Archie Bell & the Drells
Encyclopedia
Archie Bell & the Drells was a R&B
vocal group from Houston, Texas
, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff
's Philadelphia International Records
. The band's hits include "Tighten Up
", "I Can't Stop Dancing" (both 1968), "There's Gonna Be A Showdown", "Girl You're Too Young" (1969), "Here I Go Again" (also a UK
hit in 1972), "Soul City Walk" (1976), "Let's Groove", "Everybody Have A Good Time" (1977), and "Don't Let Love Get You Down" (1986).
, who formed the group, is the older brother
of world karate
champion (and lead vocalist of Motown's Dazz Band
), Jerry Bell, NFL
player Ricky Bell
(1955–1984), and Eugene Bell Sr. Bell moved to Houston as a young boy, and formed the group in 1966 with his friends James Wise, Willie Parnell and Billy Butler. They signed with the Houston-based record label
, Ovide, in 1967 and recorded
a number of song
s, including "She's My Woman" and "Tighten Up", which was recorded in October 1967 at the first of several sessions in which the Drells were backed by the instrumental group the T.S.U. Toronadoes
.
Surprisingly, Bell's promoter
, Skipper Lee Frazier, unsuccessfully began pushing the flip side
of "Tighten Up", but at the recommendation of a friend gave the other side a try. "Tighten Up", written by Archie Bell and Billy Butler
, contained Archie Bell infectiously prodding listeners to dance to the funky musical jam developed by the T.S.U. Toronadoes
, and it became a hit in Houston before it was picked up by Atlantic Records
for distribution in April 1968. By the summer it topped both the Billboard
R&B
and pop
charts
. It also received a R.I.A.A.
gold disc
by selling 1 million copies. The line in "Tighten Up", "we dance just as good as we walk" was a little ironic
, given that Bell had been shot in the leg while serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and was consigned to a military hospital
bed at the time. The Army
, however, began allowing him to tour later in the year, and discharged him on April 15, 1969.
The success of the single
prompted the band to rush out an album
, despite their incapacitated leader. In 1969 the group recorded their first full album with Gamble and Huff, I Can't Stop Dancing, which reached number 28 on the R&B
album chart. By this time another of Archie's brother
s, Lee Bell (born January 14, 1946, Houston), had replaced Butler, and became the band's choreographer
.
Reid Farrell, who was from Houston, Texas, was the guitarist who traveled and played with the group.
album (I Never Had It So Good - 1981) on Beckett Records and continued to perform with The Drells for the next twenty years. During the 1990s the lineup also included Steve "Stevie G." Guettler (guitar, vocals), Jeff "JT" Strickler (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Farrell (guitar, vocals), Mike Wilson (keyboards, vocals) and Wes Armstrong (drums, vocals) of the Atlanta based group The Rockerz
.
NOTE: "Let's Groove" also charted at #3 on the U.S. Dance chart.
NOTE: "Dance Your Troubles Away", while never released as a single, reached #11 on the U.S. Dance chart in late 1975.
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
vocal group from Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff
Gamble and Huff
Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff are an American songwriting and record production team who have written and produced over 170 gold and platinum records. They were pioneers of Philadelphia soul and the in-house creative team for the Philadelphia International record label...
's 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:...
. The band's hits include "Tighten Up
Tighten Up (Archie Bell & the Drells song)
"Tighten Up" was a 1968 song by Houston, Texas based R&B vocal group Archie Bell & the Drells. It reached #1 on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts in the spring of 1968. It is ranked #265 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is one of the earliest funk hits in music...
", "I Can't Stop Dancing" (both 1968), "There's Gonna Be A Showdown", "Girl You're Too Young" (1969), "Here I Go Again" (also a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hit in 1972), "Soul City Walk" (1976), "Let's Groove", "Everybody Have A Good Time" (1977), and "Don't Let Love Get You Down" (1986).
Early days
Archie BellArchie Bell
Archie Lee Bell is an African-American solo singer and former lead singer of Archie Bell & the Drells.-Background:...
