In El Paso Bobby Fuller was hotter than a high school romance, and his career was just heating up when he and the band signed with Del-Fi Records in Los Angeles (the label that launches Richie Valens to stardom) in late 1964. Leaving El Paso with the best wishes of thousands of fans eager to see the hometown boys make good, Fuller and the group moved to the Gold Coast. After changing the band's name to the Bobby Fuller Four, the band landed two consecutive hits on the national charts. In 1965 "I Fought The Law" reached the #9 position and was quickly followed by "Love's Made A Fool Of You" in early 1966.
Then, suddenly, on July 18,1966 it was all over. Bobby Fuller was found dead in his car near his apartment in Los Angeles. He was 23 years old. Though the police immediately labeled his death a suicide, those who knew Bobby continue to challenge this theory. Strangely, it was clear from blood and bruises on his body that Fuller had been beaten, and his clothing had been soaked with gasolilne. More than a few unexplained facts surrounding his death raise suspicion that foul play was involved, though the case remains uninvestigated these forty-plus years later.
"If live to be a hundred years old, I'll always believe that if we had just connected with visionary type people in the business, as opposed to bottom line… money people, we could have conceivably been as big as the Beatles." Jim Reese, guitarist, Bobby Fuller Four
