The Archies

Fictional music group

This article is about the musical group. For the 1968–1978 animated television franchise of which they were a part, see The Archie Show. For their debut album, see The Archies (album). For their 2023 Indian live-action feature film adaptation, see The Archies (film). For the soundtrack of the feature film adaptation, see The Archies (soundtrack). For the comic book publisher, see Archie Comics. For the Indian greeting card company, see Archies (company).

Not to be confused with The Archers.

The Archies

Background information
Origin|

* Riverdale (fictional)
* New York City, U.S. (actual)

Genres| Bubblegum
Years active|

* 1968–1973
* 1990
* 2008
* 2020–2023

Labels|

* Calendar/Kirshner
* RCA
* Brylen
* Fuel 2000
* WaterTower Music
* Sony Music India

Past members|

* Fictional:
* Archie Andrews
* Jughead Jones
* Reggie Mantle
* Betty Cooper
* Veronica Lodge
* Kevin Keller (Riverdale only)
* Actual:
* Ron Dante
* Toni Wine
* Jeff Barry
* Donna Marie
* Merle Miller
* Bob Levine
* Andy Kim
* Ritchie Adams
* Bobby Bloom
* Ellie Greenwich
* Lesley Miller
* Hugh McCracken
* Gary Chester
* Buddy Saltzman
* Chuck Rainey
* Dave Appell
* Susan Morse
* Maeretha Stewart
* Joey Macho
* Ron Frangipane
* Sal DiTroia

Website| TheArchiesMusic on Twitter

The Archies are an American fictional rock band featured in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series The Archie Show. In the context of the series, the band was founded by guitarist/vocalist Archie Andrews, drummer Jughead Jones, bassist Reggie Mantle, percussionist/vocalist Betty Cooper and keyboardist/vocalist Veronica Lodge.

The music featured in the series was recorded by session musicians, including Ron Dante on lead vocals and Toni Wine on duet and backing vocals.[1] The recordings were released as a series of singles and albums that achieved worldwide chart success. Their most successful song, "Sugar, Sugar", became one of the biggest hits of the bubblegum pop genre that flourished from 1968 to 1973.[2]

In 2020, a new version of the band was introduced in the TV series Riverdale, with Kevin Keller replacing Reggie Mantle. However, the band continues to appear with the five original members in the comic books published by Archie Comics.[3] A feature film of the Archies was produced for Netflix, and was released on December 7, 2023.[4]

## History

[edit]

### Conception

[edit]

The Archies first appeared in a comic book, Life with Archie #60 (April 1967). The fictional band was inspired by the success of the 1966 TV series The Monkees;[5] in particular, Don Kirshner, who had managed the initially fictional band, wanted a musical act that he could fully control: as the Monkees were fictional but still used the real musicians' names, the musicians themselves became increasingly irritated at being micromanaged, leading to a dispute that culminated in Kirshner being fired. To avoid a repeat of the Monkees fiasco while still allowing himself full control, Kirshner commissioned a band based on cartoon characters—if the session musicians tried to rebel or leave, they could be replaced seamlessly.[6] The early stories copied the TV show's fast cuts and action: "There were pages that had no panel-to-panel continuity at all, just pure strings of nonsense, fantasy, fourth-wall breaking, and exasperated commentary from Betty and Veronica."[5] The feature ended in issue #66.

### Production

[edit]

A set of studio musicians was assembled by Don Kirshner in 1968 to perform various songs. Their most famous song is "Sugar, Sugar", written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim,[1] which went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, sold over six million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[7] In the Billboard Hot 100, it was ranked as the No. 1 song of that year, the only time a fictional band has ever claimed Billboard's annual Hot 100 top spot. Other Top 40 songs recorded by the Archies include "Who's Your Baby?" (U.S. No. 40), "Bang-Shang-A-Lang" (U.S. No. 22), and "Jingle Jangle" (U.S. No. 10).[1] "Jingle Jangle" also sold over one million copies, garnering a second gold disc award.[7] Their records were released on the Calendar Records label,[1] which was shortly thereafter renamed to Kirshner Records.

Male vocals for the fictional Archies group were provided by The Cuff Links' lead singer Ron Dante and female duet vocals were provided by Toni Wine.[1] Wine, who was only paid for the recording session and quit the group when "Jingle Jangle" became a huge hit, was succeeded in 1970 by Donna Marie, who in turn was replaced on the final recordings by Merle Miller. The only Archies song not to feature Ron Dante on lead was 1971's "Love Is Living In You", sung by Bob Levine (co-author of the song) and produced by Ritchie Adams. The last single, released in 1972, was "Strangers In The Morning".

