#19: Respectable by the Outsiders

City: Hamilton, ON
Radio Station: CKOC
Peak Month: September 1966
Peak Position in Hamilton ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #13
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #15
YouTube: “Respectable” – The Outsiders
YouTube: “Respectable” – The Isley Brothers (1959)
Lyrics: “Respectable”

Tom King was born in Cleveland in 1942. In 1957, at the age of 15, he formed Tom King & the Starfires. They released a single titled “Ring Of Love” which charted in the Top 30 in Cleveland in the summer of 1960. The Starfires released three more singles that got airplay but not much chart action. Tom King formed The Outsiders, a continuation of the Starfires, in 1965. Joining him were Sonny Geraci on lead vocals. Born Emmett Peter “Sonny” Geraci in 1946 in Cleveland, he was described in a WTAM 1100 radio obituary as “a street kid.” In 1964, Geraci became the lead singer of The Starfires prior to Tom King changing the name of the group to The Outsiders. Along with King and Geraci, Mert Madsen (born 1940 on the island of Samos in Denmark) had been an original with The Starfires, and provided continuity for The Outsiders on bass guitar and backing vocals. Madsen learned to play harmonica at the age of four and piano accordion at the age of ten. He moved with his parents from Denmark to America in 1957. He learned English from watching TV shows and movies. In 1958 he became a member of the Cleveland Heights Barbershop Chorus and Quartet.

Rounding out the lineup for The Outsiders were Al Austin on lead guitar, and Ronnie Harkai on drums. Harkai was classically trained, and with a Cleveland band called The Pilgrims who formed in 1964 until they broke up in 1965. As well, Bill Bruno was on lead guitar by the time the band released their first single and album. Bruno was from Pittsburgh and met Tom King at a party, and was invited to join the band after Al Austin departed.

The name The Outsiders was chosen by Tom King after his uncle Pat, in a heated argument said to Tom, “You’ve always been an outsider in this family.” So Tom chose the name The Outsiders to prove to his uncle he could make it on his own.

In the fall of 1965, The Outsiders released “Time Won’t Let Me”. Ron Harkai was drafted into the U.S. Air Force after the recording of the song and was replaced for awhile by Jimmy Fox. “Time Won’t Let Me” debuted on WKYC in Cleveland on January 14, 1966. It spent four weeks at number-one on the radio station from February 18 to March 17. “Time Won’t Let Me” also climbed to the top of the pop charts in Akron (OH), Dayton (OH), LaCrosse (WI), Green Bay (WI), Milwaukee (WI), Kansas City (MO), Buffalo (NY), and San Antonio (TX). Sonny Geraci provided lead vocals and “Time Won’t Let Me” peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, the single claimed to #2 in Vancouver, #6 in Montreal and Edmonton (AB), and #9 in London (ON).

Al Austin left the band after “Time Won’t Let Me” was recorded. A followup single from their debut album, Time Won’t Let Me, was a ballade titled “Girl In Love”. This was not The Outsiders choice, as they wanted another high-energy single as a followup. But Capitol Records insisted that a ballad would showcase the band’s versatility. Though “Girl in Love” stalled at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, it cracked the Top Ten in Hamilton (ON) and London (ON). The band had wanted “Lost In My World” to be the second single release. The horns and instrumental sound of the song echoed “Time Won’t Let Me”. But “Lost In My World” ended up as a B-side to “Respectable”.

The debut single from the band’s next album, Album #2, “Respectable”, was released in August 1966. By this time the band had a few lineup changes. Ronnie Harkai had left to join the U.S. Air Force. However, he is featured on drums on the recording of “Respectable”. Ricky Baker (born Ricky Biagiola) played drums on most of the tracks on the band’s second album. Baker (Biagiola) was motivated to learn to play drums after watching an episode of The Ozzie and Harriet Show. His influences were Cozy Cole and Sandy Nelson. At the age of 16, Biagiola played in a Cleveland band named The Sensations. Capitol Records decided Ricky’s surname credit should be Baker because Biagiola was “too ethnic.”

In 1966, The Outsiders played on stage billed at concerts with Gene Pitney, B.J. Thomas, Bobby Goldsboro, Len Barry, The McCoys, Chad and Jeremy, and Norma Tanega.

On Album #2 the lineup for The Outsiders consisted of Tom King, Sonny Geraci, Mert Madsen, Bill Bruno and Ricky Baker (Ricky Biagiola).

