Courtesy of the Fuller Family
Jerry FullerJohn Lennon, the songwriter and producer behind hits such as Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man,” Gary Puckett & the Union Gap’s “Young Girl,” Al Wilson’s “Show and Tell,” and the Knickerbockers’ UK chart-topper “Rise,” has died at the age of 85. Surrounded by family and loved ones, he reportedly died Thursday night at his home in Sherman Oaks. The cause of death was complications from lung cancer.
Texas-born Fuller had a brief career as a recording artist himself, releasing one pop-rockabilly-inspired solo album and a few moderately successful singles between 1959 and 1961, before finding greater success writing and producing for other artists of his generation in a variety of genres.
Among the hundreds of artists who recorded his more than 1,000 songs were Reba McEntire, Gene Vincent, Cher, Glen Campbell, Ray Price, Don McLean, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Barbara Mandrell, Percy Sledge, Eddy Arnold, Marty Robbins, Vanessa Williams, Lee Greenwood, Steve Wariner, Lynn Anderson, The Kingston Trio, Pat Boone, Hank Snow, Billy J. Kramer and Lou Rawls. Other production clients included Johnny Mathis, Roger Miller, Peabo Bryson and Collin Raye.
His success as a producer of songs he did not write was notable, notably with the Knickerbockers’ Beatles-esque classic “Rise,” which reached No. 1 in the UK but only reached No. 20 in the US, and Wilson’s “Show and Tell,” which topped both the soul and pop charts in 1973.
Fuller’s biggest breakthrough as a songwriter came through his work with Ricky Nelson (later known as “Rick”). Altogether, Nelson recorded around 20 of Fuller’s songs, many of which were featured on the popular TV show Ozzie and Harriet and were also featured on radio. Fuller produced a demo of “Travelin’ Man” with his good friend Glen Campbell, which was written with Sam Cooke in mind but eventually went to Nelson, who got it to number one on the Billboard charts and number two in the UK. Nelson’s early ’60s hits via Fuller included “Young World” (#5), “It’s Up to You” (#6) and “A Wonder Like You” (#11).
Fuller was born in Fort Worth on November 19, 1938 into a musical family with his parents, Clarence and Laura, being singers. At the age of 11, Laura led Jerry and his brothers in forming a duo called the Fuller Brothers, singing a cappella at local performances.
He began his professional career as a solo artist shortly after graduating from high school, when he recorded the original song “I Found a New Love” for Lynn Records in 1958. His highest-charting single was a rockabilly cover of “Tennessee Waltz,” which reached No. 63 on the Billboard charts in 1959. His only album, “Teenage Love,” did not chart, but still has a fan base to this day.
In 1960, while touring with The Champs, Fuller was encouraged by friend Glen Campbell to come to Los Angeles, where he found work as a demo singer and also performed “Travelin’ Man” for teen idol Nelson.
Fuller was drafted into the Army and was stationed at Seneca Army Depot in New York for two years, where he continued to write songs and entertain the soldiers. After his discharge, he moved to New York and began working for Four Star. While visiting an Albany nightclub, he discovered house band The Knickerbockers and got them signed. He soon returned to the West Coast, where he took on his first producer role on the group’s unforgettable “Rise.”
On his first day back in Los Angeles, Fuller was introduced to his future bride, Annette Smerigan, by Glen Campbell, who served as best man at their wedding. (Despite their long friendship, Fuller would not produce a Campbell record until 1982.)
Gary Puckett & the Union Gap became his most reliable production client, and their Wrecking Crew-assisted debut single, “Woman, Woman,” reached number four on the Hot 100. Puckett and company went from “woman” to “girl” with their second single, “Young Girl,” which also reached number one. The smash hit was written, produced and recorded by Fuller, and has been recorded by over 20 artists, from the Lettermen to Matthew Morrison, the latter of whom appeared on the soundtrack to “Glee II.” The third single, “Lady Willpower,” also written and produced solely by Fuller, reached number one on Cashbox and number two on Billboard. This momentum continued with four consecutive top ten hits. “Over You” reached number seven in 1968.
Fuller’s producing success continued with O.C. Smith’s “Little Green Apples,” which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1968 and did the same on the R&B charts.
Fuller also worked with Mark Lindsay, who had a solo career outside of Paul Revere and the Raiders, and had a Top 10 hit with “Arizona.”
In the 1970s, Fuller founded his own companies, Moonchild Productions and Fullness.
He joined the Music Company and worked for Columbia, signing a young Mac Davis to a contract, before branching out into country music. He had a long association with Ray Price, including “That’s All She Wrote,” “To Make a Long Story Short” and “Feet,” and had success with Reba McEntire’s early songs “I Still Long to Hold You Now and Then” and “That Makes Two of Us” (a duet with Jackie Ward).
His biggest success of the ’70s was with Al Wilson’s “Show And Tell,” which was named Cashbox magazine’s Single of the Year in 1973, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top ten on both the easy listening and soul charts.
Fuller returned to recording as a singer on several occasions after achieving great success as a songwriter and producer, including the album “It’s My Turn Now” for MCA in 1979. Beginning in the late ’90s, he began recording his own interpretations of some of the biggest hits he’d enjoyed as a songwriter and producer, releasing four volumes of “From the Vault” between 2016 and 2018.
Fuller is survived by his wife, Annette, and his children, Adam Lee and Anna Nicole.