, who formed the group, is the older brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
of world karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
champion (and lead vocalist of Motown's Dazz Band
Dazz Band
The Dazz Band is an American funk music band that was most popular in the early 1980s. Emerging from Cleveland, Ohio, the group's biggest hit songs include the Grammy Award-winning "Let It Whip" , "Joystick" , and "Let It All Blow"...
), Jerry Bell, NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player Ricky Bell
Ricky Bell (running back)
Ricky Lynn Bell younger brother of recording artist Archie Bell, was an American professional football player who played running back in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers from 1977 to 1982...
(1955–1984), and Eugene Bell Sr. Bell moved to Houston as a young boy, and formed the group in 1966 with his friends James Wise, Willie Parnell and Billy Butler. They signed with the Houston-based record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Ovide, in 1967 and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a number of song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s, including "She's My Woman" and "Tighten Up", which was recorded in October 1967 at the first of several sessions in which the Drells were backed by the instrumental group the T.S.U. Toronadoes
.
Surprisingly, Bell's promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
, Skipper Lee Frazier, unsuccessfully began pushing the flip side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of "Tighten Up", but at the recommendation of a friend gave the other side a try. "Tighten Up", written by Archie Bell and Billy Butler
, contained Archie Bell infectiously prodding listeners to dance to the funky musical jam developed by the T.S.U. Toronadoes
, and it became a hit in Houston before it was picked up by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
for distribution in April 1968. By the summer it topped both the 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,...
and pop
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...
charts
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....
. It also received a R.I.A.A.
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
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 selling 1 million copies. The line in "Tighten Up", "we dance just as good as we walk" was a little ironic
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
, given that Bell had been shot in the leg while serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and was consigned to a military hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
bed at the time. The Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, however, began allowing him to tour later in the year, and discharged him on April 15, 1969.
The success of the single
Single (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...
prompted the band to rush out an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, despite their incapacitated leader. In 1969 the group recorded their first full album with Gamble and Huff, I Can't Stop Dancing, which reached number 28 on the R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top 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...
album chart. By this time another of Archie's brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s, Lee Bell (born January 14, 1946, Houston), had replaced Butler, and became the band's choreographer
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
.
Reid Farrell, who was from Houston, Texas, was the guitarist who traveled and played with the group.
Later career
After mediocre chart showings in the late 1970s, the group split in 1980. Archie Bell later released one soloSolo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album (I Never Had It So Good - 1981) on Beckett Records and continued to perform with The Drells for the next twenty years. During the 1990s the lineup also included Steve "Stevie G." Guettler (guitar, vocals), Jeff "JT" Strickler (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Farrell (guitar, vocals), Mike Wilson (keyboards, vocals) and Wes Armstrong (drums, vocals) of the Atlanta based group The Rockerz
The Rockerz
The Rockerz were an American rock band originally from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, that experienced popularity in the Southeastern United States during the 1990s-2000s...
.
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 Billboard 200 The 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... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top 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... |
||
| 1968 | Tighten Up Tighten Up (Archie Bell & the Drells album) Tighten Up is an album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released under Atlantic in 1968. The design of the album cover was by Loring Eutemey.-Track listing:# "Tighten Up " - 3:10...