Jeff Barry, Andy Kim, Ritchie Adams, Bobby Bloom, Ellie Greenwich, Lesley Miller, Susan Morse and Maeretha Stewart contributed background vocals at various times, with Barry contributing his trademark bass voice (assigned to Jughead in the cartoons) on cuts such as "Jingle Jangle", "Rock 'n' Roll Music", "A Summer Prayer For Peace" (which hit number one in South Africa and Scandinavia in 1971), and "You Little Angel, You". Musicians on the Archies' records included guitarists Hugh McCracken and Dave Appell, drummers Gary Chester and Buddy Saltzman, bassists Chuck Rainey and Joey Macho, and keyboard player Ron Frangipane.

The sound engineer was Fred Weinberg, who was Jeff Barry's and Andy Kim's favorite and also recorded Barry's other hits "Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", and Kim's "Rock Me Gently". Fred Weinberg is a composer and producer in his own right. However, the music for The U.S. of Archie, which aired in 1974, was produced by Jackie Mills, a Hollywood producer, who also produced Bobby Sherman and the Brady Kids. The vocalist for these shows was Tom McKenzie, who also sang on some Groovie Goolies segments, and was a regular member of the popular singing group Doodletown Pipers.

According to Ron Dante, over 100 songs were recorded, but at least 40 went unreleased.[8] In 2020, Sunset Blvd Records released Ron Dante's Funhouse!, which includes some of the unreleased songs and most of the "Dance of the Week" segments, all of them pulled straight from Archie's Funhouse and The Archie Show, respectively.

Some of the group's songs have appeared on episodes of the TV series Riverdale.[9] The group made its debut in Riverdale, in the musical episode "Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town", for only the second time in a live-action adaptation after the television film Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again in 1990.[10] It includes KJ Apa as Archie, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, Lili Reinhart as Betty, Camila Mendes as Veronica and Casey Cott as Kevin Keller.[11] For the first time, Kevin Keller is part of the group, replacing Reggie Mantle (played by Charles Melton). Kevin sings and plays keyboard. The song "Midnight Radio" was included in the series' musical episode soundtrack, which was released by WaterTower Music on April 15, 2020.

### Live-action adaptation

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2022)

|

On November 10, 2021, Netflix announced the Indian live-action feature film adaptation of the Archies of the same name. The film was produced by Tiger Baby Films and Graphic India with Zoya Akhtar as director,[12] starring Agastya Nanda as Archie, Mihir Ahuja as Jughead, Vedang Raina as Reggie, Khushi Kapoor as Betty and Suhana Khan as Veronica, alongside others.[13] Filming started on April 18, 2022,[14] and then ended on December 19, 2022.[15]

The film was released on December 7, 2023.[4] The film's soundtrack was released by Sony Music India on November 25, 2023.[16]

## Fictional line-up

[edit]

The Archies play a variety of contemporary popular music, consistent with the era in which the comic is drawn. Most of the members sing vocals, with Jughead handling the bass voice on a few tracks. Their singing voices were soft and appropriate for pop vocals, but their speaking voices were much different, as their speaking roles were played by voice actors. The roles that the teens play in the fictional band are:

* Archie Andrews – guitars, vocals
* Jughead Jones – drums
* Reggie Mantle – bass, vocals
* Betty Cooper – percussion, vocals
* Veronica Lodge – keyboards, vocals[17]
* Kevin Keller – keyboards, vocals (Riverdale only)

One distribution mode for the Archies' music was embossing cardboard records directly onto the back of cereal boxes, which were cut out and played on a turntable (although their music was also available on standard issue LPs and 45s).[18][19]

Though the group no longer appears in animation, they are still frequently used in stories published by Archie Comics. In 2020, the group made its second live-action appearance on Riverdale, with Kevin Keller replacing Reggie Mantle. In this incarnation, Kevin sings and plays keyboard, and Veronica sings only.

