Dalton Powell (born 1942) is an El Paso musician, perhaps best known for his time as drummer of

The Bobby Fuller Four The Bobby Fuller Four (sometimes stylized as Bobby Fuller 4) was a popular mid-1960s American rock & roll band started by Bobby Fuller. First formed in 1962 in Fuller's hometown of El Paso, Texas, the group went on to produce some of its most m ...

Early career

Powell was a childhood friend of Jim Reese. By early 1960, Powell had joined Reese in the band The Embers, playing piano. Later on,

Bobby Fuller Robert Gaston Fuller (October 22, 1942 – July 18, 1966)Bashe, P. R., & George-Warren, H., ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' (Third ed.). New York, Fireside, 2005, p. 360 was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist ...

had joined on drums, and occasionally guitar. The Embers had recorded material on Fuller's reel-to-reel tape recorder in his home. The Embers backed Fuller on his first solo release in 1961, "You're In Love" b/w "Guess We'll Fall In Love". This single was put out by Yucca Records, and became a regional hit. From 1962 on, Powell would occasionally play in Fuller's band and record in his newly constructed home studio. By 1964, Powell and Reese were both permanent members of the band. The band had decided to seek out a major label in Hollywood again; however, Powell was unable to make the move, as he had married and started a family. As a result, Fuller added

DeWayne Quirico Robert DeWayne Quirico (better known as simply DeWayne Quirico; born June 19, 1942) is a professional drummer, best known for his work with The Bobby Fuller Four. One of his most notable works is his unique percussion work on the band's biggest hi ...

to the band to fill in drumming duties. Afterwards, the band, now known as The Bobby Fuller Four, was signed by

Bob Keane Robert Verrill Kuhn (January 5, 1922 – November 28, 2009), professionally known as Bob Keane, and also sometimes known as Bob Keene, was an American musician, producer and the founder and owner of the record label Del-Fi Records. He was the ...

under

Del-Fi Records Del-Fi Records was an American record label based in Hollywood, California and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was "Caravan" by Henri Rose released in 1958, but the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. Valens' fi ...

and began putting out records on Mustang Records.

With The Bobby Fuller Four

After the band found success with "

I Fought the Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' lis ...

", Quirico was dismissed from the band. Looking for a replacement, Fuller convinced Powell to return to the band in Los Angeles, while

John Barbata John Barbata (born April 1, 1945) is an American drummer who was active especially in pop and rock bands in the 1960s and 1970s, both as a band member and as a session drummer. Barbata has served as the drummer for The Turtles, Crosby, Stills, ...

served as a temporary replacement. While keeping up with touring and live performances, Powell played on the band's follow-up hit single, "

Love's Made a Fool of You "Love's Made a Fool of You" is a song co-written and originally performed by Buddy Holly. It was later re-recorded by Sonny Curtis and the Crickets, with the lead vocal by Earl Sinks, and famously covered by the Bobby Fuller Four. Buddy Holly fi ...

" peaking at No. 26 on the national charts. Powell's first television appearance with the band was on '' Hullabaloo'' on March 21, 1966, playing "I Fought the Law". The next single was "The Magic Touch", which didn't live up to the commercial success of the previous singles.

Fuller's death

By 1966, the band began to decline. Reese had received his draft notice for Vietnam, and Powell planned to quit the band to return home to his family. It was also known that Fuller planned to start a solo career. While scheduling one last band meeting, Fuller ultimately didn't attend. The band abruptly disbanded after Fuller was found dead in his mother's Oldsmobile on July 18, 1966. Powell and Reese fled Los Angeles after three armed men came to their apartment looking for Reese, saying they would return. After the initial verdict was made suicide for Fuller's death, Powell opposed this, believing Fuller was incapable of suicide. Later, the cause of death was mysteriously changed to "accident."

Later works

After returning to El Paso, Powell and Reese joined the band Murphy's Law. After they disbanded, both joined Rod Crosby's band, The Intruders. Powell also played with

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

. In the early 80s, Powell performed with the group the Moon Pie Daince Band. Throughout the 2000s, Powell was involved in many local musical acts in El Paso, including a tribute act to his former band, the Bobby Fuller Four, known as The Bobby Fuller Faux. In 2009, Powell joined the band Solid Ground. Powell's Ludwig drum set, with the famous logo created by

Boyd Elder Harold Boyd Elder (January 12, 1944 – October 6, 2018), was an American artist. Born in El Paso, Elder was raised by Hal Elder and Billye Lee Bell Elder with brothers Kenneth Mack Elder and Howard Stanton Elder. Boyd Elder studied at Burges Hig ...

was displayed by the El Paso Museum of History in 2008.

References

General references

*''Shakedown! The Texas Tapes Revisited'' (CD liner). Del-Fi Records. 1996.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Dalton 1942 births Living people Musicians from El Paso, Texas American rock drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians