Pop Star & Nashville Music Publisher Jimmy Gilmer Passes

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Jimmy Gilmer

Jimmy Gilmer, remembered by oldies fans as the singer of 1963’s “Sugar Shack” and known as a prominent song publisher on Music Row, died on Saturday, Sept. 7, at age 83.

Gilmer died in Amarillo, Texas while in hospice care. He had reportedly been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for two years.

Born in Chicago in 1940 but raised in Amarillo, Jimmy Gilmer became a session vocalist at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico in 1959. The studio was the recording home of such hit makers as Buddy Knox, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly. A local rock group called The Fireballs came to Petty’s place to record its top 40 instrumental hits “Torquay” (1959), “Bulldog” (1960) and “Quite a Party” (1961). The band’s membership changed in 1962, and Gilmer came on board as The Fireballs’ vocalist.

In 1963, Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs issued “Sugar Shack.” It rose to No. 1 on the pop charts and became the biggest selling single of the year. They followed that Gold record with the similar sounding “Daisy Petal Pickin,’” which rose to No. 15.

Norman Petty used the group to back several other artists that he produced. After Holly’s death, he had The Fireballs record band tracks to go with Holly’s voice on some home-recorded demos he left behind. They also backed folk singer Carolyn Hester.

The group returned to the charts with 1968’s rocking top 10 hit “Bottle of Wine.” One of the follow-up singles was “Come On, React!” Although its national ranking was only No. 63, the record was a top-20 hit in many markets and remained a fan favorite for years.

Gilmer’s albums included Sugar Shack (1963), Buddy’s Buddy (1964), Lucky ‘Leven (1965), Folkbeat (1965), Campusology (1966), Firewater (1968), Bottle of Wine (1968) and Come On, React! (1969).

At the end of the 1960s, The Fireballs called it quits. In 1970, Jimmy Gilmer relocated to Nashville. He was hired by United Artists Music, where he built a 30-year publishing career. Through a number of mergers and acquisitions, he rose to become a vice president at CBS Songs. plus successive executive positions at EMI and SBK.

Among the many songwriters he aided were Richard Leigh, Bobby Goldsboro and Pat Alger. He also signed Brad Paisley, whom he also managed through the early years of the star’s career.

In 1989-91, he served as the president of the Nashville chapter of The Recording Academy. He was a 1992 graduate of Leadership Music.

Jimmy Gilmer retired in 2007, but continued to perform occasionally at oldies shows.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Robert K Oermann
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