The Outsiders (American band)
| The Outsiders | |
|---|---|
The band in 1967
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll, garage rock, blue-eyed soul |
| Years active | 1965–1969 |
| Labels | Capitol Records |
| Associated acts | The Starfires |
| Past members |
Tom King (deceased) |
Tom King (deceased)
Sonny Geraci (deceased)
Chet Kelley
Mert Madsen
Howard Blank
Al Austin
Ronnie Harkai
Denny Benson
Rick Biagiola (Rick Baker)
Bill Bruno
Richard Kriss
Jim Fox
Bob Turek
Walter Nims
Nick D'Amico
Mike Geraci
Evan Vanguard
Tommy Baker
Richard D'Amato
Pete Shelton
Richie D'Angelo
Dan Donavan
Joe Prodrasky
Mario Vinciguerra
Ron Durback
The Outsiders were an American rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, that was founded and led by guitarist Tom King. The band is best known for its Top 5 hit "Time Won't Let Me" in early 1966, which peaked at No. 5 in the US in April, but the band also had three other Hot 100 top 40 hit singles in 1966 and released a total of four albums in the mid-1960s.
Allmusic described the act's style: "Part of the secret behind the Outsiders' musical success lay in the group's embellishments [with horns and strings], which slotted in perfectly with their basic three- or four-piece instrumental sound. . . . [H]owever bold and ambitious they got, one never lost the sense of a hard, solid band sound at the core."
The Outsiders were a continuation of the Starfires (see article); Tom King, Sonny Geraci, Mert Madsen, Richard Kriss, Al Austin, and drummer Jim Fox (later of James Gang, who left to enter college in 1965 and was replaced by Ronnie Harkai) were the members of the Starfires when the name was changed to the Outsiders in 1965. All (except Fox) performed on the original recording "Time Won't Let Me" by "The Outsiders". After that at various times a total of eight former Starfires were members of the Outsiders at one time or another performing on various studio sessions and traveling on the road. The band was signed to Capitol Records on the strength of their late 1965 recording of "Time Won't Let Me" (written by King and his brother-in-law, Chet Kelley), leaving a local recording label headed by King's uncle, Patrick Connelly (Parma Records); at this time, the band's name was changed. (Most of the band's original songs were written by King and Kelley, although another songwriter, Bob Turek was working with the band by 1967). Reasons for the name change were unclear, although most sources state that it was at the insistence of their new record label. One popular story about the new name was that King and Kelley had become "outsiders" within the family as a result of the label shift. "Time Won't Let Me" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.
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