Full Transcript for Roberta Flack – The Architectural Blueprint of Quiet Fire 🏛️🎹🔥

00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:57.919 She she thought that that's the way it was going to be for her. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:04.719 And but the dean at Howard, he sat her down and delivered a heavy reality check about the music business and zoning laws of the late 50s. 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:06.479 And we know all about the 50s. 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:08.080 We've talked about it endlessly. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:14.080 The dean warned her that the mainstream classical world was intensely cutthroat and deeply segregated, like who knew, right? 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:20.319 Making it impossible or nearly impossible for a black or a black female classical pianist to get booked or earn a sustainable living. 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:28.240 And he explicitly advised Roberta to get her specification stamped in the music education program so she'd always have an unshakable financial foundation. 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:29.519 Exactly, Matt. 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:30.879 Absolutely brilliant advice. 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:41.759 Yeah, and in taking that advice, Roberta graduated with her bachelor's degree in music education at just 19 years old and immediately went straight into graduate studies at Howard to keep leveling up her academic credentials. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:46.000 Then the ultimate structural crisis hit the job site and the bottom fell out. 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:51.600 Her father passed away suddenly, and the family was left facing an immediate, crushing economic deficit. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:57.279 Roberta had to drop her graduate studies completely and find a paycheck to support herself and help her family survive. 00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:06.480 Luckily, a college friend from Howard stepped up and helped her secure a job teaching English and music at HB Sugg School, a small segregated school down in Farmville, North Carolina. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:07.519 Can you imagine, Mel? 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:12.959 She was only 19 years old teaching kids who were practically her own age, making a meager$2,800 a year. 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:13.839 I mean, really? 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:18.079 But she treated that classroom like a high fidelity laboratory, she did. 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:18.720 Oh man. 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:27.199 She introduced those students to everything from classical melodies to heavy spirituals, and her school choirs completely dominated, winning every single competition that they entered. 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:28.879 She surely did dominate, Max. 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:37.040 Roberta later proudly stated that the very first time she ever felt true success wasn't in a Hollywood recording studio, but inside that Farmville classroom. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:41.680 And after a year of saving money in North Carolina, she migrated back to Washington, D.C. 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:42.879 to teach in the public schools. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:48.160 She went straight to work as a classroom general contractor, teaching music and English at These's junior high schools. 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:55.839 And that deep master level literacy and choral arrangement and music theory became the low-bearing pillar for her entire recording philosophy later on. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.040 And this is exactly when the dual shift grind was activated. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:09.120 The daytime teaching job was her financial anchor, her shield against poverty, her way to pay the bills while she spent her nights playing in clubs, refining her voice, and waiting for the industry to finally catch up to her blueprint. 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:13.600 And that meant pulling a brutal 14-hour dual shift lifestyle max. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:20.000 She was managing rowdy classrooms by day, and then immediately shifting onto her night shift down a Capitol Hill Club called Mr. 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:24.639 Henry's, and then competing in classical spaces as a young black woman in the 1950s. 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:29.839 Right, navigating that classical space while holding down a teaching job was an intense high-stakes battle, too. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:35.120 Against the rigid zoning laws of the 50s and the 60s, man, Roberta, she didn't just play the piano. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:40.480 She pretty much had to engineer a completely unique parallel track to survive the institutional racism of the era. 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:47.680 So when Roberta entered classical piano competitions or performed in traditional concert halls, well, the social zoning laws were stacked heavily against her. 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:57.040 As a young black woman, fuck, she had a routinely had to enter through the back door of performance venues and faced judges who openly discounted her style and technique simply because of her race. 00:06:57.199 --> 00:06:58.160 And you know what, Mello? 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:02.639 Well, she navigated this by refusing to let them see her sweat or shaking her alignment. 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:03.600 Fuck them, right? 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:04.959 Out of girl, take no shit. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:08.399 Well, so fam, she doubled down on a flawless execution strategy. 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:17.360 And Roberta played with such undeniable, pristine military grade precision that the judges literally could no longer deny her entry or her high marks. 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:21.120 Man, she had weaponized her classical training to force them to look past their prejudices. 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:33.360 And Max, because the elite mainstream classical concert world remained heavily segregated and made it nearly impossible for a black female pianist to secure a premier booking or make a living, Roberta used her teaching position as a workaround. 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:41.839 And here again, she took advantage of all the advanced knowledge of European orchestration, Bach, Chopin, and channeled it directly into her junior high school choirs. 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:43.120 Just like in Farmville, right? 00:07:43.199

