Bobby Fuller was born in 1942 in Baytown, Texas. He enjoyed playing guitar, writing songs and singing them and eventually formed The Bobby Fuller Four in El Paso with his brother Randy and two friends, Jim Reese and DeWayne Quirico. The group played in El Paso for three years before signing a record contract and moving to Los Angeles.
The Bobby Fuller Four was influenced in its music quite a bit by another rock-and-roll star who had also come from West Texas, Buddy Holly. The lead guitar player in Holly's band, The Crickets, was Sonny Curtis, who wrote what proved to be the biggest song ever for The Bobby Fuller Four.
That song was I Fought The Law. They recorded other songs, some written by Holly, but I Fought The Law was their only record to reach the top ten in the charts. In later years the influence of The Bobby Fuller Four was seen in music recorded by such groups as The Clash, the Blasters, and Los Lobos.
Bobby Fuller was a talented musician, songwriter and performer and most likely would have gone on to bigger and better things had he lived longer. Just after "I Fought The Law" became a top ten hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in his automobile, which was parked near his Los Angeles home. The police considered the death an apparent suicide/accident, however, many people believe Fuller was murdered.
The investigation was botched from the start. The crime scene was not secured and no fingerprints were obtained. A witness also claimed seeing a police officer throw a can of gasoline found at the scene into the trash. Fuller was found with multiple wounds all over his body and covered in gasoline leading many to speculate that the perpetrators fled before they could set the car on fire.
Police later changed the cause of death to "Accidental asphyxiation" citing no evidence of foul play.
Despite the official cause of death stated by authorities, rumors and speculation still surround Fuller's mysterious death. Fuller is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
by Tom Simon, April 20, 2000
Tracks
1. Thunder Reef - 1:50
2. Wolfman - 2:46
3. She's My Girl - 2:34
4. King Of The Wheels - 2:04
5. The Lonely Dragster - 3:12
6. The Phantom Dragster - 1:25
7. KRLA Top Eliminator (Bobby Fuller, Randy Fuller, Jim Reese, DeWayne Quirico) - 2:48
8. Let Her Dance - 2:33
9. Julie (Chip Taylor) - 2:17
10.A New Shade Of Blue - 2:58
11.Only When I Dream - 2:01
12.You Kiss Me - 2:37
13.Little Annie Lou (Bobby Fuller, Randy Fuller) - 2:02
14.I Fought The Law (Sonny Curtis) - 2:19
15.Another Sad And Lonely Night - 2:21
16.Saturday Night - 1:38
17.Take My Word - 2:12
18.Fool Of Love - 2:39
19.Never To Be Forgotten - 2:58
20.Love's Made A Fool Of You (Bob Montgomery, Buddy Holly) - 2:02
21.Don't Ever Let Me Know - 2:41
22.My True Love - 2:06
23.The Magic Touch (Ted Daryll) - 2:54
24.I'm A Lucky Guy (Lawrence Russell Brown, Raymond Bloodworth, Neval Nader) - 2:13
Songs 1-6,8,15-18 written by Bobby Fuller
Songs 10-12,21,22 written by Bobby Fuller, Mary Stone
Personnel
*Bobby Fuller - Vocals, Guitar
*Dewayne Quirico - Drums
*Jim Reese - Guitar, Vocals
*Randy Fuller - Bass, Vocals
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