If he had done nothing else in his career, Sonny Curtis, who has died of complications from pneumonia aged 88, would deserve a generous measure of rock’n’roll immortality for composing I Fought the Law. Originally released on the album In Style With the Crickets, when Curtis was singer and guitarist with the late Buddy Holly’s former backing band the Crickets, I Fought the Law was not a hit single for them, but would go on to enjoy an extended life of its own.
It became a US Top 10 hit for the Bobby Fuller Four in 1966, and would re-emerge in versions by the Dead Kennedys, Hank Williams Jr, Sam Neely, Green Day and Status Quo. The Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen frequently performed it live, while actor Colin Farrell recorded a version for the film Intermission (2003).
