THE OUTSIDERS

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, the Outsiders was the brainchild of Tom King, a guitarist, composer and arranger. He was born in the city in 1944, and the group evolved from a duo he had formed with vocalist Sonny Geraci (b. 1948, Cleveland, Ohio, USA). Initially known as Tom King And The Starfires, the line-up was completed by Bill Bruno (b. 1946, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; guitar), Met Madsen (b. Denmark; bass) and Rick Biagiola/Baker (b. 1949, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; drums). The Outsiders scored a million-selling single in 1966 with their debut release, “Time Won't Let Me”. An infectious slice of classic American pop, it introduced a series of similarly excellent songs, which included the original version of “Help Me Girl”, later a hit for Eric Burdon And The Animals in 1966. Madsen was replaced by Ritchie D'Amato (b. 1949, Cleveland, Ohio, USA). By the following year the Outsiders’s brand of unassuming pop was deemed anachronistic and their brief spell in the spotlight ended. Geraci subsequently fronted a new group, Climax, who attained a gold disc in 1971 with “Precious And Few”.

Discography: Time Won't Let Me (Capitol 1966)****, The Outsiders Album #2 (Capitol 1966)***, Happening Live! (Capitol 1967)**, In (Capitol 1967)**.