The Bobby Fuller Four (sometimes stylized as Bobby Fuller 4) was a popular mid-1960s American
rock & roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
band started by
Bobby Fuller
Robert Gaston Fuller (October 22, 1942 – July 18, 1966)Bashe, P. R., & George-Warren, H., ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' (Third ed.). New York, Fireside, 2005, p. 360 was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist ...
. First formed in 1962 in Fuller's hometown of
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
, the group went on to produce some of its most memorable hits under the
Mustang Records
Del-Fi Records was an American record label based in Hollywood, California, founded in 1958 and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was "Caravan" by Henri Rose in 1958, but the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. V ...
label in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
. The band's most successful songs include " Let Her Dance", "
I Fought the Law
"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' li ...
" and "
Love's Made a Fool of You
"Love's Made a Fool of You" is a song co-written and originally performed by Buddy Holly. It was later re-recorded by Sonny Curtis and the Crickets, with the lead vocal by Earl Sinks, and famously covered by the Bobby Fuller Four.
Buddy Holly ...
".Bashe, P. R., & George-Warren, H., ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' (Third ed.). New York, Fireside, 2005, p. 360
History
Fuller recorded his first
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
, "You're in Love", in 1961. Recorded in his parents' living room with the Embers, a local band he played in, it became a regional hit. Fuller started a new band in 1962, backed by his brother
Randy
Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolph, and Miranda, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them.
'' Randi'' is approximat ...
on bass and Gaylord Grimes on drums. They had their single, "Gently My Love", professionally recorded at Norman Petty Recording Studios in
Clovis, New Mexico
Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico. The population was 38,567 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the state.
A ...
. Although they achieved another regional hit, Fuller was not satisfied.
Disengaging from Yucca Records in
Alamogordo
Alamogordo () is a city in and the county seat of Otero County, New Mexico, Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains (New Mexico), Sac ...
, which had released his first two records, Fuller and his band began releasing their records through Fuller's own various independent labels, with the recordings done in Fuller's home recording studio. The group never had a definite name and recordings were credited to either "Bobby Fuller", or "Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics". Various additional members played in the band, the most significant being Jim Reese (formerly of the Embers) on guitar, and
Dalton Powell
Dalton Powell (born 1942) is an El Paso musician, perhaps best known for his time as drummer of The Bobby Fuller Four.
Early career
Powell was a childhood friend of Jim Reese. By early 1960, Powell had joined Reese in the band The Embers, playi ...
(who had played piano for the Embers) on drums.
By 1963, the band pursued a record deal with a major label in Hollywood, California. While they were neglected by most labels,
Bob Keane
Robert Verrill Kuhn (January 5, 1922 – November 28, 2009), professionally known as Bob Keane, and also sometimes known as Bob Keene, was an American musician, producer and the founder and owner of the record label Del-Fi Records. He was the ...
of
Del-Fi Records
Del-Fi Records was an American record label based in Hollywood, California, founded in 1958 and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was "Caravan" by Henri Rose in 1958, but the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. ...
showed particular interest in the group. While he saw potential, he didn't think the band had hit material yet. Fuller and his band returned to El Paso and continued to release regional hits, the most popular being "
I Fought the Law
"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' li ...
", originally by the Crickets. By the end of 1964, Fuller saw branching out to a major label as their only option, thus Bobby Fuller, Randy Fuller, and Jim Reese prepared to move to California to revisit Del-Fi Records. Current drummer Dalton Powell could not make the move due to family commitments, and was replaced by another drummer, DeWayne Quirico, instructed by Fuller in person.
The band appeared as "themselves" in the 1966 film "
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
''Ghost in the Invisible Bikini'' is a 1966 American fantasy comedy film directed by Don Weis. It is the seventh and last of American International Pictures' beach party films. The film features the cast cavorting in and around a haunted house ...
"—a comedy combining the ubiquitous beach, horror, and biker themes of the day. They back
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer, actress, film producer and author. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato) and is known for her 1965 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walki ...
on the song "Geronimo" and perform "Make The Music Pretty" and other incidental music.
Del-Fi Records
With the group's new hit records, Keane signed them to Del-Fi this time around. The band's first Del-Fi release, "Those Memories of You" was under the sister label, Donna Records (credited to Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics). With the band's increasing local popularity, Keane created a sister label just for Fuller's band, Mustang Records. The first release on Mustang was "Thunder Reef" in 1965. This time, the band was credited as ''the Shindigs'' to capitalize on the new ABC show, ''
Shindig!
''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,Let Her Dance" brought the band's first national hit, barely missing the Billboard Hot 100 at 133, though bringing in a Top 40 hit. At the suggestion of Randy Fuller, the El Paso hit, "I Fought the Law" was re-recorded. It quickly gained national popularity, and by 1966, it rose to its peak position at No. 9 on the national charts. Meanwhile, the band was starting to experience internal troubles after touring, and drummer DeWayne Quirico abruptly left the group.
