Sonny Curtis
Encyclopedia
Sonny Curtis is an American
singer and songwriter
. Most of his work falls into the Pop and Country genres. He was a teenage pal and band member with Buddy Holly
in Lubbock, Texas
. Sonny is his actual first name, not a nickname.
Although Curtis had gone on the road with other musicians by the time Buddy Holly put together The Crickets in 1957, Curtis joined The Crickets after Holly's death in 1959, and soon took over the lead vocalist role in addition to lead guitar. As the credits show, he was part of the band for the 1960 album In Style with The Crickets for which they recorded the original versions of two of Curtis's best known songs, "I Fought the Law
" and "More Than I Can Say
" (co-written with drummer Jerry Allison.) He has continued to record and perform intermittently as part of the band over six decades, most recently in their album "The Crickets and their Buddies" (2004) where they reprised most of their hits with help from many noted fellow musicians. Curtis did leave the band several times to pursue his solo career but even during those periods made occasional guest appearances, in performance and on record, with The Crickets. His song "The Real Buddy Holly Story" was written in response to the inaccuracies in the movie The Buddy Holly Story
.
He wrote the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
, "Love is All Around
", which he also recorded. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193510 He also wrote "Walk Right Back
", which was a hit for the Everly Brothers and later for Anne Murray
, "More Than I Can Say", recorded after The Crickets' original by Bobby Vee
, then Leo Sayer
. "I Fought the Law" was later covered in the studio or in concert by many artists including Bobby Fuller
, The Clash
, The Dead Kennedys, Bryan Adams
, John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen
, Roy Orbison
, Tom Petty
, Social Distortion
, Mike Ness
, Hank Williams Jr, Waylon Jennings
, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
, Green Day
, The Ramones
, Grateful Dead
, Stray Cats
, Mary's Danish
, Mano Negra
, the Big Dirty Band
, Lolita No. 18, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
, Attaque 77
, Die Toten Hosen
, Status Quo, Nanci Griffith
, and The Men They Couldn't Hang
. For the 2003 film, Intermission
, Colin Farrell
recorded a version of the song, singing it in the guise of his character in the film. Sonny Curtis also co-wrote the 1987 Country Song of the Year I'm No Stranger To The Rain recorded by the late Keith Whitley
. Other songs he wrote include The Straight Life (recorded by Bobby Goldsboro
) and "A Fool Never Learns" (recorded by Andy Williams
). In 1991, Sonny Curtis was inducted in to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. Most of his work falls into the Pop and Country genres. He was a teenage pal and band member with Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. Sonny is his actual first name, not a nickname.
Although Curtis had gone on the road with other musicians by the time Buddy Holly put together The Crickets in 1957, Curtis joined The Crickets after Holly's death in 1959, and soon took over the lead vocalist role in addition to lead guitar. As the credits show, he was part of the band for the 1960 album In Style with The Crickets for which they recorded the original versions of two of Curtis's best known songs, "I Fought the Law
I Fought the Law
"I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets and became popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, which went on to become a top-ten hit for the band in 1966 and was also recorded by The Clash in 1979...
" and "More Than I Can Say
More Than I Can Say
"More Than I Can Say" is a song written by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, both former members of Buddy Holly's band The Crickets and was recorded by their band in 1959 soon after Holly's death and was released in 1960. Their original version hit #42 on British Record Retailer Chart on 5/12/60...
" (co-written with drummer Jerry Allison.) He has continued to record and perform intermittently as part of the band over six decades, most recently in their album "The Crickets and their Buddies" (2004) where they reprised most of their hits with help from many noted fellow musicians. Curtis did leave the band several times to pursue his solo career but even during those periods made occasional guest appearances, in performance and on record, with The Crickets. His song "The Real Buddy Holly Story" was written in response to the inaccuracies in the movie The Buddy Holly Story
The Buddy Holly Story
The film was adapted by Robert Gittler from Buddy Holly: His Life and Music, the biography of Holly by John Goldrosen. It was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:...
.
He wrote the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
, "Love is All Around
The Mary Tyler Moore Show opening sequence
The Mary Tyler Moore Show opening sequence is an element of the U.S. television series The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1999, Entertainment Weekly picked Mary Richards' hat toss at the end of the sequence as television's second greatest moment...
", which he also recorded. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193510 He also wrote "Walk Right Back
Walk Right Back
"Walk Right Back" is a 1961 song by Sonny Curtis that was recorded by The Everly Brothers, and went to #7 in the U.S. Billboard charts, and #1 in the UK charts. Originally it was the B-side, then it was changed to the A-side....
", which was a hit for the Everly Brothers and later for Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, "More Than I Can Say", recorded after The Crickets' original by Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, then Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
. "I Fought the Law" was later covered in the studio or in concert by many artists including Bobby Fuller
Bobby Fuller
Robert Gaston "Bobby" Fuller was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitar player best known for his singles "I Fought the Law" and "Love's Made a Fool of You," recorded with his mid-1960s group, the Bobby Fuller Four....
