FM
History
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.
