Rochelle Fleming is the most sampled vocalist in house music history. Her career began in the early 70s as lead singer for the Philadelphia R&B act, First Choice, where she belted out R&B radio hits like, "Smarty Pants", "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" "Newsy Neighbors" and "The Player". Because of the success of these tunes, all which were written and produced by the legendary team of Norman Harris and Allan Felder, First Choice became one of the freshmen acts of Harris' Gold Mine Records which was distributed by Salsoul Records.

First Choice's first single for Gold Mine was the tune, "Doctor Love" which rose to number 23 on the R&B charts. Some of their later releases firmly established them as dance floor favorites, including the classic, "Let No Man Put Asunder", "Love Thang", "Double Cross", and "Hold Your Horses". As dance music evolved into house music, there was a resurgence of interest in Rochelle Fleming as her voice was widely sampled by a variety of dance acts.

I recently caught up with Rochelle at the GLBT Expo held at the Javits Center in New York. We talked about her illustrious career and the elements that contributed to her staying power as an artist.



It was the first day of spring which some people associate with rebirth, and renewal. However, in order to move forward, one must look at the past. So it was no surprise that on this day as I was preparing to interview Rochelle Fleming, that I had a pleasant flashback from the early 70s.

I remembered working with some of the neighborhood girls on my stoop doing a dance routine for the song "Smarty Pants". Back in those days we used to mimic our favorite stars from Soul Train. Although the memory was at least 30 years old, the lyrics and choreography came back to me as if it were yesterday.

As I continued to reflect, I realized that this was probably one of the first singles that I had ever bought. If you were a kid like me, the magnitude of this purchase was great, as I had to save my allowance in order to buy this sacred piece of 7" vinyl. Yes, this song played a significant part in my musical development and I was very excited to share this discovery with Rochelle Fleming and re-connect with her.

I had met Rochelle a few times over the years and the thing that strikes me most about her is that she is probably the nicest person that I have ever encountered. Rochelle is one of those rare artists who knows where her bread is buttered, and will take every opportunity to let her fans know that she appreciates being appreciated. Rochelle's affection is genuine, and her joie de vivre is infectious.

I started our interview by asking Rochelle if she knew that there were 75,500 Google entries about her, to which she quickly replied, "Can I get cash? " and laughed. "Cash would be lovely."

I told her about the memory that I retrieved earlier and the fact that I remembered both the lyrics and choreography. We both laughed as she continued, "How about that? The fans seem to remember all of the words to my old songs."

I continued, "What struck me most about your earlier recordings was the social consciousness and the message that was in your music. A lot of your fans could be labeled as disenfranchised, and there is the misconception that these people have low morals." Smarty Pants addressed unwanted pregnancies, Armed and Extremely Dangerous warned about dating nefarious men, and Let No Man Put Asunder tackled monogamy in an age when monogamous relationships were not in fashion.

Rochelle responded that her writers Norman Harris and Allan Felder were instrumental to her success. "I don't think that they had a clue on the impact that they would have." She continued, "The members of First Choice were all 17 years old [when we started] and we had no idea that we would still be doing this 30 - almost 40 years later."

"I heard you were some brazen little girls, marching into (WDAS radio station manager) Georgie Woods' office and demanding an audition," I retorted.

"Yes we did, honey," countered Rochelle. "I said, I could sing and we proceeded to sing some Aretha for him. I sang, Oh Me, Oh My." In true diva fashion, Rochelle proceeded to give an a cappella rendition of this Aretha Franklin tune.

"Georgie Woods, I need a little moment now." said Rochelle as she reflected about her friend who was responsible for helping create acts like First Choice, The Stylistics, Blue Magic, and The Delfonics. Georgie Woods introduced the members of First Choice to Norman Harris and Allan Felder and music history was made. We continued to celebrate the lives of these three men who were responsible for her success.

I asked her if she missed the other members of First Choice, she replied, "Yes I do. We had hard times, but the majority of our career was fun. Of course, I was the clown – well both me and Ursula Herring. At the end of our shows, we would be laughing with the band. I miss the fact that we all actually grew up together. We met in 7th grade. We went to junior high and high school together. As we were marching down the aisle [for graduation], Armed and Extremely Dangerous was on the radio. Of course the kids knew who we were. That was awesome and it was a wonderful feeling. Ever since then, Philly has been very supportive of us."

Occasionally she runs into her fans on the streets who ask her, "Are you still singing?" Rochelle muses, "It's such a blessing [to be recognized] at this stage of my life..." Kidding with her, I feed her one of her signature sampled lines, "Every day of my life..." She repeated the line and we both cracked up.