--> 00:07:45.600 But here she wasn't just anchored to one location. 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:53.920 She was mobile, teaching choir and music across three specific junior high schools Brown Junior High, Rabot Junior High, and Banneker Junior High School. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:57.279 And at Rabault Junior High, she was actually known to her students as Mrs. 00:07:57.439 --> 00:07:58.399 Novusel, Max. 00:07:58.639 --> 00:07:58.959 Who knew? 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:00.079 I'm picturing like a Mrs. 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:00.879 Doubtfire type. 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:01.279 Right, right. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:03.439 Yeah. 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.120 Because she was married to the prominent local jazz bassist Steve Novisol at the time. 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:13.439 Anyway, Max, she ran those inner city classrooms with absolute military grade discipline and high fidelity standards. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:14.240 Damn straight. 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:23.199 She forced her junior high vocal students to rehearse their harmonies over and over until their execution was mathematically flawless, completely bypassing sloppy habits. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:25.199 And this DC Sounds familiar, doesn't it? 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:26.000 Yeah, yeah, really. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.680 Well, that DC public school run is exactly what collided with her discovery. 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:39.919 She would clock out from running choral arrangements for junior high kids at 3 p.m., then head home to give private piano lessons on Euclid Street to make extra cash, and then pack her gear to hit the stage at Mr. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.080 Henry's or the Tivoli Theater for the night shift. 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:43.840 Yeah, teaching wasn't a side hustle. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:45.519 She was half-assed in Soul Farm. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:56.159 Her deep background as a certified coral and conductor is the exact reason why she knew how to meticulously layer her own background vocals and track harmonies with frame accurate precision later on at Atlantic Records. 00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:00.000 Man, she was a teacher at heart, and she used the classroom to perfect that blueprint. 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:03.279 She taught her students how to stack vocal harmonies with classical precision. 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:13.840 By turning her segregated classrooms into high fidelity vocal laboratories, while her student choirs completely dominated the state circuits, winning every single trophy on the board, just like she did down in Farmville. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:18.000 She found a loophole to express her classical genius when the standard concert halls shut her out. 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:24.000 And ultimately all navigating the brick wall of the classical piano world is what forced her into the ultimate career rezoning. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:25.120 She started singing. 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:27.919 Roberta was originally just as strictly a pianist. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:29.679 She didn't consider herself a vocalist. 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:42.000 But as she began playing lounge gigs to supplement her teaching salary, well, she realized that combining her sweeping spacious classical piano arrangements with an intimate whispering vocal style, hey, that was a blueprint for an industry that had never seen anything like it. 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:42.559 Mm-hmm. 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:43.759 That's right, Soul Fam. 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:50.799 Roberta Flack bypassed the segregated classical gatekeeper's entire Yeah, by creating a brand new lane, Symphonic Soul. 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:51.279 Holla. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:53.919 By the time she landed her legendary residency at Mr. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:10:02.240 Henry's, she was using her classical mastery to reframe popular music, slowing down pop and folk songs to an unquantized operatic crawl. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:09.039 And when the classical world wouldn't give her a seat at the table, she simply built a brand new skyscraper that she owned 100% of the deed to. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:12.639 Oh, yeah, but she didn't let those systemic barriers shake her alignment, Mellow. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:17.200 She let her flawless execution do the talking until the industry could no longer deny her entry. 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:17.919 Up at Mr. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:26.480 Henry's, she refined the ultimate performance specification, the ability to hold a raucous late-night bar crowd, completely spellbound, with nothing but that whispering piano ballad. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:30.000 She was acting as her own booking agent, stage manager, and musical director. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:31.279 She surely was, Max. 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:39.200 Roberta Flack built the frame from the ground up Soul fam, and that's the opening lesson for every up-and-coming artist trying to make it in today's music scene. 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:43.360 You have to master your craft in the dark before you can ever stand under the stadium lights. 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:46.879 Drop your thoughts on the feedback floor, fam, because we're throwing to our first break. 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.240 That's right, you're listening to Max and Mel's Architects of Soul, and we'll be right back. 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:51.600 Stick around. 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:25.039 And before we dive deeper into the Roberta Flag Matrix, if you like this content, please give a like and subscribe to our channel. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:30.639 And remember, there is a video version available on our YouTube page if you feel like watching the stuff is just listening. 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:35.840 And if you have a moment, we'd love it if you checked out our music, which is also on our YouTube page. 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:41.360 All right, so Mello, when we last left Roberta at the end of the last segment, she was teaching by day and working at Mr. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:42.960 Henry's at night and making some noise. 00:11:43.200 -->