## Discography

[edit]

Main article: The Archies discography

* The Archies (1968)
* Everything's Archie (1969)
* Jingle Jangle (1969)
* Sunshine (1970)
* This Is Love (1971)
* The Archies Christmas Album (2008)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 49\. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
2. ^ Cooper, Kim; Smay, David, eds. (2001). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth: The Dark History of Prepubescent Pop, From the Banana Splits to Britney Spears. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-69-5.
3. ^ Bell, Crystal, ed. (2017). The Archies Get band back together for new ongoing series. MYV. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
4. ^ a b "The Archies starring Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor to premiere on Netflix on December 7, 2023". Bollywood Hungama. 29 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
5. ^ a b Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 158\. ISBN 978-1605490557.
6. ^ Schudel, Matt (18 January 2012). "Don Kirshner, hit-making rock impresario of the 1960s, dies at 76". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
7. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 252–253. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
8. ^ "Interview With Ron Dante". Allbutforgottenoldies.net. 2004. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
9. ^ "Music from The Archies". Tunefind. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
10. ^ Swift, Andy (January 28, 2020). "Riverdale Sizes Up Hedwig for Season 4 Musical Episode — See Who's Singing". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
11. ^ Archie Comics (April 17, 2020). "Meet #TheArchies". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
12. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (November 10, 2021). "Zoya Akhtar to Direct 'The Archies' Comic Book Adaptation for Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
13. ^ "The Archies teaser: Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda make a chic debut in Zoya Akhtar's Netflix film". The Indian Express. New Delhi. 15 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
14. ^ "'The Archies' : Zoya Akhtar's musical starring Shana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor officially goes on floors". The Times of India. April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
15. ^ "Netflix's Indian Comic Book Adaptation 'The Archies' Wraps Production". Variety. December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
16. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (December 7, 2023). "'The Archies': Sony Music India Chief on How Soundtracks Enhance Films: 'Music Is Intrinsic to the Fabric of Society' (EXCLUSIVE)". Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
17. ^ the cartoons, Veronica is shown playing a large keyboard instrument styled after the X-66 by Hammond Organ Company
18. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Vintage Old 1970's Post Alpha Bits and Honeycombs Cereal Commercial with free record". YouTube. 18 June 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
19. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved October 19, 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* The Archies
* The Archies at IMDb
* The Archies discography at Discogs

* v
* t
* e

The Archies

* Ron Dante
* Toni Wine

Albums|

* The Archies
* Everything's Archie
* Jingle Jangle
* Sunshine
* The Archies Christmas Album

Singles|

* "Bang-Shang-A-Lang"
* "Feelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.)"
* "Sugar, Sugar"
* "Jingle Jangle"
* "Who's Your Baby?"
* "Sunshine"
* "Together We Two"

Related articles|

* The Archie Show
* "Seventeen Ain't Young"
* Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
* The Archies
* "Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town"

* v
* t
* e

Archie Comics properties in other media

Television series|

| Archie|

* The Archie Show
* Archie's TV Funnies
* The U.S. of Archie
* The New Archie and Sabrina Hour
* The New Archies
* Archie's Weird Mysteries

|

Sabrina|

* Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1970)
* Groovie Goolies
* Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)
* Sabrina: The Animated Series
* Sabrina's Secret Life
* Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch

Josie|

* Josie and the Pussycats (1970)
* Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space

Riverdale Universe|

* Riverdale
* characters
* episodes
* Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
* episodes
* Katy Keene

Films|

* Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
* Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)
* Sabrina Goes to Rome
* Sabrina Down Under
* Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
* Sabrina: Friends Forever
* The Archies (2023)

Music|

* The Archies
* discography
* soundtrack
* Josie and the Pussycats
* soundtrack
* Sabrina the Teenage Witch

* See also: Archie Comics in popular culture
* List of Sabrina the Teenage Witch Books, CDs and DVDs

* v
* t
* e

Billboard Year-End number one singles (1960–1979)

* 1960: "Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith
* 1961: "Tossin' and Turnin'" – Bobby Lewis
* 1962: "Stranger on the Shore" – Mr. Acker Bilk
* 1963: "Sugar Shack" – Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs / "Surfin' U.S.A." – The Beach Boys
* 1964: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" – The Beatles
* 1965: "Wooly Bully" – Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
* 1966: "The Ballad of the Green Berets" – SSgt Barry Sadler / "California Dreamin'" – The Mamas & the Papas
* 1967: "To Sir with Love" – Lulu
* 1968: "Hey Jude" – The Beatles
* 1969: "Sugar, Sugar" – The Archies
* 1970: "Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel
* 1971: "Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night
* 1972: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack
* 1973: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Tony Orlando and Dawn
* 1974: "The Way We Were" – Barbra Streisand
* 1975: "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille
* 1976: "Silly Love Songs" – Wings
* 1977: "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" – Rod Stewart
* 1978: "Shadow Dancing" – Andy Gibb
* 1979: "My Sharona" – The Knack

* Complete list
* (1946–1959)
* (1960–1979)
* (1980–1999)
* (2000–2019)
* (2020–present)

