The One-Hit Wonder File: “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”

Which blues guitarist had a top ten hit in 1976 with “Fooled Around And Fell In Love?” That would be Elvin Bishop, whose adroit guitar work first impressed music fans as a member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The group was formed by harmonica maestro Butterfield along with Bishop in 1963. This much-revered band’s lineup included Jerome Arnold on bass, Mark Naftalin on keyboards, Sam Lay on drums, and later featured Mike Bloomfield as the group’s second lead guitarist. Bishop left the band to go solo in 1968 and formed The Elvin Bishop Group. During that time, he also appeared onstage with Bloomfield, Al Kooper, The Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, and The Allman Brothers Band.

Bishop’s gravelly voice and distinctive guitar style, inspired equally by blues, gospel, and country, gained him a loyal following, thanks to his impressive live shows. He toured extensively throughout the 1970s, co-headlining with The Allman Brothers Band in 1971. Bishop also released several well-received albums, including Feel It! and Rock My Soul. His 1974 disc Let It Flow, which features guest appearances from Sly Stone, Charlie Daniels, Toy Caldwell, and Dickey Betts, made it to number 100 on the Billboard albums chart. The single “Travelin’ Shoes” garnered Bishop significant FM radio airplay, and the tune managed to reach number 61 on the charts.

But it was the 1975 release Struttin’ My Stuff which notched Bishop his biggest hit, “Fooled Around And Fell In Love.” The enthralling song was written by Bishop and features his superlative guitar work. The fabulous vocals on the tune are performed by Mickey Thomas. Bishop felt his voice didn’t fit the style of the song, and turned vocal duties over to Thomas, a singer in Bishop’s band at the time. Thomas later went on to become one of the lead vocalists of Jefferson Starship and its later incarnation, Starship. “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” was a smash hit, making it all the way to number 3 on the Billboard charts when it was released as a single in early 1976.

“Fooled Around and Fell In Love” continued to live on after its initial release, becoming a radio staple for the rest of the 1970s. It’s been featured in a number of movies, including Boogie Nights, Big Daddy, The Family Stone, and in a memorable scene between Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Elvin Bishop is still performing live and issuing new albums, including the 2021 release, 100 Years of Blues, which he recorded with harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite.

Classic rock/pop fans still cue up and sing along to Bishop’s timeless tale of a lothario who finally finds true love, and those fans include Rod Stewart, Bryan Ferry, and Miranda Lambert, all of whom have covered Bishop’s indelible song.

-John Visconti

Fair use image of the single cover