00:11:44.159 Oh, yeah, right, Max. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:45.200 You know, I used to play Mr. 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:45.600 Henry's. 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:46.080 That's right. 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:47.440 Many a wonderful performance there. 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:48.879 As a matter of fact, what they did at Mr. 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:54.320 Henry's was if you did the open mic night, which was every Tuesday, and the audience reacted well to that, they would book you for other nights. 00:11:55.200 --> 00:12:00.399 Eventually, me and my friend Tracy G, the legendary Tracy Gendaries got our weekly night there at Mr. 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:05.440 Henry's, and Gene Carn had been there, the main actor on the weekends, and then after that, Julia Nixon was the main act on the weekends. 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:06.080 But it was Mr. 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:08.000 Henry's was that kind of place where a lot of people got their start. 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:08.960 Donnie Hathaway also. 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:09.600 That's very cool. 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:13.039 Absolutely amazing experience for both you and Roberta, I'm sure. 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:15.279 So Soul Fam, let's talk about Mr. 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:16.080 Henry's for a second. 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:18.559 So it seems Henry Yaffe, who is the owner of Mr. 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:24.159 Henry's, brought Roberta into the venue framework in 1968 to hold down the stage five nights a week, three sets a night. 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:29.120 Which, of course, she probably did a mic open night night too, just like you did, and then ended up getting a gig. 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:32.240 So word had spread heavily across the local music scene. 00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:38.000 The local tracking meters were redlining, and Roberta was officially the new girl everyone in town was talking about. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:38.879 And why, Mella? 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:39.440 Why? 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:43.600 Because Roberta was such a badass that she wasn't just drawing neighborhood crowds at Mr. 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:44.080 Henry's. 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:47.120 No, Max, she surely wasn't making a small splash. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:54.960 She had built such a regional intense reputation that A-list entertainers, musicians, and comedians who were in town performing their own marquee shows. 00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:56.559 Pretty much anyone who is anyone. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:57.200 Exactly. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:00.639 They would deliberately head down to Capitol Hill late at night just to witness her sets. 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:08.879 Icons like Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Ramsey Lewis, Carmen McCrae, and Johnny Mathis were already sliding into those church pews upstairs at Mr. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:12.799 Henry's to audit the and ingest her performance layout, and she was killing it. 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:14.080 She was, Mellow. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:21.039 So Roberta gets booked to perform at a benefit concert held at the legendary Bohemian Caverns for the inner city ghetto children's library fund. 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:27.039 And because it was a major community benefit, the room was packed with elite cultural figures, including Les McCann. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:34.159 And for those of you who don't recognize the name, Les McCann was a powerhouse jazz pianist, vocalist, and an absolute founding member of Soul Jazz. 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:41.840 Emerging in the late 1950s and dominating the 60s and the 70s, Les McCann rejected the overly academic whole jazz formats of his era. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:51.200 He injected raw, heavy elements of RB, traditional black gospel, and deep pocket funk straight into the jazz piano frame, essentially helping mother the entire soul jazz movement. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:14:02.240 He is best known for his absolutely smoking legendary multi-platinum 1969 live album with saxophonist Eddie Harris, a badass record called Swiss Movement, which was recorded at the Montreal Jazz Fest. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:07.759 And that record, well, it featured his iconic, explosive anti-Vietnam war protest single compared to what it was. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.320 Which is a motherfucking killer. 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:11.279 Killer. 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:15.039 Which became a massive generational crossover smath. 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:16.240 Seriously, we love massive. 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:17.919 I must be realizing that by now. 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:19.759 Anyway, it was a monstrous song, though. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:28.799 And because his rhythmic pocket and Fenderow's electric piano grooves were so mathematically perfect, his catalog became an absolute goldmine for modern music production. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:34.240 His tracks have been sampled, looped, and flipped by hundreds of hip-hop and RB legends, including Dr. 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.080 Dre, Notorious B.I.G. 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:38.240 Snoop Dogg and Pete Rock. 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:38.879 Badass. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:41.279 Yeah, so here's Roberta taking the stage to play. 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:50.399 She stepped up to the piano, completely untruncated her vocal power, and delivered a set so commanding that Les McCann didn't just dig the performance, he was spiritually floored. 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:51.519 That's right, Soul Fam. 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:57.360 The room was completely packed, and she delivered a performance that put a massive spike in those emotional meters. 00:14:57.519 --> 00:14:58.480 I mean, unbelievable. 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:02.720 In Les's own words, she didn't just sing, she shattered the standard template. 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:09.279 But because it was a festival-style benefit, setting with multiple moving parts, well, Les wanted to audit her in her natural habitat. 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:12.000 So he needed to see if she could actually repeat that performance. 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:12.399 Right? 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.200

So Les marched his ass straight over to her headquarters at Mr. 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:17.519 Henry's to catch her second set on her home turf. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:19.600 See if this girl really had it, right? 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:20.399 That's what he wanted to do. 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:20.799 Exactly. 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:28.960 So Mello, he sat upstairs in the church pew seating of the Roberta Flack room and watched her run a full three-set night shift entirely on her own terms. 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:33.440 And that second visit was the exact moment that Master Inspector signed off on the blueprint. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:38.960 Seeing her handle a crowded rowdy bar with total operatic discipline and classical authority is what completely broke him. 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:42.240 That night, he knew it wasn't just a one-time fluke at the caverns. 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:44.960 He realized she was an unshakable institution. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:57.200 And get this, Mellow, he was so thoroughly convinced after that second look that he bypassed the standard submission channels, made a rogue demo tape, and used his heavy Atlantic Records capital to execute the corporate raid the very next week. 