* v
* t
* e

Best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom

1950s|

* 1952: "Here in My Heart" – Al Martino
* 1953: "I Believe" – Frankie Laine
* 1954: "Secret Love" – Doris Day
* 1955: "Rose Marie" – Slim Whitman
* 1956: "I'll Be Home" – Pat Boone
* 1957: "Diana" – Paul Anka
* 1958: "Jailhouse Rock" – Elvis Presley
* 1959: "Living Doll" – Cliff Richard (UK)

1960s|

* 1960: "It's Now or Never" – Elvis Presley
* 1961: "Wooden Heart" – Elvis Presley
* 1962: "I Remember You" – Frank Ifield (UK)
* 1963: "She Loves You" – The Beatles (UK)
* 1964: "Can't Buy Me Love" – The Beatles (UK)
* 1965: "Tears" – Ken Dodd (UK)
* 1966: "Green, Green Grass of Home" – Tom Jones (UK)
* 1967: "Release Me" – Engelbert Humperdinck (UK)
* 1968: "Hey Jude" – The Beatles (UK)
* 1969: "Sugar, Sugar" – The Archies

1970s|

* 1970: "The Wonder of You" – Elvis Presley / "In the Summertime" – Mungo Jerry (UK)
* 1971: "My Sweet Lord" – George Harrison (UK)
* 1972: "Amazing Grace" – Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (UK)
* 1973: "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
* 1974: "Tiger Feet" – Mud (UK)
* 1975: "Bye Bye Baby" – Bay City Rollers (UK)
* 1976: "Save Your Kisses for Me" – Brotherhood of Man (UK)
* 1977: "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" – Wings (UK)
* 1978: "Rivers of Babylon" / "Brown Girl in the Ring" – Boney M.
* 1979: "Bright Eyes" – Art Garfunkel

1980s|

* 1980: "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – The Police (UK)
* 1981: "Tainted Love" – Soft Cell (UK) / "Don't You Want Me" – The Human League (UK)
* 1982: "Come On Eileen" – Dexys Midnight Runners (UK)
* 1983: "Karma Chameleon" – Culture Club (UK)
* 1984: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid (UK)
* 1985: "The Power of Love" – Jennifer Rush
* 1986: "Don't Leave Me This Way" – The Communards (UK)
* 1987: "Never Gonna Give You Up" – Rick Astley (UK)
* 1988: "Mistletoe and Wine" – Cliff Richard (UK)
* 1989: "Ride on Time" – Black Box

1990s|

* 1990: "Unchained Melody" – The Righteous Brothers
* 1991: "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" – Bryan Adams
* 1992: "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston
* 1993: "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" – Meat Loaf
* 1994: "Love Is All Around" – Wet Wet Wet (UK)
* 1995: "Unchained Melody" – Robson & Jerome (UK)
* 1996: "Killing Me Softly" – Fugees
* 1997: "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" / "Candle in the Wind 1997" – Elton John (UK)
* 1998: "Believe" – Cher
* 1999: "...Baby One More Time" – Britney Spears

2000s|

* 2000: "Can We Fix It?" – Bob the Builder (UK)
* 2001: "It Wasn't Me" – Shaggy featuring Rikrok (UK)
* 2002: "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" – Will Young (UK)
* 2003: "Where Is the Love?" – Black Eyed Peas
* 2004: "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – Band Aid 20 (UK)
* 2005: "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" – Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay (UK)
* 2006: "Crazy" – Gnarls Barkley
* 2007: "Bleeding Love" – Leona Lewis (UK)
* 2008: "Hallelujah" – Alexandra Burke (UK)
* 2009: "Poker Face" – Lady Gaga

2010s|

* 2010: "Love the Way You Lie" – Eminem featuring Rihanna
* 2011: "Someone like You" – Adele (UK)
* 2012: "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra
* 2013: "Blurred Lines" – Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams
* 2014: "Happy" – Pharrell Williams
* 2015: "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson (UK) featuring Bruno Mars
* 2016: "One Dance" – Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (UK)
* 2017: "Shape of You" – Ed Sheeran (UK)
* 2018: "One Kiss" – Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa (UK)
* 2019: "Someone You Loved" – Lewis Capaldi (UK)

2020s|

* 2020: "Blinding Lights" – The Weeknd
* 2021: "Bad Habits" – Ed Sheeran (UK)
* 2022: "As It Was" – Harry Styles (UK)
* 2023: "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus
* 2024: "Stick Season" - Noah Kahan

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* 2

National|

* Czech Republic

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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