The Outsiders were an American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

band from

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, that was founded and led by guitarist Tom King. The band released the hit single "

Time Won't Let Me "Time Won't Let Me" is a garage rock song that was recorded by the Outsiders in September 1965. The song became a major hit in the United States in 1966, reaching #5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the week of April 16 of that year. It is ranke ...

" in early 1966, which peaked at No. 5 in the US in April. The band had three other Hot 100 top 40 hit singles in 1966, but none on the Hot 100 afterwards, and released a total of four albums in the mid-1960s.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described the act's style: "Part of the secret behind the Outsiders' musical success lay in the group's embellishments

ith horns and strings The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

which slotted in perfectly with their basic three- or four-piece instrumental sound ... however bold and ambitious they got, one never lost the sense of a hard, solid band sound at the core."Eder, Bruce, AllMusic, Biography of the Outsiders Retrieved February 5, 2008.

Career

First single

The Outsiders were a continuation of the Starfires: Tom King,

Sonny Geraci Emmett Peter "Sonny" Geraci ("Jer-ah-see"); November 22, 1946 – February 5, 2017) was an American singer, best known as lead singer of musical groups The Outsiders and Climax. Biography Geraci first became known as the original lead vocal ...

, Mert Madsen, Richard Kriss, Al Austin and Howard Blank (who was replaced by Ronnie Harkai before the recording of "Time Won't Let Me"). The name was changed to The Outsiders after the recording of "Time Won't Let Me". A total of five former Starfires were members of the Outsiders at one time or another. The band was signed to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

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 (Pama Records). The band's name was changed in early 1966. Reasons for the name change are 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 Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. The Outsiders had a built-in advantage over the numerous American bands that formed in the wake of the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...

. Rather than being neophytes, The Starfires had been a very active

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

band in the Cleveland scene since 1958, often playing six shows a week. 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. King and Kelley proved to be a formidable songwriting team, and the band was also adept at handling covers of R&B standards. King also headed the band's horn section and served as the arranger and sometime producer.

Touring

The Outsiders promoted their hit single with about a year of nationwide touring, as "Time Won't Let Me" stayed on the national charts for 15 weeks. Although their music was released in other countries, the band never toured overseas. The band first toured with

Paul Revere and the Raiders Paul Revere & the Raiders (also known as Raiders) were an American rock band formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1958. They saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. The band was known for including Revolu ...

and then with

Chad and Jeremy Chad & Jeremy were a British musical duo consisting of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, who began working in 1962 and had their first hit song in the UK with " Yesterday's Gone" (1963). That song became a hit in the United States in the following y ...

. The Outsiders were part of a six-week tour of one-night stands headed by

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...

, and which included seven or eight other acts. Afterwards, the Outsiders joined a four-week tour with several

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 ...

and

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 ...

bands, as recalled by Geraci: " did a tour after Pitney with

the McCoys The McCoys were a rock music, rock group formed in Union City, Indiana, Union City, Indiana, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Their name was changed from Rick and the Raiders to The McCoys, ...

, ourselves and ? and the Mysterians,

the Shadows of Knight The Shadows of Knight were an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, that played a version of British blues influenced by their native city. When they began recording in 1965, the band's self-description was "the Stones, Animals and the Ya ...

and a group from the

west coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

called

the Seeds The Seeds were an American psychedelic garage rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965, best known for their highest charting single " Pushin' Too Hard". The band's classic line-up featured frontman Sky Saxon, guitarist Jan Savag ...

...A guy called Pete Shelton from England joined us on bass for this tour. Pete stayed with us until we could find a replacement...he then stayed on for a short while as 'Tour Manager'. There were five rock bands. Was that a crazy tour!"

Later records

There were several line-up changes over the years, with King (rhythm guitar) and Madsen (bass, harmonica) from the original Starfires along with Geraci (vocals) forming the core of the band in the early years. After Harkai left to join the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, Denny Benson briefly handled drumming duties for the band. Tom King then invited Ricky Biagiola to join the band (a.k.a. Ricky Baker, a stage name given to him because the managers felt Biagiola was too ethnic). With Harkai having departed prior to sessions for the first album, ''

'', former Starfire

Jimmy Fox James Kent Fox (born August 24, 1947) is a musician best known as the drummer of the James Gang, as well as the band's founder and its namesake. He is the only member of the group to appear in every incarnation of the band. He joined a mostly in ...

