In 1971 keyboardist and vocalist Frank Brunson assembled the Philly funk outfit People's Choice. The founding roster included drummer and percussionist David Thompson, vocalists Valerie Brown and Marc Reed, guitarists Darnell Jordan and Johnnie Hightower, keyboardists Clifton Gamble and Bill Rodgers, and bassist and vocalist Stanley Thomas. Their first release arrived that year on the Phil-L.A. of Soul label, where the single "I Likes to Do It" rose to number nine on the R&B chart and cracked the pop Top 40. Philadelphia International later took them aboard, pairing them with Leon Huff for the disco-funk standout "Do It Any Way You Wanna." Ranked among the standout '70s Philly dance tracks, it became their only R&B chart-topper and came close to but did not reach the pop Top Ten. A scattering of smaller hits followed on Casablanca, TPC, and Mercury through the early '80s, after which the band dissolved. Brunson died in 2007, yet Thompson fronted a reconstituted lineup throughout the 2010s. In 2017 People's Choice issued Jammin' Philly Style, which mixed updated versions, covers, and fresh material.
