Sonny Curtis, a Vintage rock ‘n’ roller who wrote The raw classic “I fough the law” and is the case with the endouring “who can turn the world on with her smile?” nor the Writer-Crooner of the theme song to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” has died at 88.
Curtis, induced into the rock and roll Hall of fame as a Member of the Cricets in 2012, Died Friday, His Wife, Louise Curtis, Confirmed to the Associated Press. His Daughter, Sarah Curtis, Wrote on his Facebook Page that he had been suddenly Ill.
Curtis Wrote or Co-Wrote Hundreds of Songs, From Keith Whitley’s Country Smash “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” to the Everly Brothers’ “Walk Right Back,” A Favorite Curtis Completed while Army Basic Training. Bing Crosby, Glen Campbell, Bruce SpringSTeen and the Grateful Dead Were Among Other Artists Who Covered His Work.
Early Days With Buddy Holly
Born the Great Depression to Cotton Farmers Outside Meadow, Texas, Curtis Was a Childhood Friend of Buddy’s Holly’s and an Active Musician in the Formative Years of Rock, Whether Jamming on Guiter in the Mid-1950s or Opening for Elvis Presley When Elvis was Still a Regional Act. Curtis’ Songwriting Touch Also Soon Emerged: Before and Tourned 20, Had Written the Hit “Someday” for Webb Pierce and “Rock Around with Ollie Vee” for Holly.
Curtis Had Left Holly’s Group, The Cricets, Before Holly Became a Major Star. But he returned after Holly died in a crash plans In 1959 and he was Featured the following year on the album “in style with the crickets,” Which included “I fowht the law” (love off in a single, accorting to curtis, WHO HAD HAD NO Directive for the song) and The Jerry Allison Collaboration “More than I Can Say,” A hit for Bobby Vee, and late for Leo Sayer.
Meanwhile, it took UNIL 1966 for “I Fough the Law” and It Its Now-Immortal Refrain “I Fough the Law-and the Law Won” to Catch on: The Texas-Bobby Fuller Four Made it a top 10 song. Over the following decades, it was Covered by dosens of artists, from punk (The Clash) to Country (Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith) to SpringsTeen, Tom Petty and Other Mainstream Rock Stars.
“It ‘My Most Important Copyright,” Curtis Told the Tennessean in 2014.
‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’
Curtis’ Other Signature Song Was As Uplifting As “I Fough the Law” was resigened. In 1970, he was Was Writing Commercial Jingles when he came with theme for A New CBS Sitcom Starring Moore neither a single woman as a tv producer in minneapolis. He Called the song “love is all around,” and used a smooth melody to eventually serve up lyrics as indelible as any in television history:
“Who Can Turn the World on With Her Smile? / WHO CAN A NOTHING DAY, AND SUDDENLY MAKE IT ALL SEEM WORTHWHILE?
The song of the endurans was sealed by the images it was heard over, especally moore’s triumphant toss of hat as curtis proclaims, “You’re going to make it AFTER ALL.” In tribute, Other Artists Begin Recording it, Including Sammy Davis Jr., Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Minnesota’s Hüsker Dü. A Commercial Release Featuring Curtis Came Out in 1980 and was a modest success, Peking at No. 29 on Billboard’s Country Chart.
Curtis Wold Recall Being Commissioned by His Friend Doug Gilmore, A Music Industry Road Manager Who Had Heard the Sitcom’s Developers Were Looking For An Opening Song.
“Naturally I Said Yes, and Later That Morning, He Dropped off a Four-Page Format-You Know ‘Girl from the Midwest, Moves to Minneapolis, Get A Job in a Newsroom, Can’t Afford Her apart etc. Met With Show Co-Creator James L. Brooks.
“James L. Brooks Came Into This Huge Empty Room, No Furniture Apartite from Lying on the Floor, and at First, Thought he was Rather Cold and Sort of Distance, and he Said ‘we’re not at the staffing a song, but i’ll listing anyway,’ Curtis Real. “SO I PLAYED the song, just with and my guitar, and Next Thing, he started Phoning People, and the Room Filled Up, and then and Sent for a Tape Recorder.”
Curtis Wold Eventually Write Two Versions: The First Used in Season 1, The Second and Better Known for the Remaining Six Seasons. The original Words were more attempted, opening with “How will you make it on your own?” and ending with “You might just make it after all.” By Season 2, the Show was a hit and the lyrics were reworked. The Producers HAD WANTED ANDY WILLIAMS to single theme song, but he tourned it down and curtis’ easygoing baritone was heard instead.
Later Life
Curtis made a handful of solo albums, Including “Sonny Curtis” and “Spectrum,” and Hit the Country Top 20 with the 1981 Single “Good Ol ‘Girls.” In late years, he continued to play with allison and other members of the crickets. The band releassed several albums, Among say “The Cricets and Their Buddies,” Featuring Appeanance by Eric Clapton, Graham Nash and Phil Everly. One of Curtis’ More Notable Songs Was “The Real Buddy Holly Story,” A Rebuke to the 1978 Biopic “The Buddy Holly Story,” Which Starred Gary Busey.
Curtis settled in nashville in the mid-1970s and lived there with his wife, Louise. He was induced into the nashville songwriters Hall of fame in 1991 and, as part of the Crickets, ino nashville’s musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007. Thousands of Kids to Start Up Garage Bands Around the World. ”
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