Jerry Fuller

{{Short description|American songwriter (1938–2024)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox musical artist |name = Jerry Fuller |birth_name = Jerrell Lee Fuller |birth_date = {{birth date|1938|11|19}} |birth_place = Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|2024|7|18|1938|11|19}} |death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. |years_active = 1959–2018 |genre = Country, pop, doo-wop, soul |label = Challenge Records, Columbia |occupations = Songwriter, record producer |spouse = {{marriage|Annette Smerigan|1965}} }}

'''Jerrell Lee Fuller''' (November 19, 1938 – July 18, 2024) was an American songwriter, singer, and record producer, best known for writing several hit songs in the 1960s. Fuller toured as a featured singer with The Champs before leaving to serve in the Army. Fuller's version of "Tennessee Waltz" made No. 63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and earned him an invitation to appear on ''American Bandstand.'' Fuller wrote for Ricky Nelson, who had top hits with "Travelin' Man", "A Wonder Like You", "Young World", and "It's Up to You". From 1967-1971, Fuller worked as a music producer at Columbia Records and, in 1970, he started his own Moonchild production company.

==Early life and career== Jerrell Lee Fuller was born in Fort Worth, Texas on November 19, 1938, to a musical family.<ref name = Traub>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/arts/music/jerry-fuller-dead.html|title = Jerry Fuller, Writer of ‘Young Girl’ and Other Hit Songs, Dies at 85|last = Traub|first = Alex|date = August 16, 2024|accessdate = August 16, 2024|newspaper = The New York Times|url-access = limited}}</ref><ref name=Willman>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/music/obituaries-people-news/jerry-fuller-dead-songwriter-young-girl-travelin-man-1236079249/ |title=Jerry Fuller, Songwriter-Producer Whose Dozens of Hits Include 'Young Girl,' 'Travelin' Man' and 'Show and Tell,' Dies at 85 |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=July 20, 2024 |accessdate=July 20, 2024 |work=Variety}}</ref> He and his brother Bill performed as a duo in their home state, recording for the local Lin label, before Jerry branched out on his own and began writing his own material. In 1959, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and secured a performing contract with Challenge Records.

== Career ==

=== Singer/songwriter === His rockabilly version of "Tennessee Waltz" made No. 63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and earned him an invitation to appear on ''American Bandstand''.<ref name="lies">{{Cite web|url=http://www.jerryfuller.com/bio/bio.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426162355/http://www.jerryfuller.com/bio/bio.htm|url-status=dead|title=JerryFuller.com − Biography|archive-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jerry-fuller-mn0000844487|title=Jerry Fuller | Biography & History|website=AllMusic|access-date=August 13, 2019}}</ref>

In 1961, he wrote "Travelin' Man" which was originally intended for Sam Cooke. Ricky Nelson recorded it instead and the record sold six million copies worldwide. Fuller wrote 11 of Nelson's recordings, including the US Top 10 hits "A Wonder Like You", "Young World", and "It's Up to You".

Fuller toured as a featured singer with The Champs, whose other members included Glen Campbell, Jimmy Seals, and Dash Crofts, before a period in the U.S. Army.<ref name = Traub/> On his return in 1963, Challenge / Four Star moved him to New York City to run its east coast operation. There he discovered a garage band, The Knickerbockers, and produced their 1965 hit "Lies" (Can No. 11).<ref name="lies"/>

=== Producer === In 1967, he moved to Columbia Records as a producer. His first discovery was Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, whom he found in a San Diego bowling alley lounge. He wrote and produced the group's hits "Young Girl" (a UK No. 1; Can. No. 1), "Lady Willpower" (Can No. 1), and "Over You" (Can No. 5). He also produced Mark Lindsay, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, and O.C. Smith, for whom he produced the hits "The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp" (Can No. 20) and "Little Green Apples" (Can No. 6).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Fabulous-Knickerbockers-Lies/release/2868426|title=The Fabulous Knickerbockers* − Lies|website=Discogs.com|access-date=August 13, 2019}}</ref> He remained with Columbia until 1971.<ref name = Traub/>

In 1970 he started Moonchild production company, writing and producing the hit "Show and Tell" for Al Wilson in 1973 (Can No. 7).

=== Greatest hits === In Fuller's later years, he recorded his own renditions of many of the songs he worked on, and released them in a three-volume album series between 2016 and 2018.<ref name=Willman/>

== Personal life and death == In 1965, Fuller married Annette Smerigan, and they had two children; the couple had first been introduced by Glen Campbell.<ref name = Traub/><ref name=Willman/>

Fuller died from lung cancer at his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, on July 18, 2024, at the age of 85.<ref name=Willman/>

==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Album ! Label |- | 1960 | ''Teenage Love'' | Lin |}

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Single ! colspan="4"| Chart Positions ! rowspan="2"| Album |- ! width="45"| US <ref name="whitburn2010">{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2010|publisher=Record Research, Inc|page=343|year=2011|isbn=978-0-89820-188-8}}</ref> ! width="45"| US Country ! width="45"| CAN <ref>{{cite web|url=http://chumtribute.com/59-12-14-chart.jpg| title=CHUM Hit Parade − December 14, 1959}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.4859.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles − July 28, 1973}}</ref> ! width="45"| CAN Country <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.4485b.pdf| title=RPM Top 75 Country − July 7, 1979}}</ref> |- | rowspan="2"| 1959 | "Betty My Angel" | align="center"| 90 | align="center"| — | align="center"| — | align="center"| — | rowspan="4"| ''Teenage Love'' |- | "Tennessee Waltz" | align="center"| 63 | align="center"| — | align="center"| 13 | align="center"| — |- | rowspan="2"| 1961 | "Guilty of Loving You" | align="center"| 94 | align="center"| — | align="center"| — | align="center"| — |- | "Shy Away" | align="center"| 71 | align="center"| — | align="center"| — | align="center"| — |- | 1973 | "Lazy Susan" | align="center"| — | align="center"| — | align="center"| 80 | align="center"| — | rowspan="3"| Singles only |- | rowspan="2"| 1979 | "Salt on the Wound" | align="center"| — | align="center"| 98 | align="center"| — | align="center"| — |- | "Lines" | align="center"| — | align="center"| 90 | align="center"| — | align="center"| 60 |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100426162355/http://www.jerryfuller.com/] *[{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p430127/biography|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic entry] * {{discogs artist|Jerry Fuller}} * {{imdb name|1887866}} *[http://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/jerry-fuller Jerry Fuller Interview] at NAMM Oral History Collection (2020)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Jerry}} Category:1938 births Category:2024 deaths Category:20th-century American male singers Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters Category:21st-century American male singers Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters Category:Apex Records artists Category:Challenge Records artists Category:Deaths from lung cancer in California Category:Musicians from Fort Worth, Texas Category:Northern soul musicians Category:Record producers from Texas Category:Songwriters from Texas Category:People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Category:United States Army soldiers