The Fireballs’ Spirited ‘Bottle of Wine’ Was Once a Folk Tune
The British Invasion knocked many American groups off the charts in the mid-1960s. Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, who scored a number one hit with “Sugar Shack” in 1963, decided to adopt a grittier sound with “Bottle of Wine.” Gilmer still performed lead vocals, but the band shortened its name to the Fireballs to reflect ‘60s fans’ preference for groups.
Recorded at producer Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico, where Buddy Holly got his start, “Bottle of Wine” reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. While the Fireballs’ version was no doubt a rocker, the song was written by folksinger Tom Paxton. Judy Collins was first to record it in 1964, followed by Paxton the next year. Fireballs’ guitarist George Tomsco told Classic Bands how the group came to record “Bottle of Wine.”
“I remember two ways the song kind of happened. It seems to me like a simultaneous thing. Jimmy and [bassist] Stan Lark were up in New York, down in the Village. Tom Paxton was performing down there and they heard him do ‘Bottle Of Wine.’ Jimmy liked it and Stan liked it. They came back from New York talking about it.
“So, we just came up with our own version of it, it was totally different than the way Tom Paxton wrote it. He wrote it kind of like an English pub song. And of course, we gave it a little bit rougher treatment [laughs].
“That was such fun, because it was flat-out jukebox rock ’n’ roll, you know. It was really a kick to hear that,” Paxton told Richie Unterberger. “I loved it. I thought it was great fun.”
“You know what’s funny?” The song is really an anti-drinking song,” said Tomsco. “‘Bottle of wine. Fruit of the vine. When you gonna let me get sober? Leave me alone. Let me go home. Let me go home and start over.’
“In other words, I want to get away from this. Very few people really saw that in it. They saw the drinking part.”
