The Outcasts are an American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band from

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

that released a total of five singles between 1965 and 1967. Their best-known songs are "I'm in Pittsburgh (And it's Raining)", and "1523 Blair". Their recordings have been reissued on a number of

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

s. According to the ''

Ugly Things ''Ugly Things'' (''UT'') is a music magazine established in 1983, based in La Mesa, California. The editor is Mike Stax (born 1962 in England). The magazine covers mainly 1960s Beat, garage rock, and psychedelic music ("Wild Sounds From Past Dim ...

'' compilation album notes, they are the most recognized band of this name that were active in the mid-1960s, including another popular band from

Manhasset, New York Manhasset is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 at the 2020 United States ce ...

(see below for others).

Early history

''The Outcasts'' were formed in San Antonio in late 1963 by Buddy Carson, Rickey Wright and Denny Turner. In late 1964, Jim Carsten and then Jim Ryan joined the band. This line-up prevailed until the band's fifth single, when Galen Niles replaced Denny Turner on guitar. In 1964, Denny designed a logo and slogan for the band, "Music from the OUTER LIMITS", taken from the name of the popular

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

television series of the period, '' The Outer Limits''. The band had the logo emblazoned on the backs of their uniforms and also issued business cards with a similar design. Early direction for the band came from

Mike Post Mike Post (born Leland Michael Postil, September 29, 1944) is an American composer, best known for his TV theme music for various shows, including ''Law & Order''; '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''; ''The A-Team''; ''NYPD Blue''; ''Renegad ...

, whose many later musical credits include producing the first three albums for The First Edition and creating the

theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

for ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'', ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' and many other television series. Post was the songwriter and producer of the band's first single. He also recruited ''the Outcasts'' as the back-up band for a performance by Jimmy Carlson (who was active in the New York folk music scene) and Jimmy Hawkins (who later worked in

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

films and on ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary ...

'').

Career

According to member Denny Turner, they had all of the trappings of a successful rock band: a succession of managers (Sally Senter and Major John Carson), go-go dancers, a fan club with a regular newsletter, and adoring fans. Their performances at area military clubs led to gigs as opening act for

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK ...

in San Antonio and

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. In 1965, ''The Outcasts'' were even invited to appear in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

with

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. but turned down the opportunity; the Five Americans took their place at the concert. In May 1966, they shared a bill with the 13th Floor Elevators (ticket pictured) and also appeared at Texas Teen Fairs and other venues with such popular acts as

Lou Christie Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco (born February 19, 1943), known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American pop and soft rock singer-songwriter known for several hits in the 1960s, including his 1966 US chart-topper "Lightnin' Strikes" and 1969 ...

, Gerry and The Pacemakers,

Peter and Gordon Peter and Gordon were a British pop duo, composed of Peter Asher (b. 1944) and Gordon Waller (1945–2009), who achieved international fame in 1964 with their first single, the million-selling single " A World Without Love". The duo had sever ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

.Denny Turner's website, op. cit. ''The Outcasts'' regularly participated in Battle of the Bands competitions, usually placing first or second; in 1966, the band won the competition statewide,Jim Ryan posting, op. cit. at the peak of garage rock fervor, beating the large number of bands that were then active in Texas. (No other state is so heavily collected today in compilation albums of garage rock and psychedelic rock music; as one example, the landmark Highs in the Mid-Sixties series devotes five of their twenty-three volumes to bands from Texas.)

Break-up and further activities

The band dissolved in 1968; founding member Buddy Carson died of complications of hepatitis that same year. *Denny Turner continues to write and record music, and he also sells and repairs vintage guitars for his store called Denny's Guitars, based in northern

Oahu, Hawaii Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O’ ...

. He is also a multi-media artist and music teacher and has a home recording studio. *Jim Ryan is a public school music teacher in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

who owns and manages Braindance Ink, a multi-lingual music production company specializing in the creation of songs, dances and games based on folk music for music education classes. *Galen Niles was the guitarist in two well-regarded Texas hard rock bands, Homer and Ultra during the 1970s and is still active in music. The Ultra tracks were reissued on Monster Records in 2000 and on Vintage Records in 2010. *Jim Carsten went into law enforcement and was once a county sheriff; he is now a security consultant. *Rickey Wright died in an automobile accident in 2000.