John Barbata
John Barbata (April 1, 1945 – May 8, 2024) was an American drummer who was active especially in pop and rock bands in the 1960s and 1970s, both as a band member and as a session drummer. Barbata served as the drummer for The Turtles, Crosby, ...
was asked to take his place, while negotiations were underway to get Dalton Powell back in the band. While performing at L.A. venue "P.J." the band produced a memorable performance of "I fought the law" featuring the go-go dancer Lada St. Edmund into the NBC television show Hullaballoo, and also participated in another TV show, Shivaree.
With Powell reinstated, the group went on to release "
Love's Made a Fool of You
"Love's Made a Fool of You" is a song co-written and originally performed by Buddy Holly. It was later re-recorded by Sonny Curtis and the Crickets, with the lead vocal by Earl Sinks, and famously covered by the Bobby Fuller Four.
Buddy Holly ...
", another Crickets cover (written by
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...
and Bob Montgomery and recorded by Holly as a demo, reportedly intended for the Everly Brothers, though never recorded by that duo). This went on to become another national hit for the band. The next single was taken from the sessions where Barbata sat in, "The Magic Touch". While being popular locally, it did not match the success of the previous singles. In addition to the already existing internal problems, the band began to fall apart in July after Reese had received a draft notice in the mail (and arranged to sell his Jaguar XKE to Fuller), Powell also planned to announce his plans to leave the band to support his family back home.
Aftermath
Bobby Fuller died under mysterious circumstances on July 18, 1966. His body was found beaten inside his car parked just outside of his Hollywood home. Evidence suggests that he had ingested gasoline. Initially, these details were not released to the public. Although many of his friends suspected he might have been murdered by mobsters, Fuller's death was officially ruled a
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
by police.
At the death of Fuller, the group disbanded. Their final single, "It's Love, Come What May" was only released in limited quantities as a promotional recording. Months later, Keane arranged the formation of the Randy Fuller Four in an attempt to capitalize on the previous success of the Bobby Fuller Four, complete with Randy Fuller on bass and rhythm guitar, DeWayne Quirico returning on drums, and Mike Ciccarelli and Howard Steele (other former El Paso musicians) on lead guitar and bass, respectively. The group released a few singles (including overdubbing the Bobby Fuller Four's "It's Love, Come What May"), but disbanded less than a year later in 1967 without any chart success.
Most former members of the Bobby Fuller Four remained active in the music industry after the group disbanded. Jim Reese died in 1991 after suffering a fatal heart attack whilst playing a round of golf.
Bobby Fuller has been the subject of two books: ''I Fought The Law: The Life and Strange Death of Bobby Fuller'' by Miriam Linna & Randell Fuller (2015); and ''Rock & Roll Mustangs'' by Stephen J. McParland (2009 and with an updated edition released in 2021).
Discography
Singles
ATracks from the first Mustang album also featured on the follow-up album ''I Fought the Law'' 1 Singles released as by Bobby Fuller 2 Released as by Bobby Fuller and The Fanatics 3 Released as by The Shindigs 4 Released as by Randy Fuller, but actually recorded by The Bobby Fuller Four with Randy's vocals overdubbed on A-side
I Fought The Law
"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' li ...
'' (Mustang M-901 ono/ MS-901 tereo 1966)
* ''Celebrity Night At PJ's'' (cancelled — originally to be released as Mustang M-902 ono/ MS-902 tereo finally issued in the ''Never To Be Forgotten: The Mustang Years'' box set, 1997)
Compilations and reissues
* ''The Bobby Fuller Memorial Album'' (LP, President 1003, 1968)
* ''The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four'' (LP, Rhino RNDF-201, 1981)
* ''KRLA King of the Wheels'' (LP, Line LP-5146, 1981)
* ''I Fought the Law'' (LP, Line LP-5133, 1981)
* ''The Bobby Fuller Memorial Album'' (LP, Strand 6.24885, 1982)
* ''Let Them Dance (The Rare Sides)'' (LP, OutLine OLLP-5272, 1983)
* ''Live on Stage'' (LP, OutLine OLLP-5302, 1983)
* ''I Fought the Law'' (LP, Eva 12032, 1983)
* ''Live Again'' (LP, Eva 12046, 1984)
* ''The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four'' (CD, Rhino 70174, 1990)
* ''The Bobby Fuller Four'' (CD, Ace CDCHD-956, 1990)
* ''Live at PJ's...Plus!'' (CD, Ace CDCHD-314, 1991)
* ''The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four'' (CD, Ace CDCHD-388, 1992)
* ''The Bobby Fuller Four'' (CD, Del-Fi DFCD-70174, 1994)
* ''Never to Be Forgotten: The Mustang Years'' (3-CD box set, Mustang/Del-Fi DFBX-3903, 1997)
* ''The Mustang Years'' (2LP, Munster MR-184, 2000)
* ''I Fought the Law and Others'' (7-inch EP, Munster 7141, 2000)
* ''I Fought the Law: The Best of The Bobby Fuller Four'' (CD, Del-Fi/Rhino 71904, 2001)
* ''I Fought the Law and Other Hits'' (CD, Flashback/Rhino 78170, 2004)
* ''Rhino Hi-Five: The Bobby Fuller Four'' (CD, Rhino 7????, 2006)
* ''Magic Touch: The Complete Mustang Singles Collection'' (CD, Now Sounds KWCRNOW-57, 2018)