The Strange Death of Bobby Fuller. His Road Manager, Rick Stone Talks
While not a one-hit wonder, Bobby Fuller's claim to fame is one song that continues to get airplay to this day. That song is "I Fought The Law." It was a Top Ten Hit for Bobby and his group The Bobby Fuller Four in the Spring of 1966.
A few months later, July 18th, 1966 to be exact, Bobby Fuller was found dead in his car, a car that was parked in front of his Hollywood apartment. He was only 23 years old. The LAPD ruled Bobby's death an apparent suicide. But lingering questions remain nearly 30 years after Bobby's death. Those closest to Bobby, including his Road Manager, Rick Stone, do not believe Bobby committed suicide. They believe he was murdered.
In this Exclusive Interview, we talked to Rick Stone about his days as Road Manager for The Bobby Fuller Four and the mysterious circumstances of Bobby Fuller's death.
It's 1966 and a group out of El Paso, Texas calling themselves The Bobby Fuller Four are enjoying considerable success with their recording of "I Fought The Law". The song went all the way to number 9 on the national charts. A follow up record "Loves Made A Fool Of You" (a Buddy Holly cover) reached Number 26 on the charts. Then on July 18th, 1966, Bobby Fuller was found dead in his car, parked in front of his Hollywood apartment. His body was beaten and a gasoline soaked rag was stuffed in his mouth The Los Angeles Police Dept. called it a suicide Those who knew the 23 year old singer, knew better.
As a guitarist for the Bobby Fuller Four, Jim Reese was one of those people. We talked with Jim about his days in the group and the unsolved mystery of Bobby Fuller's death.
In the spring of 1966, a Texas quartet known as the Bobby Fuller Four were riding high in the charts with "I Fought The Law." On July 18, 1966, lead singer and founding member Bobby Fuller was found dead. Only 23 years old, Bobby's death remains every bit as mysterious today as it was back then - 25 years ago.
What kind of a guy was Bobby Fuller? And what were the strange circumstances surrounding his death? Charlene Nowak knew Bobby Fuller. Charlene saw firsthand his rise to fame. We let Charlene take us back to the mid '60s and the days of the Bobby Fuller Four.
