The Fireflies were an American doo-wop group from Long Island, New York, from the late 1950s to early 1960s. They were one of the first groups in which all band members both sang and played instruments. In addition, they were the first all-white vocal harmonizing group to appear at The Apollo Theater. The group was formed by producer

Gerry Granahan Gerald Granahan (April 20, 1932 – January 10, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work in the 1950s and 1960s. Life and career Granahan was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania on April 20, 1932. He ...

in Long Island in 1957, and underwent several line-up changes. Their debut single for

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed ...

was "The Crawl", followed by the Ribbon Records 1959 release "

You Were Mine "You Were Mine" is a song recorded by American country music group Dixie Chicks. Released in December 1998 as the fourth single from the album '' Wide Open Spaces'', the song spent two weeks atop the U.S. Country singles chart in March 1999; th ...

", which was their biggest hit. It was written by 19-year-old Paul Giacalone about a girl he met while he was touring. It spent 16 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and peaked at #21 on October 26, 1959, while reaching #15 on

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's CHUM Hit Parade. The members involved in the song "You Were Mine" in 1959 were Paul Giacalone (bass singer and drummer; September 28, 1939 – June 27, 2013),

Ritchie Adams Richard Adam Ziegler (December 15, 1938 – March 6, 2017), known professionally as Ritchie Adams, was an American singer and songwriter. Biography Born in New York City, by 1959 he joined The Fireflies, and sang lead vocals on their hit reco ...

(lead singer; real name Richard Adam Ziegler), Lee Reynolds, John Viscelli (sax and vocals), Carl Girasoli (guitar and vocals). Carl's youngest brother, Louie, was one of the chorus singers. Since Louie was a child at the time, he fit the needed voice for the sung responses. Following the single's success, The Paulette Sisters released an

answer record An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...

called "I Was Yours". Later singles included "I Can't Say Goodbye", "Marianne" and "My Girl" (all 1960); "I Can't Say Goodbye" was the only charter, spending three weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at #90. In 1962 the group reappeared on

Taurus Records The following is a summary of the Taurus Records albums. Taurus is a Norwegian record label with records published by the parent label Gemini Records Gemini Records (initiated 1984 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian record label founded and run by Bj ...

with "You Were Mine for Awhile" and " Blacksmith Blues" on

Hamilton Records Hamilton Records was an American record label started in 1958 as a subsidiary label of Dot Records. Performing artists included the Lennon Sisters. Its catalog is now owned by Universal Music Group and managed by Geffen Records. See also * List ...

; three other singles followed on Taurus, but the group never returned to the charts. They lasted until 1967 before disbanding for good. Adams went on to release some solo singles and had a successful songwriting career, including the hits "

Tossin' and Turnin' "Tossin' and Turnin'" is a song written by Ritchie Adams and Malou René, and originally recorded by Bobby Lewis in the fall of 1960. The record was released on the Beltone label in December 1960. It reached number one on both the ''Billboard' ...

" and "

After the Lovin' "After the Lovin'" is a single performed by Engelbert Humperdinck, produced by Joel Diamond and Charlie Calello, and composed by Ritchie Adams with lyrics by Alan Bernstein. The single was a U.S. top-ten hit in late 1976/early 1977, reaching num ...

". Original member and saxophonist/singer, John Viscelli, still resides in southern Florida. Paul Giacalone was diagnosed with cancer in late 2012. He died from the disease on Long Island on June 27, 2013, aged 73. Ritchie Adams died on March 6, 2017, at the age of 78.The passing of Fireflies’ lead Ritchie Adams (Ziegler)
accessdate December 4, 2017 Carl Girasoli owned a guitar shop in Deltona, FL in later years and died on June 17, 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fireflies, The Doo-wop groups Musical groups from New York City Musical groups established in 1957 Musical groups disestablished in 1967 1957 establishments in New York (state) 1967 disestablishments in New York (state)