I Fought the Law - The Bobby Fuller Four

"I Fought the Law" was written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets. The song was first recorded in 1959 by a post-Buddy Holly lineup of The Crickets that included Curtis. The song was recorded by Bobby Fuller, first in a version that he released on his own Exeter label in 1964, and then re-recorded for the version that became a national hit in 1966. "I Fought the Law" peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1966. The Bobby Fuller Four version of this song was ranked #175 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was named one of the 500 "Songs that Shaped Rock" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Just six months after the song made its first appearance on the Billboard chart, Bobby Fuller was found dead from asphyxiation in his mother's car in a parking lot near his Los Angeles, California, apartment. The Los Angeles Police Department declared his death an apparent suicide, but others believed he was murdered. Bobby Fuller was only 23 years old.