Thomas R. King (July 13, 1942 – April 23, 2011)[1][2] was an American songwriter, guitarist, and arranger. He founded the 1960s rock band The Outsiders, and co-wrote the band's biggest hit song, "Time Won't Let Me".
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Life and career
editBorn in Cleveland, Ohio, King attended East Cleveland's Shaw High School in the late 1950s. He formed The Starfires, also known as Tom King & the Starfires, at the age of 15. He formed the rock band The Outsiders in 1965, as a continuation of The Starfires. King co-wrote the band's 1966 hit "Time Won't Let Me", from the album of the same name, with brother-in-law Chet Kelley. The song spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 5, and selling over a million copies.[3] Iggy Pop redid the song on his album Party in 1981, then The Smithereens also had a hit with the song, remaking it in 1994. King won a BMI award for the song having been played on the radio over four million times.[4]
King died at a nursing home in Wickliffe, Ohio on April 23, 2011, at the age of 68.[5] He suffered from congestive heart failure.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Thomas King Obituary - Wickliffe, Ohio". Tributes.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "Tom King Cleveland Rock Pioneer Dies" clevescene.com April 25, 2011
- ^ Davis, Dave (April 25, 2011). "Cleveland rocker Tom King is dead at 68". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Video: "Time Won't Let Me" songwriter dies". WTAM. April 25, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ "Passings: Harold Garfinkel, Gerald Allison, Tom King, Ronald D. Asmus, Christian Ferry" latimes.com May 5, 2011