Sonny Curtis, the prolific singer-songwriter who once performed with Buddy Holly, opened for Elvis Presley, and crafted timeless hits such as “I Fought the Law,” “Walk Right Back,” and “Love Is All Around”—the vibrant theme song for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which he also sang—passed away on Friday in Nashville at the age of 88.
His daughter, Sarah Curtis Graziano, confirmed that his death occurred in a hospital due to complications from pneumonia.
Born in a Dust Bowl dugout in West Texas to sharecroppers during the challenging years of the Great Depression, Mr. Curtis evolved into an influential, albeit not widely famous, figure across both rock ‘n’ roll and country music.
Over his remarkable seven-decade career, he composed hundreds of songs, which were embraced and performed by an impressive array of artists. These included the Everly Brothers, country superstar Keith Whitley, and the 1960s teen idol Bobby Vee.
“I Fought the Law,” with its unforgettable chorus, “I fought the law and the law won,” was famously covered by numerous acts including The Bobby Fuller Four, Hank Williams Jr., Roy Orbison, Bruce Springsteen, and The Clash.
“The song came quickly,” Mr. Curtis recounted in an interview. “It was one of those West Texas afternoons when the sand was blowing, typical for spring. Probably March 1958. I wrote it in 15 minutes—bam! If you listen closely, you can tell it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to pen those lyrics.”
Those fleeting 15 minutes proved to be immensely profitable.
“It has been recorded extensively,” he told The Tennessean in 2014. “It’s easily my most significant copyright.”
Mr. Curtis embarked on his musical journey as a teenager after a friend introduced him to Buddy Holly, a fellow native of Lubbock, Texas. In 1957, he 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, Mr. Curtis joined Holly’s band, The Crickets, on guitar. However, after opening for Elvis Presley and playing several major shows, the band disbanded, primarily due to Holly’s relocation to New York. Tragically, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash in 1959.
Soon after, The Crickets reunited, and Mr. Curtis eventually rejoined them. His song “I Fought the Law” was featured on their 1960 album, “In Style With the Crickets.”
The band continued to perform in various iterations sporadically throughout the 1980s and ’90s. The Crickets were ultimately inducted into the esteemed Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 1970, while living in Los Angeles and composing commercial jingles, Mr. Curtis received a tip from a friend that the creators of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” were seeking a theme song. The producers provided him with a four-page synopsis of the upcoming series.
“I focused keenly on the detail that she was struggling to afford her apartment,” Mr. Curtis shared in a 2002 interview on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
The song he crafted began with the poignant line, “How will you make it on your own?”
Mr. Curtis performed his composition for the show’s producers, including James L. Brooks.
“He smiled and requested, ‘Sing that again,’” Mr. Curtis recalled. “I ended up singing it about ten times before I left that afternoon. The room was packed with people standing against the walls. I thought to myself, ‘I believe I’ve got a real shot at this.’”
After Mary Moore’s character achieved success as a TV news producer in the show’s inaugural season, Mr. Curtis refined the lyrics. The updated version famously began, “Who can turn the world on with her smile?”
Sonny Curtis was born on May 9, 1937, in Meadow, Texas, to Arthur and Violet (Moore) Curtis. He was the second youngest of six children.
“I was literally born in a dugout,” he revealed in a 2004 interview with The Austin Chronicle. “My father dug a hole in the ground, topped it with a corrugated tin roof, and that’s where I entered the world. I arrived before my sister, who was born in a tent.”
At the tender age of four, Sonny’s uncles, who had a bluegrass band, began teaching him to play the guitar.
Working on his family’s farm provided him with ample time and inspiration to conceive new songs.
“When you’re driving a tractor,” he explained to “CBS Sunday Morning,” “you travel half a mile one way, turn around, and come back half a mile the other way. That gives you plenty of time to write a song.”
Mr. Curtis married Louise Halverson in 1970. She survives him, along with their daughter, Sarah Curtis Graziano, and three granddaughters, as well as his sister, Alene Richardson.
His daughter, Sarah Curtis Graziano, a noted essayist and journalist, recently completed a book about her father titled “Daughter of a Song,” which is slated for publication next month.
“Growing up, he definitely harbored a desire for fame,” she commented in an interview. “But as time progressed, he witnessed many tragedies associated with fame. He saw individuals fall victim to accidents and addiction. He personally witnessed Buddy Holly’s death.”
His father, she concluded, found contentment and even embraced the ability to navigate a shopping mall without being recognized: “He managed to live a normal life while still earning a living in the music industry. And that is truly no small accomplishment.”