The Fireballs
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Biography
Formed in Raton, New Mexico in 1957, The Fireballs was a predominantly instrumental rock and roll combo before joining forces with vocalist Jimmy Gilmer and scoring a number 1 hit in 1963 with the single âSugar Shack.â Founded by the distinctive sound of lead guitarist George Tomsco and bassist Stan Lark, the group also featured drummer Eric Budd, and rhythm guitarists Chuck Tharp and Dan Trammel. Setting up shop and recording in Clovis, New Mexico at producer Norman Pettyâs studio, the groupâs debut single, âFireball,â was released in 1958. The Fireballs hit the Top 40 in 1959 with the single âTorquay,â which was followed by another hit, âQuite a Party.â While recording their own songs, producer Norman Petty â formerly Buddy Hollyâs producer â took many of Buddyâs home demos alternate takes and had The Fireballs add overdubs to them, which led to the release of many posthumous Buddy Holly recordings in the early to mid-1960s. By 1963, Tharp, Budd, and Trammel had left the group and were replaced by drummer Doug Roberts and vocalist / guitarist Jimmy Gilmer. Signing with Dot Records, they released the single âSugar Shack,â which was credited to Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs. The single was their biggest hit yet, reaching number 1 in the US, Canada, and Australia. They scored a number 15 hit with âDaisy Petal Pickinââ under the Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs name but also continued to issue singles under the bandâs original name. However, thanks to the dominance of the British Invasion on the US charts in the mid-â60s, they didnât bother the charts again until âBottle of Wineâ reached the Top 10 in 1967. After several more charting hits â âGoinâ Awayâ (1968), âCome on, React!â (1968), and âLong Greenâ (1969) â The Fireballs broke up in 1969. Over the course of their career, The Fireballs also backed up other artists in the studio and released a string of their own albums as well including The Fireballs (1960), Here are the Fireballs (1961), Sugar Shack (1963), Lucky âLeven (1965), and Come On, React! (1969). Several members of The Fireballs reunited in 1989 and different variations of the band continued to perform live until 2022. Stan Lark died on August 4, 2021. Eric Budd died on October 7, 2022. Perhaps the best-known member of the group, Jimmy Gilmer died on September 7, 2024.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Bottle Of Wine
- Sugar Shack
- Bottle Of Wine by The Fireballs
- Chief Whoopin-Koff by The Fireballs
- Pipeline
- Vaquero (Cowboy) by The Fireballs
- Baby Sittin'
- I Got
- Shakin' All Over
- That's Alright
- Feelin'
- Kissin' by The Fireballs
- It's Gonna Take Magic
- Foot-Patter by The Fireballs
- Saturday Night at the Duck Pond
- Nearly Sunrise by The Fireballs
- Bulldog by The Fireballs
- Cry Baby by The Fireballs
- Foot-Patter
- Torquay by The Fireballs
- Why Little Girl
- Deep Feeling
- Fireball by The Fireballs
- Rocket Man
