finetune artist: Archie Bell & The Drells

Once Americans got wind of the joyful guitar and bass licks and infectious drum breaks on "Tighten Up," they were goners, and Archie Bell & the Drells wrote their way into the soul music history books (and the story of how the song became a #1 hit is the stuff of legend). Though Bell and his bandmates were originally from Houston, they caught the ear of Philadelphia International's Gamble and Huff, who helped turn them into mainstays of the Philly Soul scene. After Bell returned from Vietnam in 1969, the group were able to tour and record several more albums over the course of the '70s. They had three more hits, but dissolved in 1980 for solo pursuits. Bell, however, continued to teach crowds how do the Tighten Up well into the 2000s.

Listen to Archie Bell & The Drells at Finetune.

(2008) Where Will You Go When The Party's Over
(2007) There's Gonna Be A Showdown
(2007) I Can't Stop Dancing
(2005) Rhino Hi-Five: Archie Bell & The Drells
(2005) Tighten Up
(1994) Tightening It Up: The Best of Archie Bell & the Drells

Tighten Up
I Can't Stop Dancing
Tighten Up Pt. 1
Let's Groove
Tighten Up Pt. 2