Biography
"Volume deserves to be blasted on the high-intensity volume of “Christmas Ain’t No Time for The Blues”. Full of a great power" - Roman Vasquez in Skope
"superb blues rock and roll vibes with Christmas Ain’t No Time For The Blues... this song lights up the room and is almost certain to get you on your feet and dancing" - Rebecca Cullen
"Clifford has a killer Blues voice and the band has all the lightning necessary for a massive rant" - Music Industry News Network
Preview #5 Billboard hit band The Outsiders recording
Preview CBMA Hall of Famer Clifford Curry’s recording
About Billboard top five Hot 100 band
The Outsiders
Christmas Ain’t No Time for the Blues was recorded at AudioWorks studio, North Olmstead, OH: Engineer Eddie Tomecko
The year was 1965. In Cleveland, Ohio, a successful area rhythm and blues band, Tom King and the Starfires, pooled their meager resources and recorded an original song written by Tom King and Chet Kelley.
The song was submitted to regional Capitol Records promotional people and was immediately determined to be a "hit." Tom King and the Starfires was rebranded "The Outsiders," and the song, "Time Won't Let Me," began to receive national attention and radio airplay. The song hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 national chart and was awarded a certified gold record. Over the next three years the band charted 3 more top 40 hits, and 4 LPs.
The Outsiders are back, fronted by original member Ricky Biagiola, and joined by his most capable friends and bandmates, Jimmy Aschenbener, Rik Storm and Rob Mitchell.
Allmusic described the act's style: "Part of the secret behind the Outsiders' musical success lay in the group's embellishments [with horns and strings], which slotted in perfectly with their basic three- or four-piece instrumental sound ... however bold and ambitious they got, one never lost the sense of a hard, solid band sound at the core."
The Outsiders promoted their hit single with about a year of nationwide touring, as "Time Won't Let Me" stayed on the national charts for 15 weeks. The band first toured with Paul Revere and the Raiders and then with Chad and Jeremy. The Outsiders were part of a six-week tour of one-night stands headed by Gene Pitney which included seven or eight other acts. After Pitney they toured with the McCoys, ? and the Mysterians, the Shadows of Knight and a group from the west coast called the Seeds.
A cover of the Isley Brothers' "Respectable" from Album No. 2 reached No. 15 in early September 1966. The Outsiders had performed "Respectable" during their earlier years as the Starfires
About CBMA Hall of Fame Member
Clifford Curry
Christmas Ain’t No Time for the Blues was recorded at Hilltop Studio, Nashville, TN and Cathedral Studio Nashville, TN: Engineer Caesar Cirigliano
What Billboard says about Clifford Curry:
"Curry joined and backed Faye Adams on her number one R&B smash "Shake a Hand." "Clifford
Curry is a true soul survivor" "Galbraith hookup with Buzz Cason enabled Curry to cut a song Cason held the rights to, entitled 'She Shot a Whole in My Soul.' " "Cason produced and issued the record on Elf Records, which was distributed by Bell Records. Curry's biggest hit" "Curry's success as an entertainer spread to the Carolina Beaches, where the baritone became a prime showman for their musical events and a solid purveyor of Beach music, which is anything you can shag to and look cool doing it."
What the 18th Annual Blues Festival Announcement says about Clifford Curry:
"One of the Southeast’s storybook singers, Clifford Curry has deep history in R&B, blues, gospel, shag and beach music. Born in Knoxville, TN, he first cut for Savoy Records, while still in high school, with his group The Five Pennies – spectacular recordings prized by collectors to this day. He later waxed for Elf, Excello and other labels, getting airplay on some of Music City’s most powerful radio stations, pushing his music to the Atlantic coast where “beach music” was exploding – he had a whole new audience. In 1967 Clifford had his biggest hit, “She Shot a Hole in My Soul,” a beach music classic still packing dance floors. Now more than ever, this beloved artist is a force to be reckoned with, having won numerous CAMMY Awards (beach music’s “Grammys”) and still on the charts ..."
Number 1’s: She Shot a Hole in My Soul, We’re Gonna Hate Ourselves in the Morning
Member: Beach Music Hall of Fame (CBMA – www.Cammy.org)