What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Sonny Curtis, the Texas-born guitarist and songwriter whose “I Fought the Law” became a rock standard, died on September 19, 2025, at age 88. His wife, Louise, confirmed his death to the Associated Press. Curtis also wrote “Love Is All Around,” the theme to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and songs that reached country and pop audiences.
How Curtis’s song became a rock hit
Curtis wrote “I Fought the Law,” and the Crickets recorded it for their 1960 album In Style with the Crickets. The song did not become widely successful until the Bobby Fuller Four’s version reached the Top 10 in 1966, according to the Associated Press. The Clash later recorded their own version, extending the song’s life across generations of rock audiences.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Greatest Hits | $18.70 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Very Best of Buddy Holly and The Crickets | $12.92 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Big Innings: The Best Of The Outfield | $12.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Greatest Hits | $21.42 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
![The Very Best of Buddy Holly and The Crickets [3 CD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41suuuWF0+L._SL160_.jpg)
|
The Very Best of Buddy Holly and The Crickets [3 CD] | $24.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Curtis said he wrote the song in a single afternoon and had no direct inspiration for it, the AP reported. In a 2014 interview with The Tennessean, as quoted in the AP report, he called it “my most important copyright.”
From Buddy Holly’s circle to the Crickets
Raised in Texas, Curtis knew Buddy Holly as a childhood friend and became part of the musical circle that helped shape early rock. He left Holly’s group before Holly became a major star, then returned to the Crickets after Holly died in 1959. Curtis featured on In Style with the Crickets the following year; the album also included “More Than I Can Say,” which he co-wrote with Crickets drummer Jerry Allison.
#1 Best Overall
- Reversible
- Etnies logos
Curtis and the Crickets were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, according to the Associated Press and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
A songwriter across rock, pop and country
“Love Is All Around” and television
Curtis wrote “Love Is All Around,” the theme for The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The theme changed after the show’s first season as it became a hit; Curtis sang the later, more familiar version, the AP reported.
Rank #2
- The Very Best of Buddy Holly and The Crickets by Buddy Holly
Country songs and Nashville
Other signature Curtis compositions included “Walk Right Back” and “I’m No Stranger to the Rain,” alongside “More Than I Can Say” and “I Fought the Law.” He moved to Nashville in 1976, toured with Waylon Jennings as a member of the Crickets, and later found success on country charts, according to his official artist biography.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame says five Curtis songs—“More Than I Can Say,” “Walk Right Back,” “I Fought the Law,” “The Straight Life,” and “Love Is All Around”—each received more than one million broadcasts. That is the Hall’s career figure, not a newly measured broadcast count. Curtis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsRank #3
- Shrink-wrapped
Remembering Sonny Curtis
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young remembered Curtis as “a gentle, humble man who wrote extraordinary songs.” Curtis’s legacy rests in the range of his work: a rock song that gained new audiences through successive recordings, a television theme known well beyond music circles, and a catalog embraced by country performers.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- The Very Best Of Buddy Holly and The Crickets
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
