Randy Fuller (musician)

Randall Fuller (January 29, 1944 – May 16, 2024) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and bass player best known for his work in the popular 1960s rock group the Bobby Fuller Four with his older brother, Bobby Fuller.

Life and career
Randy Fuller was the child of Lawson and Loraine Fuller and younger brother of Bobby Fuller. Lawson Fuller worked in the oil industry and the family moved around the Western USA often, eventually settling in El Paso, Texas.

The boys were always interested in music, though Bobby was the real prodigy in the family. Randy played trombone in school band and eventually learned electric bass to accompany his older brother in his rock & roll endeavors.

By the early 1960s, the Fuller brothers (with various drummers and guitarists) were enjoying considerable success in El Paso and surrounding areas. Bobby invested in professional recording equipment and they set up a makeshift studio at their parent's house. Bobby & Randy Fuller's group settled on the name Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics.

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. 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. Fuller released a string of singles as The Randy Fuller Four, but was never able to duplicate the success of his previous band. Since then, Randy has had many musical endeavors, many of which involve reuniting with former members of the Bobby Fuller Four. 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.

Randy Fuller died on May 16, 2024, at the age of 80.

General references

 * Shakedown! The Texas Tapes Revisited (CD liner). Del-Fi Records. 1996.