(who had left the earlier band to go to college) was brought in by King to be the drummer for the remaining tracks, which included another King/Kelley-written top 40 hit, the ballad "Girl in Love". Following these sessions, Fox decided to return to the music world and founded a band in 1966 called

the James Gang James Gang is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss ...

that would enjoy considerable success over the coming decade. Ronnie Harkai returned to record cuts on the second album '' Album Number 2'', along with Ricky Biagiola. Ricky Biagiola toured with the band for almost 3 years, and was part of 4 LPs and several singles released, until returning home to Cleveland to continue his education. A cover of the

Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group **Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...

' "Respectable" from Album No. 2 reached No. 15 in early September 1966. The Outsiders had performed "Respectable" during their earlier years as the Starfires. A single by outside songwriters, "

Help Me Girl "Help Me Girl" is a song performed by Eric Burdon in 1966. It was billed to Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. ...

" (from '' In''), had to compete with a version released in the same time period by

the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

. By some accounts, the Animals had already recorded their version, although they assured The Outsiders that they had not. The Outsiders' version peaked at No. 37. They recorded another track by the same songwriters for their third album, but it was not released as a single. The song, "

Bend Me, Shape Me "Bend Me, Shape Me" is a song written by Scott English and Larry Weiss. It was first recorded by The Outsiders as a track on their album '' In'' in 1966. The best-known version of the song is the 1967 single released by The American Breed that ...

", became a major hit on both sides of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

in early 1968 when it was covered by

the American Breed The American Breed was an American rock band from Chicago in the 1960s. The band was originally called Gary & The Knight Lites before adopting the name The American Breed in 1967. The band had a number of charting songs in 1967–68, the be ...

in the US and by Amen Corner in the UK. After Mert Madsen left the Outsiders to get married, two other ex-Starfires, Walter Nims and Richard D'Amato, plus Richie D'Angelo on drums joined the band. Other session players were brought in to beef up the band's recordings, among them drummer

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

and bassist

Carol Kaye Carol Kaye (née Smith, born March 24, 1935) is an American musician. She is one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in a career spanning over 50 years. Kaye began play ...

of the Wrecking Crew; also, some recordings were produced by

Richard Delvy Richard Delvy (April 20, 1942 – February 6, 2010) was an American music entrepreneur. He started in the music business as a drummer who played with The Bel-Airs and took his experience to broader appeal with The Challengers, who were in the ...

, who had worked with

Sonny and Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

. Joe Kelley (no relation to Chet Kelley), lead guitarist for

, made a guest appearance on the 1967 single "Gotta Leave Us Alone".

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

gave tentative approval for a fourth album, which was to have been named after this single, ''Leave Us Alone''. However, the project was abandoned midway through, in favor of a faux live album called ''

Happening Live! ''Happening Live!'' is the fourth album by the Outsiders. Although represented as being a live album, in actuality crowd noises and song introductions were added to studio recordings, some of which had appeared on previous albums. Release data ...

'' where crowd noises plus song and band member introductions by Sonny Geraci were dubbed onto stripped-down studio renditions of older recordings, along with some recordings by the new line-up. Not long thereafter, the group disbanded. The Outsiders were one of the early white American soul-influenced bands. The band's "Lonely Man" was bootlegged by a small British label and released in the UK, miscredited to Northern Soul band the Detroit Shakers and retitled "Help Me Find My Way". The sound they first created, combining Mersey Rock & Motown, can be felt in the later hits of

the Buckinghams The Buckinghams are an American sunshine pop band from Chicago. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Jim Guercio James William Guercio (born July 18, 1945) is an American music producer, musician, songwriter, and director. He is well known for his work as the producer of Chicago's early albums as well as early recordings of The Buckinghams and Blood, Sweat ...

, who would manage both of these

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

groups, had toured with the Outsiders as a musician on the

Caravan.

Post-breakup

In 1970, Sonny Geraci organized a new band in Los Angeles that included Walter Nims and Nick D'Amico, and released a single as "The Outsiders featuring Sonny Geraci" on the Bell label; commercial copies showed the "O" in OUTSIDERS as a

peace symbol A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a ''Dove'' lithograph b ...

