Tom King, 68, a guitarist and founding member of the Outsiders who co-wrote the Cleveland rock 'n' roll band's biggest hit, "Time Won't Let Me," died April 23 at a nursing home in Wickliffe, Ohio, after a period of declining health.
A Cleveland native, King formed Tom King and the Starfires with singer Sonny Geraci in the late 1950s. The duo expanded to a quintet and renamed themselves the Outsiders in 1965. The next year, King wrote "Time Won't Let Me" with his brother-in-law Chet Kelley, and the song spent 15 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at No. 5.
The band also had hits with "Girl in Love," "Respectable" and "Help Me, Girl" but disbanded before the end of the 1960s.
The Animals covered "Help Me, Girl," and the Smithereens had a hit in 1994 with a remake of "Time Won't Let Me."
Geraci went on to lead the band Climax, known for their 1972 hit "Precious and Few."
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