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:59.360 He had to be a hundred percent sure, and Mr. 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:00.639 Henry's gave him that confirmation. 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:03.440 Les McCann wasn't just a world-class showman. 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:10.559 He was an artist of supreme integrity who wasn't afraid to use his massive star capital to break down corporate industry doors for other independent creators. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:13.039 And she was such a fresh, explosive powerhouse. 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:15.120 She was so hardcore. 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:15.679 It was unreal. 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:16.879 Yeah, and he was so impressed. 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:17.360 He was. 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:21.039 That is exactly where the ultimate behind-the-scenes architect steps into play. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:22.080 And that's the cat. 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:22.639 Uh-huh. 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:28.399 The powerhouse jazz pianist and recording artist that Les McCann was, and we always talk about this soul, fam. 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:30.559 Every massive, massive construction project. 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:35.600 Yeah, it needs that first master inspector to validate that foundation. 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:38.879 And Les was the general contractor who cracked the safe for Roberta. 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:40.960 He walked into that upstairs room at Mr. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:45.200 Henry's one night and sat down, and his acoustic meters were completely floored. 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.039 Man, he didn't just leave a tip and catch a cab back to his hotel either, Mellow. 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:53.360 Les McCann was already a highly respected developer within the Atlantic Records framework. 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.639 So compelled to get her noticed, Les immediately became her champion. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:03.120 He made a demo tape of her music, as we said before, took it directly to Atlantic Records, and arranged an audition with producer Joel Dorn. 00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:04.799 Atlantic was convinced. 00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:07.599 They sent an official scout to watch her play her regular set at Mr. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:09.599 Henry's, and while they signed her on the spot. 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:14.880 It was purely a case of one master musician recognizing another and refusing to let the talent go unheard. 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:18.319 He flew straight to New York and marched right into the executive suites of Atlantic. 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:28.880 Now you gotta remember, Soul Fam, the record business at the time was an absolute boys club, completely skeptical of signing an independent, classically trained school teacher who refused to perform standard radio friendly commercial pop. 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:29.680 Well, what do you think? 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:37.920 So Mel, let's audit how Roberta finally broke through the major New York label zoning laws because early on, man, she was completely invisible to the mainstream marketplace. 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:47.440 The music scene at large back then was heavily zoned for high tempo, high-energy tracks, leaving zero space for Roberta's spacious, slow-crawling classical folk soul fusions. 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:51.920 But McCann used his own artistic capital as an unbroken structural shield. 00:17:52.079 --> 00:17:56.480 He practically demanded that the label executives open up their floor plan and give her an audition. 00:17:56.640 --> 00:18:03.599 He set up a frame-accurate three-hour studio tracking session where Roberta laid down a staggering 42 songs back to back. 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:04.240 Take that. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:08.559 Okay, completely leveling the production team with her absolute technical literacy. 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:14.559 Thanks to McCann's relentless push, Atlantic signed her, paving the way for her 1969 debut album First Take. 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:23.279 Yes, and her performance moved him so deeply that he wrote in the liner notes of that record her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I've ever known. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.599 I laughed, cried, and screamed for more. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.920 That's a pretty deep thing to write with someone's record. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:30.400 But now look at the next hurdle on the ledger mellow. 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:33.680 When first take dropped, the commercial floor failed completely. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.960 Pop radio programmers, they didn't have any idea how to index it. 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:44.160 They wanted loud driving numbers, and Roberta's record was filled with spacious, slow-moving arrangements that corporate execs though would stall out in the market. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:47.839 And the master tapes, well, they sat

dead in the vault for nearly three full years. 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:53.920 But here's the major lesson for modern independent artists navigating a completely different algorithm-driven music scene today. 00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:54.720 You gotta believe it. 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:58.079 Yeah, Roberta didn't cave to the label pressure to redesign her sound. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.640 She stood her ground and trusted her original blueprint. 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:01.200 Badass. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:09.200 That stubborn structural integrity paid off massively when Clint Eastwood heard the deep acoustic space of the first time ever I saw your face while driving. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:12.640 Yeah, he bypassed the standard label promotional channels entirely. 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:20.640 He pulled that three-year-old track out of the vault for his psychological thriller to play Misty for me and drove it straight to a number one massive global crossover smash. 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:26.480 It shows every creative today that when your materials are high integrity, your timeline will eventually sync up with the world. 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:31.279 Stick around because up next we're auditing the greatest dual vocal engine partnership in the history of Seoul. 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:35.200 You're hanging with Max and Mellow's architect of Soul, so don't go nowhere. 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:14.559 The Howard University connection between Donnie Hathaway and Roberta Flack is legendary. 