Joyce Jones (born July 30, 1949) – You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (1974)
After replacing Wardell Piper in First Choice, Jones sang on this killer early disco jam from their classic LP The Player, co-produced and arranged by Norman Harris.
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Singer Joyce Jones was a member of the Philadelphia-based vocal group First Choice from 1973-75.
Jones replaced the group’s original member Wardell Piper, who went solo after the success of their early single “Armed and Extremely Dangerous.” It hit #11 R&B, #28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became the title track to their debut LP.
Their second album The Player (1974) was First Choice’s only studio album to feature Jones. It was produced by Stan Watson and Norman Harris, although many would argue Watson’s co-production credit was in name only. One of its highlights was the killer early disco jam “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth.”
It was arranged by Harris, who also co-wrote it with two other all-star Philly songwriters, Bunny Sigler and Allan Felder. Although released on Watson’s Philly Groove Records, the album’s studio musicians were almost entirely members of MFSB, the Philadelphia International Records house band. They included Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey on keyboards, Bobby Eli on guitar, Ronnie Baker on bass, Earl Young on drums, and Larry Washington on congas and bongos. The LP was mostly recorded at Sigma Sound Studios.
The album’s title track was released as a single, “The Player - Part 1,” with Part 2 on the flip. It hit #7 R&B, even higher than “Armed And Extremely Dangerous,” although it peaked much lower on the Hot 100 at #70. “The Player” would be their highest-ever charting R&B single, even though First Choice released four more full-length albums during the rest of the seventies and had several additional dancefloor hits like “Doctor Love,” “Hold Your Horses,” and “Double Cross” that made them disco favorites.
#soul #funk #disco #FirstChoice #JoyceJones