The Fireballs (1957-1969) were a 1960s Rock and Roll group from Clovis, New Mexico.
Founded by Stan Lark and George Tomsco, they coined themselves “The Fireballs” after they received a standing ovation for their performance of “Great Balls of Fire” (Jerry Lee Lewis) in 1958. That same year, Norman Petty signed The Fireballs to record at his legendary studio in Clovis, New Mexico. The original members included Tomsco on lead guitar, Tharp on vocals, Stan Lark on string bass, Eric Budd on drums, and Dan Trammell on rhythm guitar, later joined by drummer Doug Roberts and singer Jimmy Gilmer after Tharp, Budd, and Trammell left the group. Their first No.1 hit, “Sugar Shack” (DOT Records, 1963), topped the Billboard chart for five consecutive weeks. Newly coined as “Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs,” they went on to release several popular singles, such as “Daisy Petal Pickin’” (1964) and “Bottle of Wine” (1968). The Fireballs are featured on several soundtracks such as films Forrest Gump (1994), From Dusk ‘Til Dawn (1996), and the TV-series Supernatural (2005).
The Fireballs were inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame in 2001.