Other bands named the Outcasts

"The Outcasts", with various spelling variants, has been a fairly common name for rock bands for many years; at least 10 bands were using this name during the mid-1960s. This has led to some confusion among these varied groups. One common misconception has to do with the 1960s band The Outcasts from

, whose recordings were reissued by the same Collectables label, even before they featured the Texas band. In the mid-1980s, Cicadelic Records released three archival albums by the New York group: ''Meet the Outcasts!'' (studio recordings, mostly previously unreleased), ''The Battle of the Bands Live!'' (split release) and ''Live! Standing Room Only'' (a 1967 concert). In 1993, Collectables reissued both albums on CD, with additional songs that include "Society's Child" and "Get It On". Popular recordings (reissued on compilations) of this band are "Don't Press Your Luck", "I Didn't Have to Love Her Anymore", "Nothing But Love", "Set Me Free" and their unique versions of " Walk On By" and "

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

". Another band called the Outcasts recorded several tracks backing Linda Pierre King, an artist featured on a compilation of female garage rock artists from Texas, ''We Had the Beat / The Heartbeats & Other Texas Girls of the 60s''. That album's liner notes suggested that the San Antonio band had backed her on these songs, a natural mistake, since King is from Houston, and the

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

that released the final single by the Outcasts, Gallant Records, was based there.

Songs

The 1995

retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ''retrospectare'', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in medicine, software development, popu ...

'' I'm in Pittsburgh and It's Raining'' (15 tracks, all the band's music on the Collectables label) omits the band's first single, ''Nothing Ever Comes Easy'' b/w ''Oriental Express''; according to the CD's brief liner notes, it was "not up-to-par with their subsequent releases." Since neither side has yet been issued on a

, we have only band member Jim Ryan's description: the first is "a very tender, yearning ballad with some nice changes and arrangement by a talented composer ike Post The B-side sa surf instrumental that rocked in fifths to give that Asian sound." ''I'm in Pittsburgh (And it's Raining)'' embodied much of the innocence and charm of garage rock, as well as the less-than-slick production common of the 1960s garage sound. This was the band's most successful single, receiving national airplay and charting locally in San Antonio and also in Houston and Austin, Texas. The opening lyrics – ''I'm in Pittsburgh and it's rainin' / I'm sittin' in the subway here complainin' '' – contain an error of fact (

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

does not have a

subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Intercontin ...

system), which cooled off the initial rush of record sales in that city. The title lyric was taken from Mountain's first lines of dialogue in the

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ...

teleplay ''

Requiem for a Heavyweight "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show ''Playhouse 90'' on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey R ...

'', the theatrical film version of which had been released three years before the song was composed. This track was included in the first of the Pebbles

s, where the original

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are des ...

call this song a "blistering punk-rocker, which has been compared to

the Pretty Things ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

at their best." Numerous bands have released

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

s of this song over the years. Perhaps best known is the 1990 cover by The Cynics, from

; others have been recorded by the Flies, the Vibes and the Go-Devils. The original version of the song was re-pressed in 1977 as a

bootleg recording A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be copied and trade ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, and marketed to new wave fans, with the band name changed to the Kicks. The band's last single, ''1523 Blair'' features a "wind-up" introduction, followed by guitar riffs played at a furious pace, then barely intelligible lyrics, all at a blistering tempo. (The title was taken from the address of the Doyle Jones recording studio in Houston.) One recent reviewer remarked, "The music on this selection is jarringly experimental, the spirit is possessed fervor. '1523 Blair' is one minute and forty seven seconds long because it couldn’t have possibly been any longer". This song inspired the name of a British

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band, Blair 1523 ( Bomp! Records released their lone album in 1993, after the band had already broken up). The Outcasts tried their hand at many styles, from

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

s ("Price of Victory"),

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

("Sweet Mary"), to instrumentals ("Come on Over" and "The Birds") and romantic ballads ("I'll Set You Free" and "Everyday"). The Outcasts also recorded covers, notably "

Smokestack Lightning "Smokestack Lightning" (also "Smoke Stack Lightning" or "Smokestack Lightnin'") is a blues song recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1956. It became one of his most popular and influential songs. It is based on earlier blues songs, and numerous artists ...

