Song of the Week 10: I Fought The Law

“I Fought The Law”, one of the most recognized and recorded songs of all time, has deep roots in West Texas and New Mexico. Lubbock-area singer-songwriter Sonny Curtis wrote the song in 1959 around the time he joined Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets following Buddy’s untimely death in February of that year. Sonny had been Holly’s good friend and the lead guitarist in Buddy’s pre-Crickets band The Three Tunes, but had left to tour with several national acts prior to The Crickets’ success. Recorded by the band at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, NM and released on the 1960 album “In Style With The Crickets”, the song wasn’t a hit but did become a repertoire staple of guitar bands throughout the Southwest. One of them, El Paso’s The Bobby Fuller Four, recorded the song in California in 1965 with legendary producer Bob Keane for his Mustang Records. That version went on to become one of the biggest selling records of 1966.

Our recording of “I Fought The Law” appears on our first album, A Little Farther West. We were primarily influenced by the Bobby Fuller version, but incorporated elements of several of the dozens of subsequent cover recordings as well, especially one by The Ventures and Duane Eddy. Sonny Curtis went on to write Bobby Vee’s “More Than I Can Say”, The Everly Brothers’ “Walk Right Back”, Keith Whitley’s “I’m No Stranger To The Rain”, and the Mary Tyler Moore Show theme, “Love Is All Around” (on which he was also the lead vocalist).