First Choice is an American

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

and

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment ( a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but ...

trio from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Their R&B and disco hits included "

Armed and Extremely Dangerous ''Armed and Extremely Dangerous'' is the debut studio album recorded by the American female vocal trio First Choice, released in 1973 on the Philly Groove label. History The album features the title track, which peaked at #28 on the ''Billboard ...

", "Smarty Pants", "The Player (Part 1)", "Guilty", "Love Thang", and "Doctor Love". They were signed to soul label Philly Groove Records and to disco label Gold Mind in addition to Warner Bros. Records and Salsoul.

Career

The First Choice began singing in high school as the Debonettes. The group consisted of lead singer Rochelle Fleming, Annette Guest, Wardell Piper and Malanie McSears. They performed in clubs after school in and around Philadelphia. They were introduced to record man Norman Harris by radio DJ Georgie Woods. Harris produced their first single "This Is the House Where Love Died". The single failed to chart nationally but was played in Philadelphia and dance club across the U.S. Their next release was "Armed and Extremely Dangerous". The single quickly became an R&B top 11 hit in early 1973 and making the UK top 20. Wardell Piper quit the group to go solo before their first album was released, and is not pictured on the sleeve although she did sing on the album. She was replaced by singer Joyce Jones. Their new hit enabled the group to get national exposure on TV shows such as ''Dinah'', ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

'' and ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

''. Other R&B hits followed. "Smarty Pants" went to number 25 R&B and became the group's biggest UK single reaching number 9 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, "Newsy Neighbors" and "The Player" which became their biggest R&B hit peaking at number 7. The band switched labels in 1976 for Warner Brothers Records. Jones left the group and was replaced by Ursula Herring. At Warner's they recorded dance floor hits including "Gotta Get Away From You Baby", "Ain't He Bad" and the album title song, "So Let Us Entertain You". In 1977, the trio switched labels again this time recording for their producer Norman Harris' label, Goldmine Records, where they got their biggest dance single, the infectious "Doctor Love". The single was from their album, ''Delusions'', that

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

critic Ed Hogan regarded as the trio's best LP. The next release came in March 1979 called ''Hold Your Horses''. Ursula Herring left and was replaced by Debbie Martin. The LP contained the dance hits "Love Thang", "Double Cross" and the title track "Hold Your Horses". The trio officially disbanded in 1980 however, in 1983, Sal-Soul Records released "Let No Man Put Asunder" from their 1977 album, ''Delusions''. That single rose to number 13 on the ''Billboard'' dance chart and has become the group's signature song and still a current favorite on the

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the late 1970s, as DJs began altering ...

scene. Rochelle Fleming continued to record and perform internationally as a solo artist. Annette Guest became a successful songwriter writing for artists such as

Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as " Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' from 1974 to 1979. The song "Home" from t ...

. Official members Annette Guest and Ursula Herring, along with Andre Jackson, are currently performing again as The First Choice.

Legacy and re-union

The group was influential to early

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

and techno music, because of sampling by many artists, including Todd Terry and The Jungle Brothers, mostly from First Choice's 1977 track, "Let No Man Put Asunder". That track was also covered by Mary J. Blige on her 1999 album, '' Mary''. On August 6, 2014, First Choice performed a reunion concert at East River Bandshell, New York City, with original members: Rochelle Fleming, Annette Guest, Wardell Piper and Ursula Herring. The concert featured many of the group's ex-label mates from Salsoul Records. The group is still performing, but without Rochelle Fleming. In 2019, rapper J. Cole sampled their song "Wake Up to Me" in his song " Middle Child."

Members timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

*''The Best of the First Choice'' (1976, Kory) *''Greatest Hits'' (1992, Salsoul) *''Philly Golden Classics'' (1994, Collectables) *''The Best of First Choice'' (1994, Southbound) *''Greatest Hits'' (1996, The Right Stuff) *''The Best of First Choice'' (1997, Charly) *''The Best of First Choice: Armed & Extremely Dangerous'' (1999, Philly Groove) *''The Ultimate Club Collection'' (2001, Philly Groove/ The Right Stuff/

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerou ...

/ EMI) *''The Anthology'' (2005, Suss'd) *''The Greatest Hits: It's Not Over'' (2006,

Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east ...

) *''The Best of First Choice'' (2007, Metro Doubles)

Singles

References

External links

*
First Choice discography at the Soulwalking Web Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:First Choice American dance music groups African-American girl groups American rhythm and blues musical groups Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups from Philadelphia Bell Records artists Salsoul Records artists Warner Records artists