who sang i fought the law and the law won

The most famous version of “I Fought the Law and the Law Won” was sung by The Bobby Fuller Four , with Bobby Fuller on lead vocals.

Who originally wrote it?

• The song was written in 1958 by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets (Buddy Holly’s band), and first recorded by them around 1959–1960.

• Their version appeared on the album In Style with the Crickets but didn’t become a big hit.

Which version made it famous?

• The Bobby Fuller Four’s 1966 recording turned the song into a national hit, reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later being named one of the “Songs that Shaped Rock” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• This is the version most people mean when they ask “who sang ‘I Fought the Law and the Law Won.’”

Other notable artists who covered it

Several big names have covered the song, often changing the title slightly to just “I Fought the Law” :

• The Clash (1979 punk‑rock version, widely known and influential).

• Hank Williams Jr. (1978 country‑rock take, which Sonny Curtis himself called one of his favorite covers).

• Dead Kennedys , Roy Orbison , and others have also recorded their own versions over the decades.

If you’re thinking of the classic 1960s rock version with the “I fought the law and the law won” chorus, the answer is The Bobby Fuller Four (Bobby Fuller, lead vocals).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.