About this artist
The Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, were an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s. The original line-up consisted of George Tomsco, Chuck Tharp, Stan Lark, Eric Budd, and Dan Trammell.
The Fireballs were formed in Raton, New Mexico, in 1957, and got their start as an instrumental group featuring the distinctive lead guitar of George Tomsco. They recorded at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico. According to group founders Tomsco and Lark, they took their name from Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire". They reached the top 40 with the singles "Torquay", "Bulldog", and "Quite a Party". "Quite a Party" peaked at No. 29 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961. Tharp, Budd, and Trammell left the group in the early 1960s, but the Fireballs added Doug Roberts on drums, plus Petty Studio singer/pianist Jimmy Gilmer to the group.
Billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, the group reached number one on the Billboard chart with "Sugar Shack", which remained at that position for five weeks in 1963.