The Fireballs

Hailing From New Mexico This Largely Instrumental Early Rock And Roll Group Contributed A Decent Amount To The History Of The Genre During Their Rather Inconsistent Span Of Success. Everything From Their Handful Of Surf-Like Hits To Their Handling Of Some Buddy Holly Demos That Resulted In Less Popularity. Christening Themselves After Their Standing Ovation Performance Of The Jerry Lee Lewis Classic “Great Balls Of Fire” At A New Mexico Talent Show The Fireballs Caught The Ear Of Buddy Holly Producer Norman Petty Who Would Let The Group Record In His History-Rich Studio. Led By The Clean Guitar Lines Of George Tomsco The Band Would String Together A Few Top 40 Hits From 1959 To 1961 Including “Torquay” #39 In 1959 “Bulldog” #24 In 1960 And “Quite A Party” #27 In 1961 Likely Inspiring Troves Of To-Be Surf Guitarists Along The Way. In 1963 Instead Of Capitalizing On The Surf Music Craze That Saw Fireball-Esque Bands Such As The Chantays Surfaris And Pyramids All Receive Serious Airtime For Their Reverb-Drenched Wild Guitar-Oriented Arrangements The Group Teamed Up With Petty Studio Regular Jimmy Gilmer On Vox And Billed As Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs Released The Pop Single “Sugar Shack” Which Dominated The Hot 100 Staying At #1 For Five Weeks While Also Going To The Top Of The R&B Chart As Well. Likely Coasting Off Of The Success Of “Sugar Shack” Another Jimmy Gilmer Collab “Daisy Petal Picking” Also Peeked At #15 In Early 1964. During The Singles’ Lifespan In The Top 40 Liverpool-Based Pop Group The Beatles Entered The Lower Trenches Of The Hot 100 With “I Want To Hold Your Hand” A Song That Upon Its Eventual Claim Of The Top Spot Would Usher In The British Invasion Of US Radio A Phenomenon That Would Become The Demise Of Many American Bands Like The Fireballs That Once Consistently Entered The Top 40. While English Groups Quickly Reshaped The Rock Scene And American Outfits Slowly Faded From The Charts For A Short Period Of Time The Fireballs Continued To Contribute To R&R History Albeit In A Much Less Glorious Fashion. The Band Spent Much Of The ‘60s Overdubbing Numerous Demos Recorded By The Late Buddy Holly. While A Few Of These Efforts Breached The Hot 100 The Overdubbings Are Largely Panned By Diehard Holly Fans For Their Alleged Bastardization Of The Singer’s Work. As The Decade Waged On The Fireballs Picky Guitar Instrumentation Progressively Became Blasé. The Band Had A Somewhat Random Return To The Top 10 When Billed Simply As “The Fireballs” Despite Gilmer Still Being Present In The Group The Sugar Shack-Like “Bottle Of Wine” Peeked At #9 In 1967. Several Follow Up Singles Failed To Recapture The Lightning In The Bottle However And Once Their Song “Long Green” Exited The Hot 100 After A Brief Appearance The Band Would Never Again Re-Enter The Chart. read less