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:18.400 It's essentially the foundation of one of the greatest vocal pairings in music history. 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:29.359 Roberta was a prodigy entering Howard on a full scholarship at just 15, graduating with a degree in music education, and Donnie, well, he arrived a bit later also on a fine arts scholarship, majoring in music theory. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:34.880 While Roberta's time at Howard slightly predated Donnie's, their worlds absolutely overlapped on the Washington, D.C. 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:35.839 music circuit, Max. 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:37.359 Like I told you, Donnie also played Mr. 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:38.960 Henry's out Howard. 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:41.839 Um they ran There's that whole little cycle in the city. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:42.240 Yeah. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:48.079 They ran in the same ultra-talented circles of young black classical and jazz musicians who were redefining the city's sound. 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:54.960 Even before they recorded a single Note Together as duet partners, Roberta knew exactly who Donnie was and deeply respected his genius. 00:20:55.200 --> 00:21:05.279 On that 1969 debut album, First Take, and 1970s Chapter 2, she was already covering and recording compositions that Donnie had a hand in, even bringing him in to play piano and arrange. 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:05.759 That's right. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:08.960 And so Mello, by 1971, both were signed to the Atlantic roster. 00:21:09.119 -->

00:21:12.799 Donnie under the Aqua Subsidiary and Roberta under the Atlantic Aegis. 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:14.640 Both had massive critical acclaim. 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:15.440 Oh, massive. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:15.920 Massive. 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:18.720 But our boy, the amazing Atlantic executive Jerry Wexler. 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:19.359 Here he is again. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:24.720 Check him out in our Atlantic Sound Podcast, season one, episode 16 and 17, y'all. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:25.359 That's right. 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:28.240 Well, Jerry noticed, well, Jerry noticed there was something missing. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:32.079 They hadn't broken through to the massive commercial crossover audiences they deserve. 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:41.759 And Wex, well, being the fucking genius that he was, he had a vision to pair them up, thinking, hey, a joint project could consolidate their fan bases and elevate both of their profiles. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:42.559 Hmm. 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:47.680 So when they reconnected in the studio in New York, man, the chemistry wasn't just professional. 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:53.279 It was like immediate, organic, and deeply rooted in that shared Howard Classical and Gospel Foundation. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:55.519 Man, they didn't just sing together. 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:57.599 They anticipated each other's phrases. 00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:58.079 Beautifully. 00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:58.799 Mellow, man. 00:21:58.880 --> 00:21:59.200 It was unreal. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.759 The pocket on a genetic level. 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:09.200 Donnie brought those dense, symphonic, gospel-inflected chord structures, and Roberta brought that pristine, spacious, emotionally devastating control. 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:10.880 Yes, sir, Soul Fam. 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:19.519 That reconnect gave us their self-titled 1972 duets album, yielding masterpieces like Where's the Love and Be Real Black for Me. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:26.640 It wasn't just a label-engineered pairing, it was a reunion of two old school musical soulmates who spoke the exact same dialect. 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:29.119 And Max, they weren't just singing standard duets. 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:32.559 They were weaving intricate counter melodies like twin classical instruments. 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:38.160 Man, the sonic alignment on those tracking passes was completely magnificent. 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:42.079 Take a skyscraper hit like Where's the Love in 1972? 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:45.359 The track wasn't even originally engineered for their ledger. 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:50.640 It was written by Ralph McDonald and Bill Salter, and it was intended for fifth dimension members Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davidson. 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:51.279 And what did they do? 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:52.000 They passed on it. 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:52.480 Can you believe it? 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:58.000 When they passed, it landed in the hands of producers Joel Dorn and my man Arif Martino. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:22:58.400 Arif. 00:22:58.480 --> 00:22:59.279 You've heard about it in the Atlantic. 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:01.920 You'll hear Arif's name a lot because he produced everybody. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:04.319 And then straight to the hands of Roberta and Donnie. 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:13.920 Roberta saw the blueprint, recognized the spiritual potential, grabbed Donnie, and turned it into an absolute masterclass in light, breezy, yet structurally flawless pop soul. 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:18.640 In the session, Mello, well, it was an absolute masterclass in effortless organic synergy. 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:22.000 They tracked their vocals simultaneously, facing each other in the studio. 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:24.079 They didn't punch in their harmonies line by line. 00:23:24.240 --> 00:23:25.599 Man, they sang it down together. 00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:33.839 Donnie's warm, church-inflected tenor and Roberta's pristine classical control locked in so tightly that their phrasing became mirrors of one another. 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.039 And Melo, Donnie's contribution went way beyond singing. 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:41.680 Sitting at the roads, he anchored the groove with a deceptive, understated simplicity. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:49.200 And while the musicians from the Atlantic Session Circuit often noted that recording with Donnie and Roberta felt less like a job and more like Sunday morning gatherings. 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:51.599 Man, there's no competing for the spotlight. 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:57.039 The mutual respect was so high that they inherently knew when to lean in and when to give each other room to breathe. 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:03.920 Well, soul, fam, as we know, that track was an instant smash, winning them a Grammy for best pop performance by a duo or group. 