“Respectable” was written by O’Kelly Isley Jr., Ronald Isley and Rudolph Isley. O’Kelly Isley Jr. was born in 1937 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and founded the Isley Brothers when he was 16 years old in 1954. He got his three younger brothers, Ronald (born 1941), Rudolph (born 1939) and Vernon (born 1942), to round out the group. In 1954 the quartette won a talent contest on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. The group sang gospel and R&B until Vernon’s death at the age of 13 when he was riding a bike and was hit by a car in 1955. Devastated, the Isley Brothers disbanded. But they were persuaded to reform as a trio in 1957. That year they released their first single, a doo-wop novelty titled “The Cow Jumped Over The Moon”, complete with echoes of the tunes released by Frankie Lemon & the Teenagers. They released four more singles with little success. But in 1959, they released “I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door”, which was successfully covered in 1961 by Eddie Hodges. The trio released their classic “Shout” later in 1959. That single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The Isley Brothers fast-moving “Respectable” was released as a followup. It made the Top Ten in Arlington (VA), and the Top 20 in Pittsburgh and Ventura (CA). However, it was only a regional hit on AM-pop stations and didn’t crack the Billboard Hot 100. The song was waiting for some other recording artist to cover it and make it a hit.

The song lyrics list the kind of respectable “girl” the group is singing about: 1) she’s never been kissed, 2) she’s never been in the moonlight, 3) she’s never been out on a date, 4) she’s never come home late. A guy asks her out on a date and she says yes. However, his friend ask “Did ya love her” Did ya hug her? Did ya kiss her? Did ya squeeze her?” The answer to all these questions is “no, no, no, no.” As a result, this makes the guy love her and want her even more because “she’s so respectable.”

The Isley Brothers had a #2 R&B hit in 1962 titled “Twist And Shout”. It was a Top 20 hit on the pop charts and covered by the Beatles in 1963. In 2010 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1966, “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)” was a #6 R&B hit in the USA, #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached #3 in the UK. The trio who signed with Motown in 1966 felt they were boxed in musically by Motown, and left the label in 1968. The difference of opinion on the musical direction of the Isley Brothers led to their penning “It’s Your Thing”. The song climbed to #1 on the R&B charts and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song earned the Isley Brothers a Grammy Award in 1970 for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. In 1969, the Isley Brothers became a six-piece funk band adding Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper.

Between 1975 and 1994, the Isley Brothers had number-one R&B hits with “Fight The Power”, “The Pride Part 1”, “Take Me To The Next Phase”, “I Wanna Be with You”, “Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love)”, “Caravan Of Love”, and “Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)”. They also had Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 that included “That Lady”, “Fight The Power” and “Down Low”. In 2002 they were nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Contagious”. They earned another nomination in the same category in 2004 for “Busted”. As well, in 2004 the Isley Brothers were nominated in the Best R&B Album category for Body Kiss.

At the age of 48, “Kelly” Isley died of a heart attack. This devastated Rudolph, who left the music industry in 1989 to become a Christian minister. In 2023 Rudolph Isley died of a heart attack at the age of 84. Ronnie Isley carried on fronting the Isley Brothers with younger brothers Ernie and Marvin. They were a trio from 1991 to 1997. Since Marvin Isley left in 1997, Ronnie and Ernie Isley have remained an Isley Brothers duo to the present.

The Outsiders cover of “Respectable” peaked at #1 in Hamilton (ON), #2 in Cleveland, Battle Creek (MI), and New Haven (CT), #3 in Roanoke (VA), #4 in Dayton (OH), Flint (MI), Milwaukee, and Quincy (IL), #5 in Chicago, and Hartford (CT), #6 in Cincinnati (OH), Washington DC, Atlanta, Madison (WI), Denver, and Santa Barbara (CA), #8 in Akron (OH), Lansing (MI), Manchester (NH), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Shreveport (LA), and Louisville (KY), #9 in Montreal, Boston, Davenport (IA), Honolulu, Lynchburg (VA), and Springfield (MA), #10 in Seattle, Harrisburg (PA), Troy (NY), and Lowell (MA), and #11 in Winnipeg (MB).

The next Outsiders single release was “Help Me Girl”. The single was originally released by The Animals. It peaked at #8 in Vancouver (BC) and #37 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was the debut single from the third studio album, In. The album didn’t chart on the Billboard pop album chart.

Mert Madsen left The Outsiders in the fall of 1966. Subsequent single releases by The Outsiders fizzled. A track from In titled “I’ll Give You Time (To Think It Over)” stalled at #118 on the Hot 100, and only cracked the Top 30 in Bellville (ON) and Hamilton (ON). While “Gotta Leave Us Alone” stalled at #121 beneath the Billboard Hot 100 and got little notice in Canada. The single was anticipated to be the debut single from an album titled Leave Us Alone. But the album was shelved since the band only managed to record five tracks and hadn’t come up with enough material on schedule to satisfy Capitol Records.