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, The Dead Kennedys, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
, Mike Ness
Mike Ness
Mike Ness is an American guitarist, vocalist, and chief songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. As of Dennis Danell's death in 2000, he is now the only original member of the band...
, Hank Williams Jr, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, The Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Stray Cats
Stray Cats
Stray Cats are an American Rockabilly band formed in 1980 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer , upright bassist Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S...
, Mary's Danish
Mary's Danish
Mary's Danish were an alternative rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in the late 1980s and released a series of albums until 1992. The band creatively blended of rock, funk, country and soul elements....
, Mano Negra
Mano Negra
Mano Negra was a music band in France, during 1987–1995, fronted by Manu Chao.The band, founded in 1987 by Chao, his brother Antoine, and his cousin Santiago Casariego in Paris, France, was very influential in Europe during the early 1990s. Although it reached mainstream success in countries...
, the Big Dirty Band
Big Dirty Band
The Big Dirty Band is a Canadian supergroup composed of Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson , Thornley's and Big Wreck's Ian Thornley , Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier , Die Mannequin's Care Failure and The Tea Party drummer Jeff Burrows.The Big Dirty Band was put together in support of the Trailer...
, Lolita No. 18, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American eclectic musical group led by Anton Newcombe, whose music spans multiple genres including psychedelia, electronica, folk music, blues, experimental music, and many others....
, Attaque 77
Attaque 77
Attaque 77 is an Argentine rock group formed in 1987.-History:Formed in 1987 as a group of friends who got together to play their favorite songs, most of them by The Ramones, their favorite band and the one that influenced them the most...
, Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. They have enjoyed decades-long mass appeal in Germany.The band's name literally means "The Dead Pants" in English, although the phrase "tote Hose" is a German expression meaning "nothing going on" or "boring"...
, Status Quo, Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
, and The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush , Paul Simmonds , Philip "Swill" Odgers , Jon Odgers and Shanne Bradley .- Controversy and success:Their first single, "The Green Fields...
. For the 2003 film, Intermission
Intermission (film)
Intermission is a 2003 Irish comedy crime film directed by John Crowley which tells a story of a young couple and people surrounding them. The film is set in Dublin, Ireland and is filmed in a TV drama style with several storylines crossing over one another during the course of the film.Mark O'Rowe...
, Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
recorded a version of the song, singing it in the guise of his character in the film. Sonny Curtis also co-wrote the 1987 Country Song of the Year I'm No Stranger To The Rain recorded by the late Keith Whitley
Keith Whitley
Jackie Keith Whitley , known professionally as Keith Whitley, was an American country music singer. Whitley's brief career in mainstream country music lasted from 1984 until his death in 1989, but he continues to influence an entire generation of singers and songwriters...
. Other songs he wrote include The Straight Life (recorded by Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of Pop and Country hits during the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature #1 classic "Honey," which sold well over one million copies in the United States.-Early life:Goldsboro was born in Marianna, Florida...
) and "A Fool Never Learns" (recorded by Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
). In 1991, Sonny Curtis was inducted in to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Beatle Hits Flamenco Style Guitar | El Records | |
| 1968 | The 1st of Sonny Curtis | 21 | Viva |
| 1969 | The Sonny Curtis Style | Elektra | |
| 1979 | Sonny Curtis | ||
| 1980 | Love Is All Around | ||
| 1981 | Rollin | ||
| 1987 | Spectrum | Nightlite |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1966 | "My Way of Life" | 49 | 134 | The 1st of Sonny Curtis |
| "Destiny's Child" | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "I Wanna Go Bummin' Around" | 50 | — | |
| 1968 | "Atlanta Georgia Stray" | 36 | 120 | The Sonny Curtis Style |
| "The Straight Life" | 45 | — | ||
| 1971 | "Day Gig" | — | — | |
| "Girl of the North" | — | — | ||
| 1972 | "Lights of L.A." | — | — | singles only |
| 1973 | "Rock and Roll Gave Me the Best Years of My Life" | — | — | |
| 1974 | "Love Is All Around" | — | — | |
| "Unsaintly Judy" | — | — | ||
| 1975 | "Lovesick Blues" | 78 | — | |
| 1976 | "When It's Just You and Me" | — | — | |
| "Where's Patricia Now" | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "The Cowboy Singer" | 77 | — | Sonny Curtis |
| 1980 | "Do You Remember Roll Over Beethoven" | 86 | — | |
| "The Real Buddy Holly Story"A | 38 | — | Love Is All Around | |
| "Love Is All Around" | 29 | — | ||
| "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a 1975 hit song by Paul Simon, from his album Still Crazy After All These Years. Backing vocals on the single were performed by Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson and Phoebe Snow.-Creation:... " |
70 | — | ||
| 1981 | "Good Ol' Girls" | 15 | — | Rollin |
| "Married Women" | 33 | — | ||
| 1985 | "I Think I'm in Love" | — | — | singles only |
| 1986 | "Now I've Got a Heart of Gold" | 69 | — |
- A"The Real Buddy Holly Story" also peaked at #20 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.