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:04.480 Holla. 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:14.240 Yeah, but as their joint star soared, Donnie's mental health battles with severe paranoid schizophrenic began to take a heavy toll, distancing him from the industry and from Roberta for several years. 00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:15.039 Yes, Mello. 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:20.240 And as we talked about in the last season's Donnie Hathaway, Amy Winehouse, season one, episode 19, y'all. 00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:29.359 Donnie began exhibiting extreme paranoia, expressing fears that white people were trying to kill him and had connected his brain to a machine for the purpose of stealing his music and his voice. 00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:35.759 So by the late 1970s, Roberta was determined to help her friend heal through the one thing that they shared completely music. 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:44.480 After a successful reunion on The Closer I Get to You in 1977, which was originally supposed to be a duet, but Donnie's illness meant his parts had to be tracked separately later. 00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:45.440 He was suffering. 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:50.000 They officially

went into the studio in late 1978 to record a full second duets album. 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:54.960 The label executives, well, they were starting to view his unpredictable shifts as a severe corporate liability. 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:59.759 And they wanted to pull the plug on the entire project to protect their financial margins, of course, the businessmen. 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:05.440 But Roberta, man, Roberta, she was a badass because she flatly refused to let them abandon the scaffolding mellow. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:14.160 She used her massive newly acquired star capital to act as an unbroken shield, protecting Donnie from the corporate suite and turning the studio floor into a total acoustic sanctuary. 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:21.759 Man, if Donnie could only handle 30 minutes of tracking a day, well, Roberta would wait for hours, keeping the session musicians in the pocket until his frequency aligned. 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:28.400 The sessions were back together again, Max, written by James and Tumey and Reggie Lucas, carried an entirely different energy, though. 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:29.759 Music was changing. 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:34.720 The industry was leaning heavily into upscale, sophisticated disco and up tempo RB. 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:41.200 And Tume and Lucas laid down a brilliant driving rhythm track featuring Anthony Jackson's iconic bubbling bass line. 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:44.000 The atmosphere in the studio was charged with emotion. 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:47.759 The title of the song wasn't just a lyric, it was a literal celebration. 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:57.839 When Donnie stepped up to the mic, despite the immense personal struggles he was enduring outside of the studio, that impeccable pitch, vocal control, and innate gospel soul were completely intact. 00:25:58.079 --> 00:26:06.240 And the session featured an incredible line of vocalists on backups, including a young Luther Evangelist and Gwent Guthrie, all there to support the return of the masters. 00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:11.440 But the musicians reported that while Donnie was singing beautifully, his mental state was deteriorating. 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:12.640 So they stopped the session. 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:17.039 And they reportedly ended it early due to Donnie's exhibiting this irrational or delusional behavior. 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:31.519 And tragically, while the promise of that album was never fully realized, and on January 13th, 1979, during a break in the recording schedule, Donnie passed away after a fall from his 15th floor room at the Essex House Hotel in New York, where Berta was utterly devastated. 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:33.279 And the project was put on hold. 00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:38.000 But she eventually went back into the studio to finish the record using the vocals Donnie had already completed. 00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:43.599 Now that is what keeping the teamwork high and the ego low actually looks like in the practice, family. 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:46.720 She created a safe space for his genius to breathe. 00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:56.000 And when he tragically passed away in 1979 during the tracking of their final album, Roberta Flack, featuring Donnie Hathaway, a devastated Roberta didn't just liquidate the assets. 00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:56.799 No, she did not. 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:09.200 No, she faced down her deep personal grief, stepped back onto the tracking floor, completed the construction, and spent decades aggressively patrolling the music business to make sure Donnie's estate and legacy were permanently protected. 00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:14.799 Released in 1980, Max Back Together Again became a massive, massive poignant hit. 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:22.240 A celebratory, danceable masterpiece that stands as a beautiful final testament to the brotherhood and musical connection that couldn't be broken even by tragedy. 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:22.720 Exactly. 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:22.960 No. 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:25.119 And that's all it's a cookout classic now. 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:26.480 Well, it's a cookout classic. 00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:28.240 It is back together again. 00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:28.640 Yeah, yeah. 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:36.160 So this is a massive, massive lesson for upcoming RB and soul artists working in today's highly isolated digital music scene. 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:38.319 Seriously, and y'all need to listen to this. 00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:45.039 Back then, it was about real human solidarity, building a protective framework around your creative partners when the storm hits the job site. 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:47.920 You don't abandon the build just because the pillar is under stress. 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:49.599 You reinforce the frame. 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:50.240 Right? 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:57.680 We all stick together, we all help each other, we all rise together because support is everything, especially in this industry. 00:27:58.160 --> 00:28:00.720 Just to reinforce our frame, we're gonna take another quick break. 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:06.480 And when we come back from segment four, we're breaking down how Roberta built a secret identity to completely take over the control room. 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:07.680 Stay tuned, Sullivan. 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:32.160 Our music is waiting for you. 00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:46.079 We're stepping into second four. 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:51.599 And before we dive back into the world of Roberta Flack, if you like this content, please give a like and subscribe to our channel. 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:52.240 Please, please. 00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:57.440 Yeah, and remember there is a video version available on our YouTube page if you feel like watching instead of just listening. 00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:01.440 So, Max, we have to emphasize her incredible business literacy right here. 00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:05.519 Because the 1970s control room glass was an absolute boys' club. 00:29:05.680 -->