. Meanwhile, King was still heading a band called the Outsiders back in Cleveland; and this band released a single as "The Outsiders (featuring Jon Simonell)"; Simonell being Geraci's replacement as lead singer. King won a lawsuit in 1970 about the ownership of the name. Geraci's band name was then changed to

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

and scored a No. 3 hit in 1972 with Nims' "

Precious and Few "Precious and Few" is a song recorded by American group Climax which became a major North American hit in early 1972. The song was written by the band's guitarist, Walter D. Nims. Background Lead vocals on the demo were provided by Johnny McCur ...

". Geraci left the music industry in 1980 and spent about five years in sales in his family's

home improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

business. In about 1985, he began appearing with several other mid-1960s bands as "oldies" acts and continued to appear in live concerts. Along the way, he released a handful of solo CDs. Despite the earlier lawsuit about the name, Sonny Geraci began touring in 2007 as "Sonny Geraci and the Outsiders". In April 2012 Geraci suffered a brain aneurysm (specifically, a

cerebral arteriovenous malformation A cerebral arteriovenous malformation (cerebral AVM, CAVM, cAVM) is an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins in the brain—specifically, an arteriovenous malformation in the cerebrum. Signs and symptoms The most frequently observed ...

), requiring intensive care. The most recent album by the Outsiders, called ''30 Years Live'' was released in 1996 and reissued in 2006; only two of the original members, King and Nims, were on board. The performances were taken from two live concerts in 1991 in

, and

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. King died aged 68, on April 23, 2011, in a

Wickliffe, Ohio Wickliffe is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,750 at the 2010 census. A post office called Wickliffe has been in operation since 1843. The city was named after Charles A. Wickliffe, 11th United States Postmaste ...

nursing home. He had suffered from multiple health problems and had been at the Wickliffe Country Place nursing home since he fell and injured himself in August. King's death was announced by Kevin King, one of his sons, and confirmed by the nursing home. Geraci died on February 5, 2017, at the age of 70.

Legacy

"Time Won't Let Me" is still prominent on

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

radio playlists, but this has created an image of the Outsiders as a "one hit wonder" band. The song was also included on the box set inspired by the classic

compilation album '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968''. Another song, "I'm Not Trying to Hurt You", was included in volume 9 of the

Pebbles series ''Pebbles'' is an extensive series of compilation albums in both LP and CD formats that have been issued on several record labels, though mostly by AIP. Together with the companion '' Highs in the Mid-Sixties series'', the ''Pebbles series'' m ...

. Bill Scheft's novel about a garage rock band being rediscovered by record collectors and then attempting to recapture their glory days as the bandmembers approached the age of 50 was called ''Time Won't Let Me''.

Reissues

The original Outsiders albums have never been individually reissued as CDs.

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

released ''Best of the Outsiders'' in 1985, while

Collectables Records Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Jerry Greene formed Lost Nite and Crimson record labels. Soul Survivors gained the hit "Expressway to Your Heart" (1967) while on Crimson Records. History It maintains a ca ...

has also released a ''Capitol Collectors Series'' retrospective album on CD.

Band members

The Starfires/The Outsiders 1965 ("Time Won't Let Me" single)

* Sonny Geraci, ''lead vocals'' * John Madrid, ''trumpet'' * Al Austin, ''lead guitar'' * Gayle Guhde, ''keyboards'' * Tom King, ''rhythm guitar, backing vocals, tenor saxophone'' * Mert Madsen, ''bass, harmonica'' * Ronnie Harkai, ''drums''

The Outsiders

* Tom King, ''rhythm guitar, tenor saxophone, vocals'' * Sonny Geraci, ''lead vocals'' * Mert Madsen, ''bass guitar, harmonica'' * Bill Bruno, ''lead guitar'' * Rick Biagiola, ''drums''

The Outsiders (1967 ''Live'' album)

* Tom King, ''rhythm guitar, tenor saxophone, vocals'' * Sonny Geraci, ''lead vocals'' * Richard D'Amato, ''bass guitar'' * Walter Nims, ''lead guitar'' * Ricky Biagiola, ''drums'' * Craig Gephart "lead vocals" for a short period of time after Sonny Geraci Quit

The Outsiders (1991 ''30 Years Live'' album)

* Tom King, ''guitar, background vocals'' * Walter Nims, ''guitar, background vocals'' * Rob Mitchell, ''vocals, bass guitar'' *Eddie Soto, ''vocals'' * Ted Sikora, ''guitar, background vocals'' * Dave Hershy, ''horns'' * Joe Potnicky, ''keyboards'' * Dan King, ''drums'' * Rusty Schmidt, ''vocals'' * Nick Farcas, ''keyboards'' * Scott Ingram, ''bass guitar''

Discography

Singles

Reissues and releases outside the U.S.

