Disco singer Rochelle Fleming dies
The gist
Rochelle Fleming, lead singer of Philadelphia disco group First Choice, died in Philadelphia at age 72.
Her sampled vocals shaped house and hip-hop for decades after the group split.
How it unfolded
- Feb 11, 1954Rochelle Fleming is born in Philadelphia.
- 1971First Choice forms in Philadelphia with Fleming, Annette Guest and Wardell Piper.
- 1973First Choice signs with Philly Groove Records; "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" reaches No. 11 on Billboard's R&B chart and No. 28 on the Hot 100.
Key terms
- house
- A style of electronic dance music with a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat, created by Chicago DJs in the 1980s.
- sampled
- Portions of existing sound recordings reused as sound material in another recording or composition.
- Billboard's R&B chart
- A weekly Billboard chart ranking the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States.
Source: Wikipedia