00:29:07.279 But we have to go back to Roberta's youth. 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:07.839 That's right. 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:13.839 As a kid practicing classical piano, Roberta would log hours doing rigid, grueling finger exercises, Soul Fam. 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:23.519 And whenever she got tired or frustrated, she would imagine her alter ego, Rubina Flake, effortlessly tearing through complex Chopin concertos with total glamour and flair. 00:29:23.680 --> 00:29:28.000 It was her childhood escape, a secondary musical soul where she had no limitations. 00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:34.079 And decades later, in 1974, while that childhood daydream became a necessary shield in the music business. 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:36.799 Rubina Flake returns to protect Roberta. 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:42.640 So during the recording of the fifth album, Feel Like Making Love, her longtime producer Joel Dorne stepped away from the project. 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:49.279 So rather than letting Atlantic hire another outside producer to dictate her sound, Roberta made the bold decision to produce the record herself. 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:53.359 Now, at the time the music industry was heavily dominated by men, as we said. 00:29:53.519 --> 00:29:57.200 It was incredibly rare for a black woman to be credited as a soul producer. 00:29:57.359 --> 00:29:59.839 Oh well, it was a total executive monopoly. 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:01.680 Anyone giving shit. 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:10.720 Label heads routinely paired female soul vocalists with heavy-handed male producers who tried to dictate the tempo, the instrumentation, and the overall sonic volume of the project. 00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:12.400 Oh yeah, uh not for Roberta. 00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:17.599 Because Roberta possessed way too much classical math to let anyone override her technical blueprints. 00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:27.680 And to completely bypass that institutional skepticism, she began secretly self-producing her own tracks under the brilliant shadow pseudonym Rubina Flake, making a safe space for Roberta. 00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:28.799 Yes, Max. 00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:39.279 Facing massive industry pushback and skepticism about her ability to run a mixing board, arrange, and manage a studio budget, Roberta summoned the fearless confidence of her childhood alter ego. 00:30:39.359 --> 00:30:47.680 So when the Feel Like Makin' Love LP dropped in 1975, the liner notes officially credited Rubina Flake for keyboards, background vocals, and production. 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:56.160 Using that name allowed Roberta to separate her identity as the polite, classically trained performer from the powerhouse executive calling the shots in a room full of suits. 00:30:56.319 --> 00:31:03.599 Rubina Flake was the version of her that didn't care about anyone else's restrictions, and it resulted in one of her absolute greatest self-produced masterpieces. 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:08.559 Yeah, she was literally acting as the undercover general contractor on her own multi-platinum sessions. 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:11.519 She gave the final engineering sign-offs and structural directions. 00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:22.400 And by the time the corporate suits realized that this flawless award-winning sonic infrastructure was entirely designed by Roberta herself, while she'd completely broken the glass ceiling for female music business literacy. 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:24.799 This is how you claim the deed to your own art, y'all. 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:26.000 Serious specs. 00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:27.759 She rewrote the code entirely. 00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:34.880 She made music industry history by becoming the first artist ever to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years. 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:40.640 In 1973 for first time ever I saw your face, and in 1974 for Killing Me Softly with this song. 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:45.279 And the blueprint for Killing Me Softly, wow, it was pure artistic innovation. 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:51.359 And in 1972, while on a transcontinental flight, she listened to an obscure version of the track by Lori Lieberman. 00:31:51.519 --> 00:32:03.359 She instantly recognized the global structural potential, grabbed a yellow legal pad right there in her seat, and sketched out a brand new layout featuring a heavy syncopated RB bass line and a classical vocal lift, recording it the second she landed. 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:07.680 She knew how to scale a simple folk frame into a panoramic masterpiece, Max. 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:11.920 And look how she applied that master builder philosophy into mentoring the next generation. 00:32:12.079 --> 00:32:16.400 In the mid-1970s, she heard a young unknown background singer named Luther Van Ross. 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:21.920 Now, before Luther Van Ross was Luther, he was the most sought-after session and background singer in New York City. 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:24.240 He'd worked with David Bowie and on Jingles. 00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:29.599 But his time singing Background for Roberta Flack is where the real magic and one of the best stories in RB history happened. 00:32:29.839 --> 00:32:30.160 Truly. 00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:31.039 And it's true. 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:38.160 Luther started singing Backup for Roberta on the road and in the studio during the mid to late 70s, recognizing his pristine vocal architecture. 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:39.599 And that guy could fucking sing. 00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:42.160 She didn't view him as a threat to her marquee, though. 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:51.440 She hired him for her touring band, paid him a massive salary to ensure his financial stability, and deliberately stepped back on stage to give him solo spotlights. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:33:02.960 Man, if you look closely at the credits for her 1978 self-titled debut album, which of course Rubina Flake produced, Luther is right there in the liner notes, laying down vocal textures right alongside Gwen Guthrie, as we

