Died On This Date (July 18, 1966) Bobby Fuller / Rock ‘n Roll Great

Bobby Fuller
October 22, 1942 – July 18, 1966

Pound for pound, Bobby Fuller’s remarkable output could stack up against any of his peers even though it was cut tragically short after just two years. Songs like “I Fought The Law,” “Let Her Dance,” and “Another Sad and Lonely Night” are just a few of his classic rock ‘n roll recordings that have either been covered by major artists or cited as major influences. Growing up, Fuller idolized fellow Texan, Buddy Holly, and at an early age decided he wanted to be a rock ‘n roll singer as well. Starting in the early ’60s, Fuller began to make a name for himself in the El Paso area clubs, and by 1964, he was living in Los Angeles, chasing his dreams. It was while in Los Angeles, he formed the Bobby Fuller Four and convinced legendary producer Bob Keane to sign them to Mustang Records. Keane’s other claim to fame was discovering a young Ritchie Valens. With a sound that was equal parts Buddy Holly, Tex Mex, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Elvis, Little Richard and the Ventures, Fuller began putting out such instant hit records as “Let Her Dance,” “Love’s Made A Fool Of You,” and of course, the great “I Fought the Law.” And then, almost as quickly as it started, it all came to a tragic and mysterious end. In what the incompetent police ruled a “suicide,” Fuller was found with multiple wounds to his body, covered in gasoline, and left for dead in a parked car outside his apartment. The scene, not only unsecured by police, was never dusted for fingerprints. Fuller’s mother claimed that the police told her that he had been dead for two hours, even though she had been with him just 30 minutes prior. And one witness even came forward claiming they saw a police officer discard a gas can into a nearby dumpster. But the case was never solved. Many speculate that the perpetrators fled the scene before they were able to burn the car and body. And adding to the mystery, the LAPD case files remain lost to this day. A 2002 novel entitled The Dead Circus by John Kaye further fuels the fire by including a “fictional” subplot that has Frank Sinatra ordering the hit on Fuller because he did not like him dating his daughter.

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I Fought the Law - The Best of Bobby Fuller Four - Bobby Fuller Four

Died On This Date (June 25, 1987) Boudleaux Bryant / Wrote Many Pop Hits

Boudleaux Bryant
February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987

Along with his wife, Felice, Boudleaux Bryant wrote such early pop hits as “Bye Bye Love,” “Rocky Top,” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” the last two being big hits for the Everly Brothers. The future Mr. & Mrs. Boudleaux met in 1945 and so began a successful songwriting partnership (and marriage) that would last some forty years. During that time, they wrote songs for a virtual who’s who of popular music. That list includes Tony Bennett, the Grateful Dead, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Nazareth, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Sarah Vaughan. Together they penned over 1500 recorded songs which obviously landed them into several songwriter halls of fame. Boudleaux Bryant passed away from natural causes on June 25, 1987



Died On This Date (June 2, 2008) Bo Diddley / Blues Icon

Bo Diddley (Born Ellas Otha Bates)
December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008

Known as “The Originator,” Bo Diddley was arguably THE flash point of rock ‘n roll.  He took the blues and injected a shot of the devil into it, forever bridging the gap between the two art forms.  As a singer, guitarist and songwriter, Diddley was a direct influence on many of the greatest artists in rock history.  The “Bo Diddley Beat” directly inspired the likes of Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, the Grateful Dead, U2, George Thorogood, Elton John and countless others. Bo Diddley died of heart failure on June 2, 2008.  He was 79.

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Bo Diddley: The Definitive Collection - Bo Diddley

Died On This Date (April 22, 2003) Felice Bryant / Wrote Many Pop Hits

Felice Bryant
August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003

Along with her husband Boudleaux, Felice Bryant, wrote such early pop hits as “Bye Bye Love,” “Rocky Top,” and “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” the last two being big hits for the Everly Brothers. The future Mr. & Mrs. Boudleaux met in 1945 and so began a successful songwriting partnership (and marriage) that would last some forty years. During that time, they wrote songs for a virtual who’s who of popular music. That list includes Tony Bennett, the Grateful Dead, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Nazareth, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Sarah Vaughan. Together they penned over 1500 recorded songs which obviously landed them into several songwriter halls of fame. Felice Bryant passed away from natural causes on April 22, 2003.



Died On This Date (April 10, 1958) Chuck Willis / Early R&B Great

Chuck Willis
January 31, 1928 – April 10, 1958

Chuck Willis had a relatively short career as a singer and songwriter of Blues, R&B and early Rock ‘n’ Roll. He recorded for Columbia, Okeh and Atlantic Records over a career that lasted less than ten years before he unexpectedly died. But what a career he had. His hits included “It’s Too Late (She’s Gone),” covered by no less than Otis Redding, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Derek & the Dominoes and Jerry Garcia; “I Feel So Bad,” covered by Elvis Presley; “C.C. Rider,” also recorded by Elvis as well as Bruce Springsteen; and “Oh What A Dream,” later recorded by Ruth Brown and Conway Twitty.   Willis suffered from stomach ulcers for many years which likely contributed to his sudden death of peritonitis at just 30.