Archie Bell & the Drells

Vocal group Archie Bell & the Drells are known most "Tighten Up," a funky, handclap-happy soul single that reached number one on Billboard's R&B and pop charts in 1968. The Houston-based group, which featured, at varying times, Archie's brother Lee Bell, Billy Butler, Joe Cross, Lucious Larkins, Willie Pernell, and James Wise, went on to work extensively with Philly soul architects Kenneth Gamble and/or Leon Huff. Throughout the '70s, Bell and the Drells combined their increasingly smooth and sophisticated sound with top-rate showmanship, amassing a total of 20 charting single...