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Randy Fuller | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Randall Fuller |
| Born | January 29, 1944 Hobbs, New Mexico, US |
| Origin | El Paso, Texas, US |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass, trombone |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Labels | Liberty Records, Yucca Records, Mustang Records |
Randall Fuller (January 29, 1944) is an American rock singer, songwriter, and bass player best known for his work in the popular 60s rock group the Bobby Fuller Four with his older brother, Bobby Fuller.
Early on, Fuller took up trombone in his school band, later switching to guitar. With a reel-to-reel tape player, he and his brother made their own recordings, dubbing their group "Captain Fuller and the Rocket Squad". With his parents concerned with his troubling behavior, Randy was sent to military school. When Fuller went to military school, he left his guitar behind. At this point, his brother Bobby taught himself how to play guitar. By the time Randy returned, Fuller was already a self-taught professional. When Bobby wanted to start his own band in 1962, he immediately recruited Randy to play bass. While Randy wasn't enthused about the instrument, he nonetheless agreed. Randy was present on all of Bobby's El Paso singles, all of became regional hits. Despite an ever-changing lineup, Randy and Bobby were the two consistent members, though Mike Ciccarelli filled in for Randy on one occasion while he was sick. Randy also helped build the homemade recording studio in the Fullers' home, in which all the independent releases by Fuller were recorded.
By 1963, Randy and the band went to Hollywood to play a set of gigs and look for a major record deal. While they didn't find any takers, Bob Keane of Del-Fi Records showed interest. Meanwhile, the band returned to El Paso and put out more singles, the most popular being "I Fought the Law". Randy, inspired by the film Rebel Without a Cause , convinced Bobby to record the song from In Style with the Crickets . Later that year, Randy pushed Bobby into returning to Hollywood, where they were then signed to Del-Fi by Keane.
After initially struggling to put out a hit, the band, now dubbed The Bobby Fuller Four, found success with "Let Her Dance". The song was noted for its bottle-tapping rhythm and catchy bass line, both the result of Randy's input. The success of "Let Her Dance" was later eclipsed by the group's re-recording of "I Fought the Law". With the professional mixing by Keane and Randy's driving bass, the song became a national hit at No. 9 on the national charts. [1] While the band's chemistry began to erode following their breakout success, Bobby's sudden death on July 18, 1966, caused the Bobby Fuller Four to immediately disband.
While initially stricken, Randy was convinced to continue his musical career by former bandmate DeWayne Quirico. [2] Fuller released a string of singles as The Randy Fuller Four, but was never able to duplicate the success of his previous band. In 1969, Fuller joined New Buffalo Springfield, penning many memorable arrangements. Since then, Randy has had many musical endeavors, many of which involve reuniting with former members of the Bobby Fuller Four. [3] Recently, Randy has revived the Randy Fuller Four with DeWayne Quirico, and performed classic songs of the Bobby Fuller Four to great acclaim.
In 2015, Fuller collaborated with Miriam Linna to put out I Fought the Law: The Life and Strange Death of Bobby Fuller - the first authorized biography of Bobby Fuller and the Bobby Fuller Four.
Robert Gaston Fuller was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for "Let Her Dance" and his cover of the Crickets' "I Fought the Law", recorded with his group The Bobby Fuller Four.
The Bobby Fuller Four was a popular mid-1960s American rock & roll band started by Bobby Fuller. First formed in 1962 in Fuller's hometown of El Paso, Texas, the group went on to produce some of its most memorable hits under the Mustang Records label in Hollywood, California. The band's most successful songs include "Let Her Dance", "I Fought the Law" and "Love's Made a Fool of You".
Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, were a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by Randy Bachman, Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner in 1973. Their 1970s catalogue included five top-40 albums and six US top-40 singles. BTO has five certified gold albums and one certified platinum album in the US; in Canada, they have six certified platinum albums and one certified gold album. The band has sold nearly 30 million albums worldwide, and has fans affectionately known as "gearheads". Many of their songs, including "Let It Ride", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", "Takin' Care of Business", "Hey You", and "Roll on Down the Highway", still receive regular play on classic-rock stations.
Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes is a triple live album by The Velvet Underground. It was released on October 16, 2001, by Polydor, the record label overseeing the band's UMG back catalogue. It was recorded by Robert Quine, a fan of the band who would later become an influential guitarist, playing with Richard Hell, Lou Reed, and Lloyd Cole.
"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 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, and the same year was named one of the 500 "Songs that Shaped Rock" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Charles Frederick Turner is a Canadian rock bassist, vocalist and songwriter, and was a founding member of the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive (B.T.O.). He is credited on most B.T.O. albums as "C.F. Turner".
Jerry Miller is an American songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. He performs as a solo artist and as a member of the Jerry Miller Band. He is also a founding member of the 1960s San Francisco band Moby Grape, which continues to perform occasionally. Rolling Stone included Miller at number 68 on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time and Moby Grape's album Moby Grape at number 124 from listed 500 greatest albums of all time. Miller's longtime guitar is a Gibson L-5 CES Florentine guitar which he calls "Beulah".
The Keane Brothers was an American pop music duo from 1976–82, composed of pre-teens, Tom Keane on piano and John Keane on drums. The duo released four albums and briefly hosted a television variety show on CBS. The brothers subsequently went on to solo careers as songwriters and music producers.
Robert Verrill Kuhn , 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 producer and manager of Ritchie Valens and Pinoy star Josephine Roberto, aka Banig.
Richard Marx is the debut studio album by singer/songwriter and record producer/arranger, Richard Marx, released in June 1987.
Del-Fi Records was an American record label based in Hollywood, California and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was "Caravan" by Henri Rose released in 1958, but the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. Valens' first single for the label was "Come On Let's Go", which was a hit. His next single, "Donna"/"La Bamba", was an even bigger hit, and brought national notoriety to the label. Johnny Crawford, the co-star of the television series The Rifleman, was the Del-Fi artist who recorded the most hit singles.
"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.
"Let Her Dance" is a song by The Bobby Fuller Four. It was the group's fourth single under Del-Fi Records, and the first to achieve national attention.
KRLA King of the Wheels is the debut studio album by The Bobby Fuller Four. It was released by Mustang Records in November 1965 in stereo and mono. It was released in promotion of the local Los Angeles radio station, KRLA.
I Fought the Law is the second and final studio album by The Bobby Fuller Four. It was released by Mustang Records in February 1966 in stereo and mono. Its title comes from the title track, "I Fought the Law", which had recently become a hit single for the group, eventually charting at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Robert DeWayne Quirico is a professional drummer, best known for his work with The Bobby Fuller Four. One of his most notable works is his unique percussion work on the band's biggest hit, "I Fought the Law".
James Gordon Reese, Jr., simply known as Jim Reese, was an American musician and a longtime member of the famed rock and roll band, The Bobby Fuller Four. Being virtuosic at a variety of instruments, he is perhaps best known for his guitar work. He provided backing vocals and rhythm guitar to the Bobby Fuller Four's greatest hit, "I Fought the Law."
Shakedown! The Texas Tapes Revisited is a Grammy nominated compilation of the work of Bobby Fuller and his recording band in El Paso, Texas before signing to Bob Keane's Del-Fi Records 1964. The two CDs compile Fuller's hit local singles, and a wealth of outtakes and other recordings over its 50 tracks.
Dalton Powell is an El Paso musician, perhaps best known for his time as drummer of The Bobby Fuller Four.
The Romancers were an American Chicano rock band from the Eastside Los Angeles who were active in the 1960s. The Romancers were the first East L.A. Chicano band to record an album and were the main influence of the mid-sixties East L.A. sound. The band made two albums on Del-Fi Records and a string of singles for Eddie Davis' Linda label. Max Uballez was the group's leader, chief songwriter, and rhythm guitarist.