The Archie Bell & The Drells ~ Appreciation Thread (Official Thread)

Flower

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We need to show some love for Archie Bell & the Drells ~

Archie Bell & the Drells was a Houston, Texas, based R&B vocal group, 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), "Girl You're Too Young" (1969), "Here I Go Again" (also a UK hit in 1972[2]), "Soul City Walk" (1976), "Everybody Have A Good Time" (1977) and "Don't Let Love Get You Down" (1986).

Archie Bell (born September 1, 1944, Henderson, Texas), 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. Archie 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 songs including "She's My Woman" and "Tighten Up".

Surprisingly, Bell's promoter, Skipper Lee Frazier, began unsuccessfully 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, became a hit in Houston, and 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 and was consigned to a military hospital bed at the time. However the Army 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 brothers, Lee Bell (born January 14, 1946, Houston), had replaced Butler, and Lee became the band's choreographer.

After mediocre chart showings in the late 1970s, the group split in 1980. Archie Bell later released one solo album (I Never Had It So Good - 1981) on Beckett Records.



51JZwGH%2B-bL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I really like the above CD and Archie does a cover of (Sittin on) The Dock of the Bay that I really like and I'll post as soon as I locate a video .. :)

 
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Hepcat

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Re: The Archie Bell & The Drells ~ Appreciation Thread

"Tighten' Up" has one of my favourite organ riffs ever! It was ranked the #268 best tune of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. Here's a good clip of the fellows performing their signature hit on TV:



:****:
 

rtbuck

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Re: The Archie Bell & The Drells ~ Appreciation Thread

"There's Gonna Be Showdown" is always a regular on my playlist
 

Hepcat

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Re: The Archie Bell & The Drells ~ Appreciation Thread

Good organ sound from this band! Methinks this would be the Archie Bell & the Drells album to get:

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:****:
 

Nai Noswad

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Shame this thread is wrecked from deletions, Gamble & Huff.. fine pensmiths indeed - I used to play this in a Northern slot back in my DJ days...
Here I Go Again.
 

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