Saying Goodbye to Roberta, Gwen, and Jerry
We have lost three major major voices of soul music in the last several days. This morning, the iconic Roberta Flack passed away en route to a hospital. The cause was cardiac arrest. Just a couple of weeks ago, she celebrated her 85th birthday.
Just last Friday, Gwen McCrae passed on at age 81. She suffered a stroke back in 2012 and was forced to stop working. And last Wednesday, the legendary Jerry Butler, who has suffered from Parkinsons Disease, left at age 85.
Needless to say, all three of them accompanied us through our lives. I remember the first time I’ve heard Roberta’s “Feel Like Making Love”. I was 16 and blown away. Luckily, I was able to see her twice. Once with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre in Harlem and then again at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague in the early 90s. Her version of “It Might Be You” from “Tootsie” remains in my alltime favorite list of songs. “Back Together Again” with Donnie Hathaway is on the same list…Those almost 10 minutes are pure bliss. I never had the chance to see either Gwen McCrae or Jerry Butler perform live, but their legacies live on forever. Gwen’s “Keep The Fire Burning” was part of my DJ sets for many many years. May they all rest in peace. We thank you for all the beauty.
