Sonny Curtis, the celebrated singer-songwriter whose prolific career saw him perform alongside Buddy Holly, open for Elvis Presley, and pen timeless hits such as “I Fought the Law,” “Walk Right Back,” and the iconic, effervescent theme song for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (which he also sang), passed away in Nashville on Friday at the age of 88.
His daughter, Sarah Curtis Graziano, confirmed that he died in a hospital due to complications from pneumonia.
Born into humble beginnings in a Dust Bowl dugout in West Texas during the Great Depression, Mr. Curtis emerged as a pivotal, if not always spotlighted, figure in both rock ‘n’ roll and country music history.
Over a remarkable seven-decade career, Curtis composed hundreds of songs, brought to life by an astonishing array of artists. His work was covered by legends like The Everly Brothers, country star Keith Whitley, and 1960s teen idol Bobby Vee, showcasing his incredible versatility.
The iconic anthem “I Fought the Law,” with its unforgettable refrain, ‘I fought the law and the law won,’ was famously covered by numerous artists including The Bobby Fuller Four, Hank Williams Jr., Roy Orbison, Bruce Springsteen, and The Clash, cementing its place in music history.
Reflecting on its creation, Curtis once shared in an interview, “The song came quick. It was one of those West Texas afternoons where the sand was blowing, those days you have in the spring. Probably March 1958. I wrote it in 15 minutes — bam! If you listen to it, you can tell you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to write those lyrics.” What an incredible burst of creativity!
Those spontaneous 15 minutes proved incredibly rewarding.
He proudly told The Tennessean in 2014, “It has been recorded a lot. It’s my most important copyright.”
Curtis’s musical journey began in his teenage years when a friend introduced him to fellow Lubbock, Texas native, Buddy Holly. In 1957, Curtis lent his guitar talents to Holly’s album “That’ll Be the Day,” whose title track soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a single.
The following year, Curtis joined Holly’s band, The Crickets, on guitar. However, after impressive gigs, including opening for Elvis Presley, the band eventually disbanded as Holly relocated to New York. Tragically, Holly died in a plane crash in 1959.
Shortly after this, The Crickets reformed, and Curtis rejoined. It was during this period, in 1960, that “I Fought the Law” made its debut on their album “In Style With the Crickets.”
The band continued to perform in various configurations throughout the 1980s and ’90s, ultimately earning their rightful place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 1970, while living in Los Angeles and composing commercial jingles, Curtis received an invaluable tip from a friend: the creators of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” were looking for a theme song. He was presented with a four-page summary of the upcoming series.
He recounted in a 2002 “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, “I honed in on the part that she was renting an apartment she had a hard time affording.”
The resulting song opened with the poignant line, “How will you make it on your own?”
Curtis then performed the song for the show’s producers, including the acclaimed James L. Brooks.
He recalled, “He smiled and said, ‘Sing that again.’ And I had to sing it about 10 times before I left that afternoon. The room was full of people standing all around the wall. I thought, ‘I believe I got a shot at this.’”
As Mary Tyler Moore’s character achieved professional success as a TV news producer during the show’s first season, Curtis skillfully updated the lyrics. The revised version charmingly began, “Who can turn the world on with her smile?”
Born on May 9, 1937, in Meadow, Texas, Sonny Curtis was the second youngest of Arthur and Violet (Moore) Curtis’s six children.
In a 2004 interview with The Austin Chronicle, he candidly shared, “I was born in a dugout. My dad dug a hole in the ground, put a corrugated tin roof on top of it, and that’s where I was born. I beat my sister ahead of me. She was born in a tent.” This paints a vivid picture of his early life.
His musical inclination started early, with his uncles, who had a bluegrass band, teaching him guitar at just four years old.
The expansive hours spent working on the family farm proved to be fertile ground for his songwriting imagination.
He famously told “CBS Sunday Morning,” “Driving a tractor, you go down half a mile that way, and when you get there you turn around and come back a half mile this way. You have plenty of time to write a song.” A true testament to finding inspiration in everyday life.
He married Louise Halverson in 1970, who survives him, along with their daughter Sarah, three granddaughters, and his sister, Alene Richardson.
His daughter, Sarah Curtis Graziano, an accomplished essayist and journalist, has penned a book about her father, ‘Daughter of a Song,’ slated for publication next month.
Sarah revealed in an interview, “When he was growing up, I know he definitely wanted to be famous. I think as time went on, he saw a lot of tragedies related to fame. He saw people succumb to accidents and addiction. He saw Buddy Holly die.”
She added that her father eventually cherished his ability to live a private life, even embracing the anonymity of walking through a mall. “He was able to live a normal life but still make a living in the music business. And that’s no small feat,” she concluded.