Dalton Powell

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 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.^[1] As a result, Fuller added DeWayne Quirico to the band to fill in drumming duties. Afterwards, the band, now known as The Bobby Fuller Four, was signed by Bob Keane under Del-Fi Records and began putting out records on Mustang Records.

After the band found success with "I Fought the Law", Quirico was dismissed from the band. Looking for a replacement, Fuller convinced Powell to return to the band in Los Angeles, while John Barbata served as a temporary replacement.^[2] 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" 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".^[3] The next single was "The Magic Touch", which didn't live up to the commercial success of the previous singles.^[4]