21 MARCH 1966
The song ‘I Fought the Law’ by the Bobby Fuller Four was at its peak US Billboard Hot 100 chart position of #9 during this week. It also reached #33 on the UK chart. It was Fullers first big hit.
It is no accident that it sounds like a Buddy Holly record, as it had originally been written and recorded in 1958/59 by Sonny Curtis, who joined the Crickets after Holly's death. This version was a re-release of a single that Fuller had brought our in 1964. was famously covered by The Clash in 1979.
Sadly, Fuller died in July 1966. He was found dead in a car outside his Hollywood apartment. The autopsy was inconclusive, noting the body had 'petechial hemorrhages' probably caused by petrol vapors and the summer heat. It was either an accident or suicide, although there has been unsupported speculation that Fuller might have been killed by Charles Manson or the LAPD, as he allegedly had a relationship to a woman linked to the Mafia. Of course, if he had been killed by the police, the irony would be huge.
B-side: 'Little Annie Lou'
Released: December 1965
Highest chart position: #9 (UK), #33 (US)
Length: 2:14
Label: Mustang
Writer: Sonny Curtis
Producer: Bob Keane
