who wrote i fought the law

The song "I Fought the Law" was written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets. He wrote it in 1958 and it was recorded by the Crickets in 1959. The song became widely popular when it was covered by the Bobby Fuller Four in 1966, reaching the top ten. It has since been covered by many artists, including the Clash in 1979. Sonny Curtis wrote the song in about 20 minutes one sandstormy afternoon in West Texas and it became one of his most iconic compositions.