*"Time Won't Let Me" b/w "Was It Really Real" – Capitol 5573, (''Second pressing on the red/orange target label with target logo'') *"Time Won't Let Me" b/w "Girl In Love" – Capitol Starline 6165 (''Released on the red/white, tan and purple label variations'')

Foreign releases

*"Time Won't Let Me" b/w "Was It Really Real" – Capitol #K 23187; rel. 1966 in West Germany, ''violet label'' *"Respectable" b/w "Lost In My World" – Jolly #J-20387; rel. in 1966 in Italy

EPs

*"Time Won't Let Me" and "

Listen People "Listen People" is a song written by Graham Gouldman and performed by Herman's Hermits. The song was produced by Mickie Most. It was featured on their 1966 album, ''Volume 2: The Best of Herman's Hermits''. It reached #1 in Canada, #3 on both the ...

" b/w "Girl In Love" and "Rockin' Robin" – Capitol #EAP4-2501; rel. 1966 in Mexico, ''7"'' *"

" and "Keep on Running" b/w "Time Won't Let Me" and "Maybe Baby" – Capitol #EAP-4-2501; rel. 1967 in Brazil, ''7"'' *"Gotta Leave Us Alone" and "I Just Can't See You Anymore" b/w "I'll See You In The Summertime" and "And Now You Want My Sympathy" – Capitol #EAP1-20984; rel. 1967 in Mexico, ''7"'' *"Keep on Running" and "My Girl" b/w "Time Won't Let Me" and "Was it Really Real" – American #TK-45, ''black and yellow label; 7"''

Albums

Studio albums

*''

'' – Capitol #T-2501/#ST-2501; rel. 5/1966 (#37) *'' Album No. 2'' – Capitol #T-2568/#ST-2568; rel. 9/1966 (#90) *'' In'' – Capitol #T-2636/#ST-2636; rel. 1/1967 (Did not chart) *''Leave Us Alone'' – Capitol (No catalogue number, cancelled before release. However, a tentative album cover slick for this release is shown in the "collage" of The Outsiders' "Capitol Collectors Series" CD booklet)

Live albums

*''

'' – Capitol #T-2745/#ST-2745; rel. 8/1967 (#103) *''30 Years Live'' – Collectables; rel. 1996

Reissues and releases outside the U.S.

*''

'' – Capitol #POP 672; rel. 1985 in Mexico *''

'' and '' Album No. 2'' (plus bonus tracks); two-fer CD reissue – Liberty Bell #PCD 4365 (unofficial disc) *'' In'' and ''

'' (plus bonus tracks); two-fer CD reissue – Liberty Bell #PCD 4366 (unofficial disc)

Retrospective albums

*'' Capitol Collectors Series'' – Capitol; rel. 1991 *'' Best of the Outsiders'' – Rhino #RNLP 70132 / #RNC 70132; rel. 1986 *'' Collectors Series'' – Collectables; rel. 1996

Compilation albums

*Time Won't Let Me # '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'' (box set) # '' Nuggets from Nuggets'' (CD) # '' Nuggets, Volume 3'' (LP) # ''

Pride from Cleveland Past Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

'' (LP) ''"Time Won't Let Me" has also been included on many other compilation albums that are aimed at mainstream audiences;

lists more than 40 such albums.'' *I'm Not Trying to Hurt You # '' Pebbles, Volume 9'' (LP) *Lost in My World # '' Nuggets, Volume 4'' (LP) *And Now You Want My Sympathy # ''

Psychedelic Archives – USA Garage, Volume 1 Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

'' (Cassette)

References

Literature

*''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 7th ed. by

Joel Whitburn Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings. Early life Joel Carver Whitburn was born in Wau ...

(2000) {{DEFAULTSORT:Outsiders, The Musical groups established in 1965 Musical groups disestablished in 1968 Garage rock groups from Ohio Capitol Records artists Musical groups from Cleveland Rock music groups from Ohio Rock and roll music groups