If you thought 2020 was weird, 1968 makes COVID-19 and the madness surrounding it look like your niece’s tea party. It remains one of the most tumultuous single years in history, marked by historic achievements, brutal assassinations, a disputed war, and protests that swept through countries worldwide. It was also the year Ford introduced the Mercury Cougar and Archie Bell and The Drells topped the charts.

This 1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E is one of 394 units produced with the GT-E option package for 1968 and came from the factory with a 428ci Cobra Jet V8,

Occurring at the dawn of the television age, the events of 1968 played out on screens across the country, bringing them home in a way that had never been possible before. 1968 was also the zenith of old-school Detroit muscle and classic soul, pop, and rock and roll as well. Ahhh, what a time to be alive.

The difference between protestors from 1968 and 2020 was hippies wore cooler clothes and no masks…

The perfect driving experience, the melding of music and machine is what Cars and Guitars are all about. So buckle up, drop it into reverse, and floor it back a thousand years to 1968, when Texas soul music and upscale pony cars roamed the earth. This time, let’s look at the 1968 Mercury Cougar and the song “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell and the Drells. We’ll also zoom in on the events of the day, reconstructing the pop culture arena that sprouted these two icons.

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Archie Bell and the Drells: The Texas Soul Sensation

Archie Bell and the Drells were one of the most popular and influential soul groups of the late 1960s and 1970s. Their catchy songs, funk-a-liscious grooves, and energetic performances made them a favorite among fans of R&B, funk, and disco. But who was Archie Bell and the Drells, and how did they hit the big time?

Archie Bell was born in Henderson, Texas, on September 1, 1944, and moved to Houston with his family when he was a wee lad. He grew up in an ambitious household, with his mother singing gospel, and his brother Ricky going on to NFL stardom. Archie started singing in church and local clubs at an early age, and formed his first group, Little Pop and the Fireballs, when he was in junior high school. He later changed the name to the Drells, inspired by his favorite group, the Dells. The original Drells consisted of Archie’s buddies James Wise, Willie Parnell, L.C. Watts, and Cornelius Fuller.

Getting A Big Break

The group began performing at talent shows and dances before they caught the ear of a local DJ and record label owner, Skipper Lee Frazier. Frazier signed them to his Ovide label in 1967 and booked studio time for them to record some songs with a backing band called the TSU Tornadoes.

One of these songs was “Tighten Up”, an infectious tune that Archie and Billy Butler (a member of the Tornadoes) penned together. The song featured Archie’s distinctive introduction: “Hi everybody. I’m Archie Bell of the Drells from Houston, Texas. We don’t only sing but we dance just as good as we walk.” The video is a snapshot of the fashion and the dance steps of the day. The sound is thin and slightly distorted, but it is all that remains of this moment and we’re lucky it survives.

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The song was originally released as the B-side of “Dog Eat Dog”, but soon DJs started playing “Tighten Up” instead. The song became a huge hit in Houston, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in the region. Atlantic Records noticed the buzz and picked up the song for national release in April 1968. By the summer, “Tighten Up” went straight to number one on Billboard R&B and pop charts, selling over a million copies and clinching a gold record.

Duty To Country

Archie was not able to revel in his success right away. The US was at war with Vietnam and he had been drafted into the army in May 1967. He was stationed in Germany when “Tighten Up” became a hit.

The group continued their contract with Atlantic Records, working with producers like the legendary Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who would later become famous for creating the “Philly Soul” sound. The group scored more hits with songs like “I Can’t Stop Dancing”, “There’s Gonna Be a Showdown”, “Girl You’re Too Young”, and “Here I Go Again”.

PIR Records

In 1973, the group moved to Gamble and Huff’s own label, Philadelphia International Records (PIR), where they recorded four more albums. Their PIR hits included “Soul City Walk”, “Let’s Groove”, “Everybody Have a Good Time”, and “Don’t Let Love Get You Down”. They also collaborated with other PIR artists like The O’Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and MFSB.

Influential Music

Although the band disbanded in 1980, Archie Bell and the Drells left a lasting legacy on soul music history. Their songs have been sampled by artists like Public Enemy, De La Soul, Janet Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, and many others. They have also been covered by artists like R.E.M., David Bowie, The Clash, Talking Heads, Phish, Yo La Tengo, and more. Archie suffered a stroke in 2022 and currently lives in a nursing facility in Houston.

On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassination spread riots across major American cities, lasting for days afterward.

Chaos At Home And Abroad

The events of 1968 were harrowing, to say the least. The Tet Offensive was a massive coordinated attack by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces against South Vietnam and its allies, which shocked the world and further soured Americans’ opinion of the war.

The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy sparked widespread grief, anger, and unrest in the United States, as well as a wave of sorrow around the world. The Apollo 8 mission was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon, sending back stunning images of Earth and changing the perception of the universe forever.

Robert F. Kennedy, gaining momentum in his presidential campaign, won the California primary—and was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 4th, 1968. Gunman Sirhan Sirhan, a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian descent, is captured at the scene. Now 73, he is serving life in prison.

The Sign Of The Cat

Unlike the Mustang or other pony cars of this era, the Cougar XR-7 offered a swanky leather interior.

The Cougar was powered by a range of V-8 engines, from the base 200-hp 289cid to the optional 320-hp 390cid V8. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, but the majority of Cougars came with either a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. The GT package added stiffer suspension, disc brakes, dual exhausts, and special badges. The Dan Gurney Special package added chrome engine dress-up items, upgraded tires and mag wheels, and unique exterior trim.

428cid engine was the biggest you could get in Cougar for 1968.

In 1968, the Cougar received some minor cosmetic changes, such as a revised grille and side marker lights. The engine lineup was also expanded, with the addition of the 335-hp 428-cu.in. Cobra Jet V-8 and the rare 390-hp 427-cu.in. V-8. The latter was part of the GT-E package, which also included special hood scoops, stripes, and emblems. Only 394 GT-Es were built, making them highly sought-after by collectors today.

No Cougar ad would be right without a girl with a big cat on a lead.

The Cougar was a big hit for Mercury, selling over 150,000 units in its first year and over 113,000 units in its second year. It won several awards from automotive magazines, including Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for 1967. It proved to be a race track terror, winning several Trans-Am races with drivers like Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, and David Pearson.

The rarest version of the Cougar is not based on a certain trim package or drivetrain. It’s a regional model that was sold only in Atlanta and Washington DC in 1968 as the Cougar 500. It was a promotional model similar to the Mustang Twister Special and California Special. What made the 500 special? It didn’t come with notable extras beyond the “500” badges and racing flags on the rear fenders, but it’s rarer than any other Cougar out there because they only made 54 of them.

The Cougar was more than just a rebadged Mustang; it was an exotic feline with an equestrian heart. It offered a unique combination of style, performance, and comfort that appealed to many buyers who wanted something a click better than mainstream pony cars. It was also one of the most iconic models in Mercury’s history, lasting for seven generations until 2002. The Cougar remains a desired classic car today, especially for those who appreciate its sleek styling and performance

Sometimes, man’s greatest achievements come from adversity and disruption. Certainly, the Mercury Cougar and Archie Bell’s music are proof of such a notion. So, queue up “Tighten Up” when you go for your early morning coffee run, and remember the silver lining to 1968, great soul music and classic pony cars.