The Starfires (Cleveland band)
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| The Starfires | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Genre(s) | Rock and roll |
| Years active | 1958-1965 |
| Label(s) | Pama Records |
| Associated acts | The Outsiders Climax the James Gang |
| Former members | |
| Tom King Mert Madsen Walter Nims Howard Blank Dennis Slifko Tony Sawyer Jimmy (Jim) Fox Sonny Geraci Ronnie Harkai Al Austin Richard D'Amato |
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The Starfires is a rock and roll band founded in Cleveland in 1958 by Tom King when he was only 15. The band is sometimes identified as Tom King and the Starfires. King is best known as the original bandleader of the Outsiders; however, it was only at the insistence of Capitol Records that the band's name was changed when they created their breakout hit "Time Won't Let Me"[1]. (This is not the same band as the Starfires, a 1960's Los Angeles garage rock band best known for their classic "I Never Loved Her".)
Contents |
[edit] History of the Band
The Starfires were formed by Tom King at Shaw High School in Cleveland, Ohio in 1958 and remained a popular local band through the mid-1960's. Their forte was rhythm and blues instrumentals, with occasional vocals by King. Also, his uncle, Patrick Connelly owned a record company, Pama Records; and the band (along with at least one single by Tom King individually) produced several sides over this period, notably "Stronger than Dirt" (which charted locally). After a tonsillectomy, King's vocal abilities became limited, so he added a new lead singer, Sonny Geraci and changed the band's sound somewhat to match the musical tastes of the period. This led to the eventual creation of the Outsiders (see article).
[edit] Post Break-Up
Tom King, Sonny Geraci, Mert Madsen, Al Austin, and Ronnie Harkai were the members of the Starfires when the name was changed to the Outsiders in 1965.
Walter Nims, Jimmy Fox and Richard D'Amato joined the Outsiders at a later time, though they were not in the original line-up.
Sonny Geraci and Walter Nims were among the founding members of Climax.
Jimmy (Jim) Fox was the founder of the James Gang, a popular Cleveland rock band in the late 1960's and 1970's..
[edit] Band Members[2]
- Tom King, guitarist, vocals
- Walter Nims, lead guitar
- Howard Blank, drums
- Dennis Slifko, saxophone
- Mert Madsen, bass guitar
- Tony Sawyer, saxophone (joined in the early 1960's)
- Jimmy Fox, drums (joined in the early 1960's)
- Sonny Geraci, lead vocals (joined in 1964)
- Ronnie Harkai, drums (joined in 1964)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
[edit] Retrospective Album
Roots of the Outsiders; Collectables Records.
