The Pulse of Entertainment: Roberta Flack's ‘No Reserve' Julien's
Auction Garners Over $200,000 For the Roberta Flack Foundation's Mission to Educate Young Artists
(June 2, 2026) - "It's two of us...Suzanne Koga and I,"
said Joan Martin of the Roberta Flack Foundation as we talked about the recent Julien's
Auction "Roberta Flack: Style, Art and Music No-Reserve Benefit Auction' for the Roberta Flack Foundation's
mission to educate young artists/musicians. "I've been with Roberta since 1987 as her business manager. I did everything
to keep the business going."
"We are auctioning off her fashions," she continued. "Some industry
people are excited that she saved her many gowns from 70's to present day."
"We
went through her things with a representative at Julien's Auction. All her possessions are to be sold, and proceeds go to
the Foundation...(things) that are most of value to the public," Joan pointed out when I asked what items were being
auctioned off.
The Roberta Flack Foundation financially supports the education of young musicians and artists like she was
when she started out in 1969. People in her community saw her talent and helped her nurture it and through her ventures she
was doing the same before she passed away.
"(The auction) is a big gift...the Foundation can do some things to help people
like her," Joan said. "Roberta, as a young person...showed her talent early. She was playing for the church (under
10 years-old), but she needed more education. Her community sponsored her (education)."
"The main item is her piano," Martin said when I mentioned how I want to see who buys her piano. I stated
that my image of Roberta Flack is always at the piano.
"She was classically trained at Howard," Joan added.
"We
are looking for musically inclined youth...young girls...get them the lessons they need and can't afford but have the talent.
Art was the first thing to go in schools," she added.
Roberta
Flack, the legend, went on to become a 5-time Grammy Awards winning artist/musician and the songs she recorded are still played
as if they came out this year. She gave us hits like "Back Together Again", "Feel Like Making Love to You",
"First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Tonight I Celebrate My Love"
featuring Peabo Bryson, and "The Closer I Get to You" featuring Donnie Hathaway. She helped Luther Vandross become
a legend too because he was one of her backup singers. Her duets with Donnie Hathway and Peabo Bryson set the tone for duets.
She started
as an artist/musician at Atlantic Records and was still recording music and performing in her 80s. She also garnered nine
Grammy nominations, was honored with an American Music Award and nominated for five AMAs. Roberta Flack was also the first
solo artist that was a recipient of the Grammy Awards' "Record of the Year". Flack founded the Roberta Flack School
of Music at the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the Bronx to educate and inspire young artists/musicians as she was educated
and inspired at a young age.
The Julien's Auction "Roberta Flack: Style, Art and Music No-Reserve Benefit Auction' was
a success. The big sellers were her grand piano (Bosendorfer Imperial), that I asked about, that was given to her by her record
label Atlantic Records at $48,000 and an 18K gold collar-necklace with diamonds, tourmaline and peridot at $70,400 which is
5-times its worth. There was a long list of other items such as an autograph to her from John Lennon sold for $8,960 and an
autograph poster from Miles Davis at $5,760! A gown she wore during a televised performance sold for $5,120. In addition,
an autographed poem from Maya Angelou sold for almost $2000 and her 1973 American Music Award for "Favorite Soul Female
Artist" sold for $2,880. The total of the Julien's Auction "Roberta Flack: Style, Art and Music No-Reserve Benefit
Auction' garnered for the Roberta Flack Foundation $218,880. www.RobertaFlack.com www.RobertaFlackFoundation.com
SYNDICATED
COLUMNIST: Dr. Eunice Moseley has
an estimated weekly readership of over one million for her column The Pulse of Entertainment. She
is the publisher of the digital magazine www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com, which has an estimated 160,000 visitors a month. An entrepreneur, Dr. Moseley’s company, Freelance Associates, is
a business management/public relations strategic planning and consulting firm that is celebrating 32 years in 2025. Dr. Eunice
also serves as professor for the School of Business at Stanton University in Anaheim, California and serves as promotions
director (at-large)/journalist and business consultant for The Baltimore Times. Dr. Moseley founded the Uplifting
Minds II Foundation (www.UpliftingMinds.com) in 2023, a 501 C3 with a mission to empower the underserved through three major programs – One Stop Business Shop,
the ULMII Professional Conference and the ULMII Academy (business management and public relations). EVENTS:
"Uplifting Minds II" Entertainment Conference (ULMII), was launched by Dr. Eunice in 1999, to educate aspiring
artists/musicians about the business of entertainment – www.UpliftingMinds2.com. Next ULMII Entertainment Conferences for Baltimore on Saturday April 18, 2026, presented by Security Square
Mall and The Baltimore Times, and for Los Angeles on Saturday, November 7, 2026, presented by The Pulse of Entertainment
and the ULMII Foundation. The ULMII conferences are free with virtual access via Zoom. ULMII entertainment conference offers
a Professional Panel Q&A Session, a Professional Talent Showcase and International Talent Competition where the top three scored acts receive the ULMII Best Act Award and
over $20,000 valued in prizes/product/services and cash!