mentioned earlier. 00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:08.000 The absolute best part of their story, though, is how their professional relationship officially ended. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:15.279 Because Luther's vocal ability and his musical era were so massive he became Roberta's de facto stand-in during tour rehearsals. 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:27.920 So since Roberta was a big star, often had to do press or radio interviews during sound checks, well, while she was away, Luther would step up to her lead microphone to sing her parts so the crew could bounce the house sound and check the lighting directors, check the cues in the show. 00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:29.359 I mean, can you just imagine? 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:33.599 One day during a sound check at the theater, the house lights were completely dimmed. 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:41.039 Luther was on the stage, front and center, completely lost in the music, belting out her biggest hits, killing me softly, and the first time ever I saw your face. 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:44.720 I can only, only think that that must have been phenomenal. 00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:44.960 Uh-huh. 00:33:45.119 --> 00:33:48.880 And then put his whole heart and soul into everything he ever did, every time he sang. 00:33:49.039 --> 00:33:51.119 Can you just imagine what he was doing? 00:33:51.359 --> 00:33:53.599 Well, suddenly, though, the house lights came up. 00:33:53.680 --> 00:33:54.240 Like, uh-oh. 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:59.119 Roberta had quietly slipped back into the venue and was sitting in the empty audience watching him. 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:06.880 She walked down the aisle, looked right at him, and said, You know, you're getting a little too comfortable sitting on that stool in the background singing ooze and ahs. 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:10.079 I really want you to make your own statement and make your own record. 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:13.519 Luther always loved to tell the story by saying, in effect, she fired me. 00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:14.719 She fired me. 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:15.199 Right. 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:18.639 Whenever Roberta was asked about it later, she'd laugh and correct the record. 00:34:18.719 --> 00:34:22.000 You know, Luther likes to say that I fired him, but I never really fired him. 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:25.599 What I did was to encourage him to believe in his own ability to produce his first album. 00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:26.159 That's right. 00:34:26.239 --> 00:34:33.119 And she forced him out of the nest because she knew that keeping a voice like that in the background was a crime against music and humanity, if you ask me. 00:34:33.280 --> 00:34:39.840 Luther took that push, saved up the money he made working session gigs and touring with her, and he used it to fund the recording of his solo debut. 00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:42.079 And in 1981, he dropped never too much. 00:34:42.239 --> 00:34:43.920 And boy, it was definitely never too much. 00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:44.639 It's unbelievable. 00:34:44.800 --> 00:34:45.280 It's still a classic. 00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:46.079 It's still a classic. 00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:48.559 And the rest, of course, we know is history. 00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:51.280 It's just another testament to Roberta's incredible ear. 00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:59.039 Just like Les McCann recognized her genius and wouldn't let it sit in a DC nightclub, Roberta recognized Luther's and refused to let him hide behind her spotlight. 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:04.320 She literally engineered the structural launching pad that Luther needed to scale his own multi-platinum solo career. 00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:10.079 She taught every artist that the true power comes from sharing your platform and nurturing the upcoming talent in the room. 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:12.079 So we're heading into our final wrap-up of the day. 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:16.400 So keep your dials locked right here to this frequency, and we'll be back to put a bow on this puppet. 00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:20.400 You're listening to Max and Mellows, Architect of Soul, so stay with us, y'all. 00:36:11.119 --> 00:36:22.719 So, Mello, when you look at the total historical trajectory of Roberta Flack's journey, it stands as the ultimate operational manual on quiet fire, technical precision, and creative resilience for artists today. 00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:24.000 It really does, Max. 00:36:24.159 --> 00:36:34.880 She proved to every upcoming creator in RB and soul that you can hold total creative control over your architectural legacy if your foundation is anchored deep enough in music literacy and business authority. 00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:37.599 She had a remarkably long and enduring career. 00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:43.199 While she suffered a stroke in 2018 that limited her public appearances, she continued to be musically active. 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:54.400 And even after she could no longer physically play or perform Mello, in 2022, when her team had announced that she was battling ALS, which made it physically impossible for her to sing, she didn't let that limitation silence her impact. 00:36:54.559 --> 00:37:00.159 True to the blueprint of a wise mentor, she simply shifted her scaffolding towards film, television, and children's literacy programs. 00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:08.880 She oversaw the release of a featured documentary about her life called Interestingly Enough Roberta in late 2022, publishing a children's book about her musical beginnings. 00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:11.920 Well, that's also, interestingly enough, called The Great Piana, yeah. 00:37:12.079 --> 00:37:13.039 Right in 2023. 00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:16.800 Yeah, her structural foundation remains completely untouched and unbroken. 00:37:17.039 --> 00:37:20.400 Max, are we emphasizing this entire journey on the feedback floor today? 00:37:20.559 --> 00:37:28.079 That because the upcoming artists in today's scene need to understand that being a true creator means being the general contractor of your own life and your own business. 00:37:28.320 --> 00:37:29.360 A keyed soul fam. 00:37:30.159 --> 00:37:32.159 That is the final quality check for today. 00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:36.000 Protect your sound, own your voice, and always protect your master recording. 00:37:36.159 --> 00:37:36.800 That's right, Mel. 00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:40.159 Pack up your tools to protect your production team and keep the team mark high. 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:45.519 And as always, we want to close with our final thought and our hope for all of us our art, our craft, and our creations. 00:37:45.760 --> 00:37:53.119 Keep that soul fire burning, protect your sound, nurture your creativity, own your voice, and remember the lessons from the giants who came before. 00:37:53.280 --> 00:37:57.119 And yes, protect your masters and seek out wise mentors who can guide you on your journey. 00:37:57.199 --> 00:38:00.320 And until next we meet, peace and soul, y'all.