Black Mountain in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Roberta Flack

— NC Musicians Mural Trail —

Photographed by Mark Parker, July 11, 2024

1. Roberta Flack Marker

Inscription.
February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, NC

Roberta Flack is a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist renowned for her smooth, "velvety" voice. Born in Black Mountain in Buncombe County on February 10, 1937, she was one of four children of Laron and Irene Flack. Flack was exposed to gospel music from an early age, as Mahalia Jackson sang at another church across the street from her house. Flack's musical style has been fluid, moving between jazz, folk, soul, R&B, and pop and she has won a total of four Grammys, all between 1972 and 1974. Flack has tended to avoid stylistic definitions, commenting on her reputation as a jazz performer that: "I don't enjoy being labeled as a jazz musician. I think it's limiting." In 2007 she founded the Roberta Flack School of Music at the Hyde Leadership Charter School in New York City. In 2009, she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Muralist: Scott Nurkin

Erected 2020 by NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music •

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Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Grammy Award Winners series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 10, 1936.

Location. 35° 37.011′ N, 82° 19.18′ W. Marker is in Black Mountain, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. It is on Broadway Street (North Carolina Route 9) 0.1 miles north of Sutton Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Marker is on lower right of the mural on the north wall of Black Mountain Brewing. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 131 Broadway St, Black Mountain NC 28711, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Mountains and in Greater Asheville.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8

Roberta Flack Marker and Mural image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, July 11, 2024

2. Roberta Flack Marker and Mural

other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Grey Eagle (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Black Mountain (about 400 feet away); George Winslow Whittington (about 500 feet away); The Town of Black Mountain (about 500 feet away); The Old Depot Association (about 500 feet away); Hustle and Bustle (about 500 feet away); Up to Black Mountain (about 500 feet away); The Center of It All (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Black Mountain.

Wide shot of Roberta Flack Mural and Black Mountain Brewing image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, July 11, 2024

3. Wide shot of Roberta Flack Mural and Black Mountain Brewing

Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 344 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 11, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.