" and "

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

Band members

* Denny Turner, ''lead guitar, autoharp'' * Buddy Carson, ''keyboards, harmonica, percussion, vocals'' * Rickey Wright, ''drums'' * Jim Carsten, ''rhythm guitar, vocals'' * Jim Ryan, ''bass guitar, vocals' * Galen Niles, ''lead guitar'' (replacing Denny Turner for the final single)

Discography

The retrospective album

* '' I'm in Pittsburgh and It's Raining''; Collectables Records (#COL-0591); 1995 release on CD

Singles

* "Nothing Ever Comes Easy" b/w "Oriental Express"; Outcast Records * "I'm in Pittsburgh (And it's Raining)" b/w "Price of Victory"; Askel Records * "I'll Set You Free" b/w "Everyday"; Askel Records * "

" b/w "Everyday"; Askel Records – ''Alternate version of "B" side'' * "1523 Blair" b/w "

"; Gallant Records

Compilation albums

"I’m in Pittsburgh (And it’s Raining)" is featured on: # ''

Pebbles, Volume 1 ''Pebbles'' is a compilation of US underground and garage single record releases from the mid- to late-1960s. It had a limited original release in 1978 and a more general release in 1979 (where the album was identified simply as ''Pebbles''). I ...

'' (1978 LP, Mastercharge Records) # ''Great Pebbles, Volume 1'' (CD) # ''Texas Punk: 1966, Volume 2'' (LP) # ''Flashback, Volume 2'' (LP) # ''Acid Visions, Volume 6'' (CD) # ''Acid Visions - The Complete Collection, Volume 2'' (CD) # ''Green Crystal Ties, Volume 8'' (CD) # ''Garage Beat '66, Volume 7'' (CD) # ''Uptight Tonight'' (CD) # ''Texas Flashbacks, Volume 2'' (CD)"Searchin' for Shakes", op. cit. "1523 Blair" is featured on: # '' Acid Dreams'' (1979 LP, CD) # ''Mayhem & Psychosis, Volume 2'' (LP) # ''Teenage Shutdown, Volume 4'' (LP and CD) # '' Songs We Taught the Fuzztones'' (1993 LP and CD) # ''Texas Punk Groups From the Sixties, Volume 1'' (LP) # ''Acid Dreams Testament'' (CD, extended version of ''Acid Dreams'') # ''The Complete Acid Dreams'' (box set, extended version of ''Acid Dreams'') # ''Sixties Archives, Volume 2'' (CD) # ''Ya Gotta Have Moxie!, Volume 1'' (CD) – ''this song is marked on the track listing for the CD as “The Chocolate Mousse Theme” by the Chocolate Mousse.'' "I’ll Set You Free" is featured on: # Texas Punk: 1966, Volume 2 (LP) # Acid Dreams Testament (CD) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD) # The Complete Acid Dreams (box set) "Everyday" is featured on: #

Texas Punk, Volume 3 Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

(LP) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD) "My Love" is featured on: #

(LP) # Acid Visions, Volume 6 (CD) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD) "Sweet Mary" is featured on: # Texas Punk: 1966, Volume 2 (LP) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD) "What Price Victory?" #

(LP) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD) "The Birds" is featured on: # Texas Punk: 1966, Volume 2 (LP) # Acid Visions, Volume 6 (CD) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD) "Smokestack Lightning" is featured on: # Texas Punk Groups From the Sixties, Volume 1 (LP) # Texas Punk: 1966, Volume 2 (LP) # Endless Journey Phase 1 (LP) #

Endless Journey Endless or The Endless may refer to: Business * Endless (private equity), a British firm * Endless.com, an e-commerce website selling shoes and accessories * Endless Computers, an American operating system company Film * ''The Endless'' (film ...

(CD) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD) # Sixties Archives, Volume 2 (CD) "Route 66" is featured on: # Texas Punk: 1966, Volume 2 (LP) # Green Crystal Ties, Volume 8 (CD) # Acid Visions, Volume 6 (CD) # Acid Visions – The Complete Collection, Volume 2 (CD)

References

External links

Bandmember Jim Ryan's History of the Outcasts
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Outcasts, The Garage rock groups from Texas Musical groups from San Antonio Musical groups established in 1963 Musical groups disestablished in 1968