It was Vernon (BC) where “I’ll See You In The Summertime” uniquely made the Top 30 in any radio market in Canada. Several more single releases flopped.

An album titled Happening Live! was a faux live album with crowd noises and song introductions added to studio recordings, some of which had appeared on previous albums. The Outsiders were offered a song titled “Bend Me, Shape Me”, but turned it down. The song became a #5 hit in the USA for the American Breed in early 1968.

As well, in 1967, Rick Biagiola told Goldmine magazine in a 2020 interview that the band signed a bad contract. The lawyers were getting 25% of the proceeds, the William Morris Talent Agency got 15%, Tom King was getting 20% and the other bandmates were splitting the remaining 40%. The band moved to California that year to be closer to Capitol Records. But the bad contract resulted in complaints from the bandmates led to word getting around that they were spoiled brats, and this may have led to their subsequent singles getting less airplay, Biagiola has speculated.

In late 1967, Mert Madsen and Ronnie Harkai left to join a new Cleveland area band called The Originals, along with former Outsiders bandmate Al Austin. Al Austin died in a car accident in 1968. The Originals split up in 1970.

The Outsiders (with a new lineup) left the Capitol label and switched to King in 1970. But they got nowhere. By this time Sonny Geraci was fronting his own Outsiders band, and Tom King was fronting a different Outsiders band. This led to disputes in court and King got control of the name at the time.

The Outsiders inclusion of horns was an influence on the Chicago Transit Authority, Blood, Sweat and Tears, and Lighthouse.

Since a court ruled he couldn’t front a band called The Outsiders, Sonny Geraci went on to front Climax. While The Outsiders with Tom King split up. Sonny Geraci’s Climax band were made up of member of his Outsiders band. They had a Top Ten hit in 1972 titled “Precious And Few”. Climas appeared on The Smothers Brothers, Hulabaloo, Shindig, Where The Action Is, and American Bandstand. Geraci remained with Climax until they disbanded in 1975.

In 1983, Sonny Geraci assumed the pseudonym Peter Emmett for an MCA project called “The Peter Emmett Story”. Intended as a comeback vehicle for Geraci, he was backed in the studio by Donnie Iris’s band, The Cruisers. A band called North Coast, pictured on the album sleeve, was put together after the recording had been made with The Cruisers. The band played shows in the Cleveland/Akron area before disbanding a few years later. He left the music industry and worked in his family home improvement business. Geraci returned to the music industry in 2002, being added to the lineup with The Grass Roots. In 2007, he toured under the billing “Sonny Geraci and The Outsiders.” In April 2012, Geraci suffered a brain aneurysm and required intensive care. He died in February 2017 at the age of 70. WTAM noted Geraci “helped WTAM’s Mike Trivisonno raise millions of dollars for Coats for Kids over the years.”

Tom King died at a nursing home in Wickliffe, Ohio in April 2011, at the age of 68. He suffered from congestive heart failure.

After he left The Outsiders, Rick Biagiola finished the course work he needed to graduate from high school. He played for a number of years in a band called Blue Idiom. He continued to play in Cleveland area bands until 1983, and then got a regular job outside of the music business. In 2017, Rick Biagiola (formerly billed as Ricky Baker) re-formed The Outsiders. Bill Bruno joined the new band, but left in 2018. Rick invited three musicians from the Cleveland area that he knows to round out the new Outsiders. When they perform their set lasts about an hour. Rick Biagiola lives in Cleveland.

Mert Madsen moved to Denmark in 1970 where he lives to this day. Bill Bruno lives in San Diego.

July 12, 2024
Ray McGinnis

References:
Steven Casto, “Time Won’t Let Me” Tuesdays – The Outsiders Interviews Part 1 of 4,” Goldmine magazine, September 1, 2020.
Steven Casto,” Time Won’t Let Me” Tuesdays – The Outsiders Interviews Part 2 of 4,” Goldmine magazine, September 8, 2020.
Steven Casto, “Time Won’t Let Me” Tuesdays – The Outsiders Interviews Part 3 of 4,” Goldmine magazine, September 15, 2020.
Steven Casto, “Time Won’t Let Me” Tuesdays – The Outsiders Interviews Part 4 of 4,” Goldmine magazine, September 22, 2020.
Dave Davis, “Cleveland Rocker Tom King is dead at 68,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH, April 25, 2011.
Josh Boose, “Sonny Geraci Dies,” WTAM 1100, Cleveland (OH).
Paul Winter, “The Isley Brothers: A Family Affair,” New York Times, March 13, 1977.
Daniel Kreps, “Rudolph Isley, Founding Member of the Isley Brothers, Dead at 84,” Rolling Stone, October 12, 2023.

CKOC 1150-AM Hamilton (ON) Top Ten | September 16, 1966