First Choice founder and lead singer Rochelle Fleming dies at 72
The gist
Rochelle Fleming-Finney, founder of the R&B group First Choice, died at 72 in Philadelphia.
Her group's 1973 hit helped define Philadelphia soul and disco.
How it unfolded
- Feb 11, 1950Rochelle Fleming was born.
- 1973First Choice broke through nationally with "Armed and Extremely Dangerous," which reached #11 on the R&B chart and also hit the pop Top 30 and UK Top 20.
- Nov 5, 2026Fleming-Finney died at age 72 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Key terms
- Philadelphia soul
- A late 1960s–1970s soul music genre with funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements.
- disco
- A dance music genre and subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from US urban nightlife.
- R&B chart
- A weekly Billboard chart ranking the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States.
Source: Wikipedia