Richelle Fleming-Finney, the co-founder and lead vocalist of Philadelphia disco soul group First Choice died on Nov. 5 at age 72. The news was announced on the singer’s Instagram page over the weekend in a message that read, “It is with a heavy heart to share the passing of, Rochelle Fleming-Finney. She was the founder of the R&B group, ‘First Choice.’ She passed away on November 5, 2026 at the age of 72 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”
The memorial continued, “She bought light, laughter and love to the world. Services to celebrate her life will be announced at a later date. Thank you for your support during this difficult time.”
Fleming, who was born in Philadelphia on Feb. 11, 1954, formed her first vocal group in high school, the Debonettes, with fellow singers Annette Guest and Wardell Piper, later changing their name to First Choice while still students at Philly’s Overbrook High School. The budding dance soul group scored their first hit in 1973 with the early-disco burner “Armed and Extremely Dangerous,” which ran up to No. 11 on the Billboard R&B chart and had the hallmarks of the soon-to-explode genre, from syncopated bass to yearning vocals, a string section and a beat you could move your feet to.
Piper appeared on the group’s debut album, 1973’s Armed and Extremely Dangerous, but left shortly before its release, replaced by Joyce Jones on the LP that featured the funky workout “Smarty Pants.” Following the addition of Jones, the group charted their first legit chart hit, the string-soaked No. 7 R&B chart jam and title track from their sophomore release “The Player,” about a no-good double-dealer who they warned would “Shoot you down/ Right down to the ground.”
Following Jones’ departure, after releasing two LPs on Philly Groove, the group jumped to Warner Bros. Records and released their third LP in 1976, So Let Us Entertain You, featuring such disco chart staples as “First Choice Theme/Ain’t He Bad” and “Are You Ready For Me?” The act scored a number of other hits in the mid-to-late ’70s, including “Doctor Love,” “Guilty” and “Let No Man Put Asunder,” which has been sampled on dance tracks and remixes from UGK, Liquid Crystal, Special Ed, 2Pac, House of Pain, Nitzer Ebb and many more, and was covered by Mary J. Blige on her 1999 Mary album.
In 2019, J. Cole sampled the group’s song “Wake Up to Me” on his track “Middle Child” and, in a testament to the group’s enduring impact on techno and dance music, Kaytranada sampled “Love Thang” on his 2019 single “10%,” which won a best dance recording Grammy Award in 2021.
The group released its sixth and final album, Breakaway, in 1980 and split that same year. Fleming continued to perform as a solo act, releasing the singles “Love Itch” (1985), “Danger!” (1994) and “Suffer (The Consequences)” (1995), and reuniting the group in 1987 with two different singers and then again in 2014 with Guest, Ursula Herring and Piper for a one-off performance at a Salsoul Records celebration.
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