The Fireflies aka The Fireflys

The Fireflies  (Long Island, New York)
aka The Fireflys

Personnel :

Ritchie Adams (Vocals and Guitar)

Lee Reynolds (Vocals and Bass Guitar)

John Viscelli (Sax and Vocals)

Paul Giacalone (Vocals and Drums)

Discography :

Single :

The Fireflys
1958 - The Crawl / Where The Candlelight Glows (Roulette 4098)

The Fireflies
1959 - You Were Mine / Stella's Got A Fella (Ribbon 6901)
1959 - I Can't Say Goodbye / What Did I Do Wrong (Ribbon 6904)
1960 - My Girl / Because Of My Pride (Ribbon 6906)
1960 - Give All Your Love To Me/ Marianne (Canadian American 117)
1962 - You Were Mine (For Awhile) / One O'Clock Twist (Taurus 355)
1964 - My Prayer For You / Good Friends (Taurus 366)
1966 - Runaround / Could You Mean More (Taurus 376)
1968 - Tonight / A Time For Us (Taurus 380)

Lp :

1963 - The Swingin' Fire Flies (Taurus LP 1002)
You Were Mine / Hully Gully Baby / For Sentimental Reasons / Our Day Will Come / Love Me Do / Bye Bye Love / Walk Don't Run / Moon River / Irresistible You / Twist And Shout / One O'Clock Twist / Please Please Me / Traveling Man / Good Friends

Biography :

The Long Island, New York Doo-Wop quintet The Fireflies (lead Ritchie Adams, Paul Giacalone, John Viscelli, Lee Reynolds and Carl Girosli) managed to avoid becoming members of the bona-fide One Hit Wonder Club thanks to a low-ranking 1960 entry. Produced by Gerry Granahan, after their initial single failed to chart in 1958 - The Crawl b/w Where The Candlights Glow as Roulette 4098 - they joined the tiny and short-lived Ribbon Records of New York City where they scored with their first single. You Were Mine, written by Giacalone, topped out at # 21 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in Sept-Oct 1959 as Ribbon 6901 b/w Stella Got A Fella. Which, in the circumstances, was amazing when you consider the limited promotional clout of Ribbon.

In fact, Ribbon would only ever release 12 singles before folding in 1960, two of which made the national charts. And both belonged to The Fireflies. Their follow-up I Can't Say Goodbye (and also written by Giacalone), billed as The Fireflies Featuring Ritchie Adams, didn't fare even remotely as well, pulling up at # 90 in Jan-Feb 1960 as Ribbon 6904 b/w What Did I Do Wrong? And that would be it in terms of national recognition, although their music did well on a local/regional basis, including Because Of My Pride b/w My Girl as Ribbon 6906 later that spring. Adams also had two singles released in 1960 with solo billing - Lonely One b/w Tell Me Baby Did You Wait? (Ribbon 6910) and Back To School b/w Don't Go My Love, Don't Go (Ribbon 6913) but neither charted.

After four singles for Roulette & Ribbon records, the  Fireflie's broke up. Lee Reynolds & Gerry Granahan recording as Lee & The Sounds. Months later, Lee form a new Fireflies group with Frank Piaza, Robert Saraniero and Richard Spero. Robert Saraniero and Richard Spero, two handsome brothers from the Bronx, had written and recorded two songs in early 1959, "Purple Pedal Pushers" and "Suzzane" which had been released by Golden Crest as Ricky and Robby. The New Fireflies recorded one single in 1960 for Canadian American Records with "Give All Your Love To Me" and the beautiful ballad "Marianne written by Robert and Richard. The group does not appear to have had any singles released in 1961, but Adams did have two solo efforts emerge at Beltone Records - No Mistaken It (I'm In Love) b/w The Right Away (Beltone 1001) and Two Initials (In A Heart) b/w What Took You So Long? (Beltone 1011), and he continued that in 1962 at Imperial Records with I Got Eyes b/w Something Inside Of Me Died (Imperial 5806) and Pakistan b/w My Prayer Of Love (Imperial 5838). None charted nationally.

It was also in 1962 that the group cut the first of four singles for Mike Serby's Brooklyn-based Taurus Records - One O'Clock Twist b/w You Were Mine (For Awhile) as Taurus 355. It would be another year before they had their second at Taurus, Good Friends b/w My Prayer For You (Taurus 366) but by 1964 the British Invasion was in full swing and room on the charts was available only to the best of the North American artists. As well, Doo-Wop was fading fast, so none among Runaround b/w Could You Mean More? (Taurus 376) and Tonight b/w A Time For Us (Taurus 380) could do anything in 1965. In 1966, Adams had his last kick at the can as a solo billing with a re-make of You Were Mine b/w Better Off without You as MGM K13629. The group dissolved in 1967.