Oldies rock, anyone hear of "The Fireballs"?

B

Bob W

Joined
Dec 31, 2000
Messages
17,079
A successful rock band from right here in Raton, New Mexico!

Their early hits were cutting edge guitar and drum instrumentals, which they wrote. These instrumentals are among the earliest foundations of "surf music".

Then a big hit "Sugar Shack", which they didn't write, was the #1 song in 1963. Later they recorded Tom Paxton's (saw him perform once) "Bottle of Wine". The Fireballs recorded at the Norman Petty Recording Studio in Clovis, New Mexico, the same studio used by Buddy Holly. In fact they recorded a Buddy Holly album, dubbing their music with Holly's vocals after his death. The Fireballs' music has been used in several films, including Forest Gump and From Dusk 'Til Dawn.

There were five original members of The Fireballs and this past weekend they (all but one guy) played a reunion concert in Raton. Interestingly their very first performance ever was at the Raton High School PTA talent show. The High School later became the Raton Middle School (where Wife works) and they played their reunion concert on the very same stage.

AFAIK, they are the only popular rock group from New Mexico, and certainly the only band from New Mexico to appear twice on American Bandstand.

Just wondered if any of you guys remember them; their original releases were before I was born...

-Bob
 
I remember the song Sugar Shack, but I sure couldn't have placed it as being by the Fireballs.

Jack
 
Only remember "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer, but "Bottle of Wine" (..fruit of the vine!) will always get "Fireballs"! Thanks for the background info. :thumbup:
 
Jimmy Gilmer joined the group later as a vocalist, and yes he was the singer on their song "Sugar Shack". Don't know where he is now (dead?), but he wasn't part of the original Fireballs and wasn't from Raton.

Supposedly the group became "Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs" as a marketing gimmic by the studio. Get Jimmy Gilmer known and sell some solo records too.

There is also a recent PBS documentary that used Fireballs instrumental music. Don't recall the name, but the film was about the restoration of several historic neon signs on Highway 66 in New Mexico.

They are obviously well-known here in Raton. Just wondered how well-known they were outside of the area.

-Bob
 
"Pain in my head
Bugs in my bed
Pants are so old that they shine
Time's been rough
I ain't got enough
To buy me a bottle of wine"


How's that from memory?? Left my Joel Whitburn books back in Texas. Sure was good to get the background info on the Fireballs. :thumbup:

Early Dr. Hook (and the Medicine Show) seemed headed down the same musical bent untill they started going commercial with "Only Sixteen" and "Sexy Eyes". Always loved "Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball", "Get My Rocks Off", "Sylvia's Mother", or "Makin it Natural" over their later crap. Shel Silverstein's lyrics went south after he left Playboy and "The Doc". Hate it when good twisted minds clean up their act!!! :mad:

Sorry for tangent. :o Union City, NJ is a long way from Raton.....

Your excellent mini-backgrounder on the Fireballs just got me thinking of some of the old washtub bands and great acts of the 60s and 70s.......


Now where have my Youngbloods CDs gone?????



.
 
Sure was good to get the background info on the Fireballs.
Click to expand...
It was even better to hear them. I've lived in Raton for years, and never really heard of them before. The bass player owns the lube shop where I get all of my oil changes, and all this time I had no idea the guy under the hood was a rock star! :)

Of the five original members, Danny Trammell now lives in Texas and at the last minute couldn't make the show. Their original singer, Chuck Tharp*, was recovering from chemo and radiation treatment but was able to come onstage for a couple of songs. The cutting-edge guitarist George Tomsco and the bass player, Stan Lark played for the entire show. Eric Budd, the drummer, played for about half of the concert.

Maybe not a big deal in a city with incredible concerts every year (Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, etc.), but good music performances are few and far between here in Raton, a small town with only 7,000 people. It was the best entertainment activity offered to the public since we moved here.

-Bob

* Chuck Tharp also wrote a C/W song, "Sweet Country Woman", recorded by Johnny Duncan in the 1970s.
 
Bob W said:
It was even better to hear them. I've lived in Raton for years, and never really heard of them before. The bass player owns the lube shop where I get all of my oil changes, and all this time I had no idea the guy under the hood was a rock star! :)

Of the five original members, Danny Trammell now lives in Texas and at the last minute couldn't make the show. Their original singer, Chuck Tharp*, was recovering from chemo and radiation treatment but was able to come onstage for a couple of songs. The cutting-edge guitarist George Tomsco and the bass player, Stan Lark played for the entire show. Eric Budd, the drummer, played for about half of the concert.

Maybe not a big deal in a city with incredible concerts every year (Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, etc.), but good music performances are few and far between here in Raton, a small town with only 7,000 people. It was the best entertainment activity offered to the public since we moved here.

-Bob

* Chuck Tharp also wrote a C/W song, "Sweet Country Woman", recorded by Johnny Duncan in the 1970s.
Click to expand...

Suweeeet! I'm in Fireball info overload!!! :D

Great to hear they still do gigs once in a while. :thumbup:



.
 
One last bit of trivia, then I'm empty.

John Kerry, the presidential candidate, was in a rock band called The Electras. They released only one album and only 500 copies were printed (they're quite collectible) and a CD version of the album is now available. Three of the songs on that lone album were originally written by The Fireballs!
 
I heard a few of their songs recently on one of the weekly radio shows that I listen to, probably American Routes. Each hour of the show, they have music loosely arranged around a theme. IIRC, the theme for this show was "Western music", which as you might imagine included all kinds stuff - traditional cowboy tunes, Hispanic bands, surf music, movie scores from Westerns, etc. I was thinking surf music...New Mexico...that's odd. So your story sounded familiar.
 
Don't remember the group, do remember the songs. But, then, I go bck to Buddy Holly and the Crickets and to Bill Haley and the Comets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top