Jerry Fuller, a songwriter and producer whose No. 1 hits included Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man,” Gary Puckett & the Union Hole’s “Younger Lady,” Al Wilson’s “Present and Inform” and the U.K. Knickerbockers’ chart-topper “Lies,” has died at age 85. He died at his home in Sherman Oaks on Thursday night, where he was reportedly surrounded by family and friends; the cause was lung cancer.
Texas-born Fuller also had a brief career as a recording artist, releasing a solo album and several other modest chart singles in the pop-rockabilly style in 1959–61, before finding much greater success writing and producing for his contemporaries in a variety of genres.
Among the many artists who recorded his more than 1,000 compositions were Reba McEntire, Gene Vincent, Cher, Glen Campbell, Ray Worth, 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 buyers included Johnny Mathis, Roger Miller, Peabo Bryson, and Collin Raye.
Fuller also found success as a producer on some songs he didn’t write, including the Knickerbockers’ British Invasion-era classic “Lies,” which went to No. 1 in the U.K. but only peaked at No. 20 in the U.S., and Wilson’s “Present and Informed,” a No. 1 R&B and pop hit in 1973.
It was his work with Ricky Nelson (later often called “Rick”) that first put Fuller on the music business map as a great method writer. Nelson recorded about 20 of Fuller’s songs in all, many of which were sung on the hit TV show “The Adventures of Ozzy and Harriet”, as well as making his mark on radio. “Travelin’ Man”, which Fuller performed with his good friend Glen Campbell, was written with Sam Cooke in mind, but ended up in Nelson’s hands and went to #1 on the Billboard charts and #2 in the UK. Other early 1960s hits for Nelson through Fuller included “Younger World” (#5), “It’s As Up as You” (#6) and “A Surprise Like You” (#11).
Fuller was born on November 19, 1938 in Forth Value into a musical family, with both mother and father, Clarence and Lola, being singers. At age 11, Lola led Jerry and his brother to become a duo, the Fuller Bros., singing a cappella at local engagements.
His professional career as a solo artist began when, shortly after graduating from high school, he recorded an original song, “I Discovered a New Love,” for the Lin Information in 1958. His biggest hit single was a rockabilly cover of “Tennessee Waltz,” which reached No. 63 on Billboard in 1959; his only album, “Teenage Love,” did not chart, but has a following to this day.
In 1960, Fuller was touring with the Champs when his friend Glen Campbell inspired him to return to Los Angeles, where he found work as a demo singer and placed “Travelin’ Man” in the hands of teen idol Nelson.
Fuller was drafted into the Army and spent two years stationed in New York at the Seneca Military Depot, writing songs and entertaining the troops there. Transferring to New York after his discharge, he went to work for 4 Star and was visiting a nightclub in Albany when he encountered the local band the Knickerbockers and got approval to sign a contract with them. He quickly moved back to the West Coast and took over as producer for the first time with that group’s still-indelible “Lies.”
On his first day back in L.A., Fuller was introduced by Glen Campbell to his future bride, Annette Smerigan. Campbell served as best man at the wedding ceremony. (Despite their long friendship, Fuller did not actually produce a Campbell document until 1982.)
Gary Puckett & the Union Hole eventually became their most reliable manufacturing buyer, starting with the group’s debut single, “Lady, Lady,” which peaked at No. 4 on the Sizzling 100. Puckett and company went from “Lady”-hood to “Lady”-hood with their second single, “Younger Lady,” which peaked at No. 1. That hit was written and produced by Fuller, and has been recorded by over 20 different artists, from the Lettermen to Matthew Morrison, the latter on the “Glee 2” soundtrack. Their third single collectively, “Woman Willpower,” also written solely by Fuller, went to No. 1 on Cashbox and No. 2 on Billboard. The streak continued with a fourth consecutive top 10 hit—”Over You,” which peaked at No. 7 in 1968.
Fuller’s production success continued with O.C. Smith’s “Little Inexperienced Apples,” a No. 2 hit on the Sizzling 100 in 1968, reaching the same mark on the R&B chart.
Fuller also worked with Mark Lindsay, who had a solo career in addition to Paul Revere and the Raiders, with “Arizona” reaching the top 10.
Moving into the 1970s, Fuller formed his own corporations, Moonchild Productions Inc. and Fullness
Music Firm, and worked for Columbia, signing a young Mac Davis. He eventually began to move more into the nation realm. He had a long affiliation with Ray Worth that included “That’s All She Wrote”, “To Make A Longy Story Brief” and “Ft”, and found success with Reba McEntire’s early songs “I Still Longy To Hold You Now and Then” and “That Makes Two Of Us” (a duet with Jacky Ward).
Their biggest hit of the 1970s was Al Wilson’s “Present And Inform,” which was named Single of the Year by Cashbox in 1973 and reached number one on Billboard’s Hot 100, as well as making the top 10 on the easy listening and soul charts.
Fuller returned to recording as a singer only a few years after his explosion of success as a songwriter and producer, including an album for MCA in 1979, “It’s My Flip Now.” Beginning in the late 1990s, he began recording some of the greatest hits he had ever enjoyed as a songwriter or producer, in his own interpretations, culminating in the 4-volume “From the Vault” album, released in 2016-18.
Fuller is survived by his wife, Annette, and children, Adam Lee and Anna Nicole.