The Bobby Fuller Four - Never To Be Forgotten

Robert Gaston "Bobby" Fuller (October 22, 1942 -- July 18, 1966) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitar player best known for his singles "I Fought the Law" and "Love's Made a Fool of You," recorded with his mid-1960s group, the Bobby Fuller Four.

Born in Baytown, Texas, Fuller spent most of his youth in El Paso, where he idolized Buddy Holly, a fellow Texan (Holly was a native of Lubbock). He played in clubs and bars, and recorded on independent record labels in Texas, with a constantly changing line-up, during the early 1960s. The only constant band members were Fuller himself (on vocals and guitar), and his younger brother, Randy Fuller (born on January 29, 1944, in Hobbs, New Mexico) on bass. Most of these independent releases (except two songs that were recorded at the studio of Norman Petty in Clovis), and an excursion to Yucca Records, also in New Mexico, were recorded in the Fullers' own home-cum-studio, with Fuller acting as the producer. He even built a primitive echo chamber in the backyard. The quality of the recordings, using a couple of microphones and a mixing board purchased from a local radio station, was so impressive that he even offered the use of his 'studio' to local acts for free so he could hone his production skills.

Fuller moved to Los Angeles in 1964 with his band The Bobby Fuller Four, and was signed to Mustang Records by producer Bob Keane, who was noted for discovering Ritchie Valens and producing many surf music groups. By this time, group consisted of Bobby and brother Randy on vocals/guitar and bass respectively, Jim Reese on guitar and DeWayne Quirico (later replaced by Dalton Powell) on drums.

At a time when the British Invasion and folk rock were the dominant genres in rock, Fuller stuck to Buddy Holly's style of classic rock and roll with Tex Mex flourishes. His recordings reveal the influence of Eddie Cochran, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and the Everly Brothers in cover recordings and original compositions, as well as instrumental surf guitar. Less well known was Fuller's ability to emulate the reverb-laden surf guitar sounds of Dick Dale and the Ventures. His first Top 40 hit was "Let Her Dance," written by Bobby Fuller. His second hit, "I Fought the Law," hit #8 on Billboard. It was written by Sonny Curtis, a former member of Holly's group The Crickets, and recorded by the line-up of the Fuller brothers, James Reese on guitar, and Dalton Powell on drums. His third Top 40 hit was the Buddy Holly cover song "Love's Made a Fool of You."

Just after "I Fought The Law" became a top ten hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in his automobile, which was parked outside his Hollywood apartment. The police considered the death an apparent suicide/accident; however, some 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. In October of 1966, the Los Angeles County Coroner/Medical Examiner's Office 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.

The relatives of Sam Cooke have noted similarities in the mysterious nature of his death with those surrounding the death of Bobby Fuller. Jim Reese suspected that Charles Manson may have had something to do with the death of Bobby Fuller. There is also some speculation that the LAPD may have been involved because of Bobby's connection to a mafia related woman.

Bobby Fuller's recordings have been reissued by Norton Records, Del-Fi Records, Rhino Records and Munster Records.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

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