in between a video recollection of Flack’s life and scripture readings.

“That’s what we call church, y’all,” Johnson said at the close of one choral performance.

Organ and piano riffs played off and on in the background.

“She just sang the song. She let you hear the lyrics. She let you understand the beauty. But I also want you to understand that this woman was also a pure genius,” Santita Jackson, daughter of the Rev. Jesse…