Our conversation shifted as we discussed changes in the music industry. Radio has become more "corporate" and mom and pop record stores are a thing of the past. She credits her manager George Correia for introducing her to Facebook and other social media venues. "George is the best. I've had managers, and I've had managers. He reminds me of Stan Watson who was focused on developing our talent. What makes George great is that he's a fan first and a manager second. He has made me feel like a household name". I retorted, "Girl, with over 75,000 Google entries, you ARE a household name".

I asked her thoughts on being the most sampled artist in house music history. "I think it's great," Rochelle replied. She revealed to me that other artists like her who are sampled, including Loleatta Holloway, Martha Wash and Jocelyn Brown keep each other informed when they hear each other's vocals on tracks.

"Loleatta is really my buddy. Really. We came from Salsoul together along with Norman and Allan. Martha I met a little bit down the line, but I know Loleatta from way back. I tell you, we're like a network. I think it's a wonderful thing. I feel good that I'm the most sampled. I feel great to share that with them and I'm pretty sure that they feel the same way."

"At first I didn't like it. I was a little angry about it because we weren't working heavily [at the time]. I continued, "You weren't getting paid but it did allow your legacy to live on." Rochelle responded, "Yes it did." "That's why I thank the DJs that sampled me, like Chuck Rock and others."

"Let No Man Put Asunder" is featured in the motion picture, Precious. I asked Rochelle how did it feel to have her music included in this film. "That makes me feel fantastic because it's an excellent movie. Sitting home and watching movies that have my vocals in it freaks me out. I can't believe that someone is going through a lot of records and say, I want THAT record!"

I added that I thought it was more significant, because sound designers pick songs that evoke an emotional mood for what transpires on the screen. To have a track placed in a film further demonstrates the song's historical significance. Rochelle humbly continued, "Yes it does and I am very honored."

Our focus shifted towards Rochelle's philanthropic interests and her commitment to both the gay community and HIV/AIDS community. During her concert she mentioned one of her nephews that she lost to AIDS. Rochelle is very active in her church and sings on the Mass Choir. She also works with the Youth Department with her church and is a community activist, helping keep her urban neighborhood clean and safe for all of its residents.

Unlike most artists of her stature, Rochelle still lives in her mother's house. Some of her nieces and nephews were distraught when she converted her old bedroom into a walk-in closet, and Rochelle confided that the dresses and shoes took precedent.

In November, Rochelle was presented the Legendary Icon Award from the non-profit group, Our Youth Center, located in Jersey City. Our Youth is an organization designed to help gay-identified youth from the Tri-State New York metropolitan area.

"When they gave me the award, I thought it was so cool to receive it. "This was my first award. I drove up from Philly in the snow, but I don't mind doing events like this because it was my blessing [that I received]. I blessed them with my presence and time, and in turn they have done so much more for me. I'm very grateful for them. There are so many kids that just don't know who they are. It was an amazing experience...I had so much fun. I was having a good time in my four inch heels."

We talked about her experiences travelling and she mentioned the positive reception that she received in places like Guam, Korea, Italy, Okinawa, Panama and Japan. "I know I'm going to go back to these places again. You wouldn't believe the audiences. First of all, there are no clubs there, so the performances are in stadiums, and their crowds are HUGE! My songs and records are like brand new over there. In Japan, they were saying 'IT NOT OVER'. Even though they don't speak English, they have memorized all the lyrics to my songs. I'm looking forward to going back. I really am."

When queried if she has any plans to go back into the studio, Rochelle revealed that there are plans to record her first solo CD before the end of the year. Her other plans include acting and writing a book about her career. The focus of the book would address managers in the entertainment industry. She acknowledged that today's artists need to take a more active role in their management process. "That's the part I love now [management]. I am actually a part of my management team, whereas I wasn't before; [management] did everything for us."

At one point, she had to pay back taxes due to mismanagement. "My vision is clear. I have business managers that are on top of things and George of course, is amazing. Everything is working out as it's supposed to...I'm feeling good today. I dropped about 80 pounds and I'm feeling fabulous."

Her advice to new artists is for them to take active roles in their career development process. "Ask questions. Learn about the industry and know what's coming to you." She also advises, "Help other artists and don't be so quick for your head to swell up. The most important thing is to enjoy it because it may last long, or it may not."

Rochelle credits the gay community for her diverse fan base. "The Paradise Garage was the perfect example. The crowd was totally mixed and my mind was blown. It's been that way ever since. I've been performing for that kind of crowd [for 30 years]. I'm glad not to be known as just a black artist. It shouldn't be that way. Music is very universal." One thing is definitely clear about Miss Fleming's career: It's Not Over!

Carter Burnette for Soulinterviews.com

Related links:
Rochelle Fleming – Facebook Page
Discography at Discogs.com
Wikipedia: First Choice
All Music Guide: First Choice
All Music Guide: Rochelle Fleming
Wikipedia: Salsoul Records