History
Before Fuller had established a band in his hometown of El Paso, he recorded his first single, "You’re in Love" under Yucca Records in 1961 with assistance of the Embers, a local band that Fuller played in previously with. At this point, he started his own band, backed by his brother, Randy on bass and Gaylord Grimes on drums in 1962. After "You’re in Love" was a regional hit, Fuller had his next single, "Gently My Love" professionally recorded at Norman Petty Recording Studios. While producing another regional hit, Fuller was displeased with the results.
They disbanded from Yucca, and released their records through Fuller’s various independent labels. The recordings were done in Fuller’s home recording studio. The group never had a definite name; recordings were either credited to simply Bobby Fuller, or Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics. Various other members (now including a second guitarist in addition to Fuller) played in the band at this time; however, the most significant were Jim Reese (formerly of the Embers) on guitar, and Dalton Powell (who had previously played piano for the Embers) on drums, while Bobby Fuller and Randy Fuller stayed constant on guitar and bass, respectively.
By 1963, the band pursued a record deal with a major label in Hollywood, California. While they were neglected by most labels, Bob Keane of Del-Fi Records showed particular interest in the group. While he saw potential, he didn’t think the band had hit material yet. Fuller and his band returned to El Paso and continued to release regional hits, the most popular being "I Fought the Law," originally by the Crickets. By the end of 1964, Fuller saw branching out to a major label as their only option, thus Bobby Fuller, Randy Fuller, and Jim Reese prepared to move to California to revisit Del-Fi Records. Current drummer, Dalton Powell could not make the move due to family commitments, and was replaced by another drummer, DeWayne Quirico, taught by Fuller himself.
Read more about this topic: The Bobby Fuller Four
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