The People's Choice (band)
Encyclopedia
The People's Choice was an American
funk
band
formed in 1971 in Philadelphia by Frank Brunson. While they had several vocalists, their biggest hits
were instrumental
s.
, "I Likes To Do It," got to #9 on the U.S.
Billboard
R&B
chart
and #38 on the Billboard Hot 100
. A short time later Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff saw People's Choice in concert, and told Brunson that they wished the group had recorded "I Likes To Do It" for Philadelphia International Records
. Gamble & Huff signed the group up in 1974, and it was with them that they had another hit single
with "Do It Any Way You Wanna
. It sold over one million copies in three months, and was awarded a gold disc
by the R.I.A.A. in November 1975. This song was used in Fred Williamson
's 1976 film Death Journey.
Brunson died on November 24, 2007 after a long illness.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
formed in 1971 in Philadelphia by Frank Brunson. While they had several vocalists, their biggest hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
were instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
s.
Career
Their debut singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "I Likes To Do It," got to #9 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
and #38 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. A short time later Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff saw People's Choice in concert, and told Brunson that they wished the group had recorded "I Likes To Do It" for Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:...
. Gamble & Huff signed the group up in 1974, and it was with them that they had another hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
with "Do It Any Way You Wanna
Do It Any Way You Wanna
Do It Any Way You Wanna is a 1975 crossover hit by the Philadelphia based R&B/dance group, People's Choice. The single made it to number one on the soul singles chart for one week and crossed over to the pop singles chart, peaking at eleven. "Do It Any Way You Wanna" was also successful on the...
. It sold over one million copies in three months, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the R.I.A.A. in November 1975. This song was used in Fred Williamson
Fred Williamson
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s.-Football career:...
's 1976 film Death Journey.
Brunson died on November 24, 2007 after a long illness.
Former members
- Frank Brunson - keyboards, vocals (died on November 24, 2007, at age 78).
- David Thomson - drums
- Darnell Jordan - guitar
- Johnnie Hightower - guitar
- Stanley Thomas - bass, vocals
- Valerie Brown - vocals
- Guy Fiske - Guitar
- Roger Andrews - Bass
- Marc Reed - vocals
- Clifton Gamble - piano, synthesizer
- Bill Rodgers - piano, synthesizer
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Pop Singles Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. Black Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. Disco Singles | U.S. Club Play Singles Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 1971 | "I Likes to Do It" | 38 | 9 | - | - | - |
| 1973 | "Let Me Do My Thing" | - | 45 | - | - | - |
| 1974 | "Party Is a Groovy Thing" | - | 45 | 6 | - | - |
| 1975 | "Boogie Down U.S.A." | - | - | - | 11 | - |
| "Do It Any Way You Wanna" | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 36 | |
| "Nursery Rhymes (Part I)" | 93 | 22 | - | 15 | - | |
| 1976 | "Here We Go Again" | - | 52 | 1 | 8 | - |
| "Movin' in All Directions" | - | 52 | 1 | - | - | |
| "We Got the Rhythm" | - | - | 3 | - | - | |
| "Jam Jam Jam (All Night Long)" | - | - | - | - | 40 | |
| 1980 | "You Ought to Be Dancin'" | - | - | - | 8 | - |
Albums
- Boogie Down U.S.A.Boogie Down U.S.A.Boogie Down U.S.A. is a 1975 debut album by the American funk band The People's Choice. The single "Do It Anyway You Wanna" is an example of the early disco-soul movement from Philly.-Track listing:Side A#"Do It Anyway You Wanna" - 3:13...
(TSOP RecordsPhiladelphia International RecordsPhiladelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:...
, 1975) U.S.Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
# 56, U.S. Black AlbumsTop R&B/Hip-Hop AlbumsTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
#7 - We Got the Rhythm (TSOP Records, 1976) U.S. #174, U.S. Black Albums #38
- Peoples Choice (Casablanca RecordsCasablanca RecordsCasablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
, 1980) - Strikin (Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, 1984) - Turn Me Loose (Philadelphia International)