Bobby Fuller
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Bobby Fuller (October 22, 1942 - July 18, 1966) was an American rock singer and guitarist best known for his classic "I Fought the Law".
Born in Baytown, Texas, Fuller spent most of his youth in El Paso, Texas, where he idolized Buddy Holly, a fellow West Texan. He played clubs, bars, and recorded on independent record labels in Texas during the early 1960s. He moved to Los Angeles in 1964 with his band The Bobby Fuller Four and was signed to Mustang Records by producer Bob Keane, noted for discovering Ritchie Valens and producing many surf music groups.
At a time when the British invasion and folk rock were culturally dominant, Fuller stuck to Buddy Holly's style of classic rock and roll with Tex Mex flourishes. His first Top 40 hit was the Buddy Holly cover song "Love Made a Fool of You". His second hit, "I Fought the Law" was written by Sonny Curtis, a former member of Holly's group The Crickets.
Just as "I Fought The Law" became a top ten hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in a parked automobile near his Los Angeles home. The police considered the death an apparent suicide, however many people still believe Fuller was murdered. He is buried in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
"I Fought The Law" has been covered by the punk rock group The Clash in 1978, as well as the Dead Kennedys, who rewrote the lyrics to comment on the murder of gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk.
Quotation
- "I fought the law. And the law won."