|
142 | 15 |
| 1969 | I Can't Stop Dancing I Can't Stop Dancing I Can't Stop Dancing is a 1968 album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label Atlantic.-Track listing:# "I Can't Stop Dancing"... Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
-- | 28 |
| There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown is a 1969 album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label Atlantic.-Track listing:# "I Love My Baby"# "Houston Texas"# " Showdown"# "Giving Up Dancing"... Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
163 | -- | |
| 1975 | Dance Your Troubles Away Dance Your Troubles Away Dance Your Troubles Away is a 1975 studio album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label TSOP Records and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Track listing:# "Let's Groove" -6:04... 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:... |
95 | 11 |
| 1977 | Where Will You Go When The Party's Over
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:... |
-- | 47 |
| Hard Not To Like It
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:... |
-- | -- | |
| 1979 | Strategy
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:... |
-- | 37 |
| 1981 | I Never Had It So Good
|
-- | -- |
Billboard Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US HOT 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... |
US 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,... |
UK 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 ... |
|||
| 1968 | "Tighten Up Tighten Up (Archie Bell & the Drells song) "Tighten Up" was a 1968 song by Houston, Texas based R&B vocal group Archie Bell & the Drells. It reached #1 on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts in the spring of 1968. It is ranked #265 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is one of the earliest funk hits in music... "
|
1 | 1 | -- | Tighten Up Tighten Up (Archie Bell & the Drells album) Tighten Up is an album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released under Atlantic in 1968. The design of the album cover was by Loring Eutemey.-Track listing:# "Tighten Up " - 3:10... |
| "I Can't Stop Dancing I Can't Stop Dancing I Can't Stop Dancing is a 1968 album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label Atlantic.-Track listing:# "I Can't Stop Dancing"... " |
9 | 5 | -- | I Can't Stop Dancing I Can't Stop Dancing I Can't Stop Dancing is a 1968 album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label Atlantic.-Track listing:# "I Can't Stop Dancing"... |
|
| "Do The Choo Choo"
|
44 | 17 | -- | ||
| "Love Will Rain On You"
|
-- | 25 | -- | ||
| "There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown is a 1969 album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label Atlantic.-Track listing:# "I Love My Baby"# "Houston Texas"# " Showdown"# "Giving Up Dancing"... " Thom Bell Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:... , Leon Huff, & Bobby Martin's Orchestra |
21 | 6 | 36 | There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown is a 1969 album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label Atlantic.-Track listing:# "I Love My Baby"# "Houston Texas"# " Showdown"# "Giving Up Dancing"... |
|
| 1969 | "I Love My Baby"
Thom Bell Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:... , Leon Huff, & Bobby Martin's Orchestra |
94 | 40 | -- | |
| "Just A Little Closer"
|
128 | -- | -- | ||
| "Girl You're Too Young"
Thom Bell Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:... 's Orchestra |
59 | 13 | -- | ||
| "My Balloon's Going Up"
|
87 | 36 | -- | ||
| "A World Without Music"
|
90 | 46 | -- | Single only | |
| "Here I Go Again"
Thom Bell Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:... 's Orchestra |
112 | -- | 11 | There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown There's Gonna Be a Showdown is a 1969 album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label Atlantic.-Track listing:# "I Love My Baby"# "Houston Texas"# " Showdown"# "Giving Up Dancing"... |
|
| 1970 | "Don't Let The Music Slip Away"
|
100 | -- | -- | Single only |
| "Wrap It Up"
|
93 | 33 | -- | ||
| 1973 | "Dancing To Your Music"
|
61 | 11 | -- | |
| "Ain't Nothing For A Man In Love"
|
-- | 36 | -- | ||
| "You Never Know What's On A Woman's Mind"
|
-- | FLIP | -- | ||
| 1975 | "I Could Dance All Night"
|
-- | 25 | -- | Dance Your Troubles Away Dance Your Troubles Away Dance Your Troubles Away is a 1975 studio album by American funk band Archie Bell & the Drells, released by the record label TSOP Records and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Track listing:# "Let's Groove" -6:04... |
| "The Soul City Walk"
|
-- | 42 | 13 | ||
| 1976 | "Let's Groove" (Part 1)**
|
-- | 7 | -- | |
| "Don't Let Love Get You Down"
|
-- | -- | 49 | Where Will You Go When The Party's Over | |
| 1977 | "Everybody Have A Good Time"
|
-- | 68 | 43 | |
| "Glad You Could Make It"
|
-- | 63 | -- | Hard Not To Like It | |
| 1978 | "I've Been Missing You"
|
-- | 56 | -- | |
| 1979 | "Strategy"
|
-- | 21 | -- | Strategy |
| 1981 | "Any Time Is Right"
|
-- | 49 | -- | I Never Had It So Good |
See also
- List of soul musicians
- List of disco artists (A-E)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart
- List of Soul Train episodes
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
External links
- Archie Bell article on The Standard Report website
- Archie Bell; My Space
- Music Legends Part 2: Archie Bell & The Drells
- Biography at the Soul-Patrol website
- Archie Bell & the Drells at PhillySoulClassics.com
- [ Archie Bell & the Drells biography] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
- Recording Sessions for Archie Bell & The Drells: Atlantic Records
- Archie Bell & The Drells' Complete Chart Discography at MusicVF.com