Thomas R. King was an American songwriter, guitarist, and arranger. He founded the 1960s rock band The Outsiders

The Outsiders (American band)

The Outsiders was an American rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, that was founded and led by guitarist Tom King. The band is best known for its Top 5 hit "Time Won't Let Me" in early 1966, which peaked at #5 in the US, but the band had three other hit singles in 1966 and released a total of...

, and co-wrote the band's biggest hit song, "Time Won't Let Me".

Life and career

Born in Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, King attended East Cleveland

East Cleveland, Ohio

East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is the first suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 17,843 at the 2010 census....

's Shaw High School in the late 1950s. He formed The Starfires

The Starfires (Cleveland band)

The Starfires is an American rock and roll band, founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1958, by Tom King when he was aged 15. The band is sometimes identified as Tom King and the Starfires...

, also known as Tom King & the Starfires, at the age of 15. He formed the rock band The Outsiders

The Outsiders (American band)

The Outsiders was an American rock and roll band from Cleveland, Ohio, that was founded and led by guitarist Tom King. The band is best known for its Top 5 hit "Time Won't Let Me" in early 1966, which peaked at #5 in the US, but the band had three other hit singles in 1966 and released a total of...

 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

Time Won't Let Me (album)

Time Won't Let Me is the first studio album by the Outsiders. It was named after the band's early 1966 break-out single, "Time Won't Let Me".-Release data:...

, with brother-in-law Chet Kelley. The song spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

  chart, peaking at No. 5, and selling over a million copies. The Smithereens

The Smithereens

The Smithereens are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio , Jim Babjak , Mike Mesaros , and Dennis Diken...

 also had a hit with the song, remaking it in 1994. King won a BMI

Broadcast Music Incorporated

Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...

 award for the song having been played on the radio over four million times.

King died in Wickliffe

Wickliffe, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there are 13,484 people, 5,604 households, 3,754 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,898.2 people per square mile . There are 5,787 housing units at an average density of 1,243.8 per square mile...

, Ohio on April 23, 2011 at the age of 68. He suffered from congestive heart failure.