The Bobby Fuller Four, Hank Williams Jr., Roy Orbison, Bruce Springsteen and the Clash were among the many acts that covered "I Fought the Law," with its memorable refrain, "I fought the law and the law won."

"The song came quick," Mr. Curtis said in an interview with the International Songwriters Association. "It was one of those West Texas afternoons where the sand was blowing, those days you have in the spring. Probably March 1958. I wrote it in 15 minutes " bam! If you listen to it, you can tell you don't have to be a rocket scientist to write those lyrics."