| The Outsiders | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Genre(s) | Rock and roll |
| Years active | 1965-1968 |
| Label(s) | Capitol Records |
| Associated acts |
The Starfires Climax |
| Former members | |
| Tom King Sonny Geraci Chet Kelley Mert Madsen Bill Bruno Bob Turek Walter Nims Rick Baker Jimmy (Jim) Fox Al Austin Dennis Geraci Richard D'Amato |
|
The Outsiders were an American rock and roll group from Cleveland, Ohio, founded and led by guitarist Tom King.
Contents |
History of the Band
The Outsiders were a continuation of Tom King and the Starfires, which had just added Sonny Geraci on lead vocals and his brother Mike on sax. When the band signed to Capitol Records, leaving a local recording label headed by King's uncle, the band's name was changed. Reasons for the change were unclear, although one popular story was that King and his co-songwriter Chet Kelley (who was also his brother-in-law) had become "outsiders" within the family as a result of the label shift.[1]
Musical Highlights
The band is best known for its first record, the 1966 hit single "Time Won't Let Me" (co-written by King and Kelley), which reached as high as #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other Top 40 songs by The Outsiders include "Girl In Love" (a King-Kelley ballad that hit #21), "Respectable" (a song written by The Isley Brothers that reached #15), and "Help Me Girl" (which stalled at #37 when it was covered by The Animals). In retrospect, had the Outsider's manager, Roger Karshner, not went against the grain and released "Girl in Love" after "Time Won't Let Me", "Respectable" would have more than likely soared to a top 5 hit as well. This horn laced track carried on the unique "Mersey Rock-Motown" combination sound the Outsiders exploded with earlier on the charts. That decision by Karshner slowed down the Outsiders momentum. Not releasing the singles "Lonely Man" and "Bend Me, Shape Me" also undermined their ability to keep pumping singles into the top 5. Karshner had a lot of influence with the Capitol at the time, being one of their most proficient A&R guys. He made the Outsiders an instant success with his radio connections, but his management decisions really stymied the group long term. The Outsiders created a unique sound with "Time Won't Let Me". The group produced all of their material in Cleveland, spearheaded by the many talents of Tom King and Sonny Geraci's vision to take the Outsider's to another level. The sound they first created (combining Mersey Rock & Motown) can later be traced to the hits of the Buckinghams and Chicago. Jim Guercio, who would work with both of these Chicago groups as their manager, toured with the Outsider's as a musician on the Gene Pitney Caravan and incorporated this same sound combination in many of the hits he produced for both the Buckinghams and the early hits of Chicago. The Outsider's, though they have never been given the credit, their rock n' roll classic, "Time Won't Let Me", influenced many of the pop rock groups of the mid and late 60's. The Outsiders were one of the few white American soul-influenced bands at the time.[1] In fact, one of The Outsiders' songs from their second album ("Lonely Man") was bootlegged by a small British label and released in the UK, credited to Northern Soul band the Detroit Shakers and retitled "Help Me Find My Way."[2] A song originally recorded but not released by The Outsiders, "Bend Me Shape Me", later became a hit when it was covered by The American Breed in the USA and Amen Corner in the UK.
Post Break-Up
Lead singer Sonny Geraci went on to score a major hit, "Precious And Few", as lead singer of the band Climax. The song was written by former Outsiders lead guitarist Walter Nims. Jim Fox, who had also previously been in the Starfires, was the founder of the James Gang, a popular Cleveland rock band in the 1970's and 1980's.
Band Members
Tom King Sonny Geraci Chet Kelley Mert Madsen Bill Bruno Bob Turek Walter Nims Rick Baker Jimmy (Jim) Fox Al Austin Mike Geraci Richard D'Amato Samuel Solomon
Discography
Singles
(Numbers in parentheses indicate Billboard chart peak positions)
- Time Won't Let Me (#5)/Was It Really Real -- Capitol 5573 -- 2/66
- Girl In Love (#21)/What Makes You So Bad, You Weren't Brought Up That Way -- Capitol 5646 -- 5/66
- Respectable (#15)/Lost In My World -- Capitol 5701 -- 8/66
- Help Me Girl (#37)/You Gotta Look -- Capitol 5759 -- 10/66
- I'll Give You Time To Think It Over (#118)/I'm Not Trying To Hurt You -- Capitol 5843 -- 3/67
-
- Picture sleeve erroneously shows B-side title as "I Don't Want To Hurt You"
- Gotta Leave Us Alone (#121)/I Just Can't See You Anymore -- Capitol 5892 -- 5/67
- I'll See You In The Summertime/And Now You Want My Sympathy -- Capitol 5955 -- 7/67
- Little Bit Of Lovin' (#117)/I Will Love You -- Capitol 2055 -- 12/67
- We Ain't Gonna Make It/Oh How It Hurts -- Capitol 2216 -- 6/68
- Changes (#107)/Lost In My World -- Bell 904 -- 9/70
- Tinker Tailor/Oh, You're Not So Pretty -- Kapp 2104 -- 1970
Albums
- Time Won't Let Me (#37) -- Capitol T-2501/ST-2501 -- 5/66
- The Outsiders Album #2 (#90) -- Capitol T-2636/ST-2636 -- 9/66
- The Outsiders In! (Did not chart) -- Capitol T-2636/ST-2636 -- 1/67
- Leave Us Alone -- Capitol (no number issued, cancelled)
- Happening Live (#103) -- Capitol T-2745/ST-2745 -- 8/67
Retrospective Album
Compilation Albums
For compilations featuring The Outsiders see "Searchin' for Shakes" on-line database, Ugly Things fanzine.[3]
References
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce. "The Outsiders" biography, Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 17 Sept. 2007.
- ^ "Bomp List" archives, 8 Dec. 2001. Retrieved 17 Sept. 2007.
- ^ http://comps.ugly-things.com/compsproject/intro.php "Searchin' for Shakes" on-line database, Ugly Things fanzine.
Literature
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 7th ed. by Joel Whitburn (2000)
External links
- http://music.yahoo.com/ar-270167-bio--The-Outsiders Yahoo Music bio
