Jerry Fuller (born November 19, 1938) is an American songwriter, singer and record producer.
Biography
Jerry Fuller was born in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...
, United States, to a musical family. He and his brother Bill performed as a duo in their home state, recording for the local Lin label, before Jerry branched out on his own and began writing his own material. In 1959, he moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, and secured a performing contract with
Challenge Records. His
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
version of "
Tennessee Waltz
"Tennessee Waltz" is a popular country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in January 1948. The song became a multimillion seller via a 1950 recording – as "The Tennessee Waltz" ...
" made No. 63 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Hot 100, and earned him an invitation to appear on ''
American Bandstand
''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...
''.
In 1961, he wrote "
Travelin' Man" which was originally intended for
Sam Cooke.
Ricky Nelson recorded it instead and the record sold six million copies worldwide. Fuller wrote 23 of Nelson's recordings, including the US Top 10 hits "
A Wonder Like You
"A Wonder Like You" is a song written by Jerry Fuller and performed by Rick Nelson.
Chart performance
"A Wonder Like You" reached #11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1961.
Other versions
*Jerry Fuller recorded a version that was released on the ...
", "
Young World", and "
It's Up to You".
Fuller toured as a featured singer with
The Champs
The Champs are an American rock band, most famous for their Latin-tinged rock and roll instrumental "Tequila". The group took their name from that of Gene Autry's horse, Champion, and was formed by studio executives at Autry's Challenge Recor ...
, whose other members included
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...
,
Jimmy Seals
Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene "Jim" Seals (born October 17, 1941) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938). They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl" (197 ...
, and
Dash Crofts, before a period in the US Army. On his return in 1963, Challenge / Four Star moved him to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
to run its east coast operation. There he discovered a
garage band
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
,
The Knickerbockers, and produced their 1965 hit "
Lies".
In 1967, he moved to
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
as a producer. His first discovery was
Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, whom he found in a
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
bowling alley lounge. He wrote and produced the group's hits "
Young Girl" (a UK No. 1), "
Lady Willpower", and "
Over You", all three written and produced by Fuller. He also produced
Mark Lindsay,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, and
O.C. Smith, for whom he produced the hits "
The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp "The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" is a song written by Dallas Frazier and first recorded by country musician, Johnny Darrell in 1968.
The song tells the story of a woman with 14 children who is abandoned by her worthless alcoholic husband and ...
" and "
Little Green Apples".
In 1970 he started Moonchild production company, writing and producing the hit "
Show and Tell" for
Al Wilson
Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, a ...
in 1973.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
*
AllMusic entry
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
br>
Jerry Fuller InterviewNAMM Oral History Library (2020)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Jerry
1938 births
Living people
People from Fort Worth, Texas
Record producers from Texas
Songwriters from Texas
Challenge Records artists
Apex Records artists
Northern soul musicians