From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Tue Oct 22, 2002 1:17 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Bobby Fuller BOBBY FULLER (By Shaun Mather) Born Robert Gaston Fuller, 22 October 1942, Goose Creek, Texas Died 18 July 1966, Los Angeles, California Bobby Fuller's good-time Texan sound gave some indication what Buddy Holly may have sounded like had he not perished in a 1959 aircrash. That's not to say he was anywhere near as good as Buddy, but he did have his moments and is more than just a footnote in the annals of rock history. He was one of the first successful garage bands and was equally at home playing good old fashioned rock 'n' roll or a variant on the surf sounds of the day. The charts of the day were dominated by Merseybeat and Motown, so his Texas rock was a refreshing reminder of rock's recent past. He formed the Bobby Fuller Four in El Paso with his brother Randy and two mates, Jim Reese and DeWayne Quirico. They practised hard and Bobby built a studio at his parents' home, where he experimented with a self-built echo chamber that he'd constructed in the back yard. After a few local singles on the Todd label, they moved to California and worked with Bob Keane (Del-Fi - Ritchie Valens etc.). Their releases on the Mustang label only saw one big hit, their revival of I Fought The Law (# 9), but there were plenty of highlights like Let Her Dance, The Magic Touch, Love's Made a Fool of You, Fool of Love and My True Love. Their sound was constantly evolving, but was tragically cut short when Fuller was found dead in his car in Los Angeles, aged just 23. Covered in petrol and with petrol in his lungs, the coroner ruled it as suicide, but everyone who knew him disagree. His music has been well served on the CD front with Best of's from the Mustang years as well as some excellent trawls through the early El Paso years on the Norton label. Recommended listening: El Paso Rock Vols 1 & 2 - Norton Shakedown! The Texas Tapes Revisited - Del-Fi (2 CD-set). The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four - Rhino. More info: http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BobbyFuller.html and http://www.angelfire.com/in2/aaronmusicarchives/strangecase.html (about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death)