Ben E. King

Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group the Drifters, singing the lead vocals on three of their biggest hit singles: "There Goes My Baby", "This Magic Moment", and "Save the Last Dance for Me" (their only US number one hit).

As a soloist, King is best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", which became a US top-10 hit, both in 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name), and a number-one hit in the United Kingdom the following year. The single was also placed on the RIAA's list of Songs of the Century. His 1975 single "Supernatural Thing" became a top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100. King was also the original recording artist of songs such as "Spanish Harlem", "I (Who Have Nothing)", "So Much Love", "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", "We're Gonna Groove", and "Till I Can't Take It Anymore", all of which have been covered by multiple artists to varying degrees of success.

King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, as a member of the Drifters, and has been nominated as a solo artist. Along with the Drifters' "There Goes My Baby", King's songs "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" also appeared on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. He was inducted alongside the Drifters into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012 with the Towering song award.

Early life

Benjamin Earl Nelson was born on September 28, 1938, in Henderson, North Carolina, He began singing in church choirs, and in high school formed the Four B's, a doo-wop group that occasionally performed at the Apollo Theater.

Career

The Drifters

In 1958, King (still using his birth name) joined a doo-wop group called the Five Crowns.

King had a string of R&B hits with the group on Atlantic Records. He co-wrote and sang lead on the first Atlantic hit by the new version of the Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). King sang lead on a succession of hits by the team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, including "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment", and "I Count the Tears".

After a year of touring with the Drifters, contract disputes arose with Treadwell, in which King and his manager Lover Patterson demanded greater compensation. Treadwell refused, and King was only hired for studio recordings. On television, fellow Drifters member Charlie Thomas usually lip-synched the songs that King had recorded with the Drifters.

Legacy

King has been covered by acts from several genres, reflecting the wide reach of both his solo work and his earlier recordings with the Drifters. His Drifters‑era hits — including “There Goes My Baby,” “Dance with Me,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “I Count the Tears,” and “This Magic Moment” — became foundational R&B standards and have been interpreted by artists across multiple generations, underscoring the lasting impact of his early vocal work. His solo catalog has been equally influential: “So Much Love” was recorded by Dusty Springfield and many others, while “I (Who Have Nothing)” was performed by Shirley Bassey in 1963, Tom Jones in 1970, and later by Sylvester in 1979. “Till I Can't Take It Anymore” was revisited by Ray Charles in 1970, and “Spanish Harlem” was memorably interpreted by Aretha Franklin in 1971. Franklin also delivered one of the most celebrated versions of King’s “Don't Play That Song (You Lied),” a tune later revisited by artists such as Adriano Celentano, Mariah Carey, and Bruce Springsteen, further underscoring its enduring appeal. King’s signature solo hit “Stand by Me” has inspired an especially wide range of covers, recorded by the Righteous Brothers, Otis Redding, John Lennon, Mickey Gilley, Seal, Florence and the Machine, and Tracy Chapman, and it forms the basis of the Indian hit “Dildaara” by Vishal–Shekhar. His influence also extended into rock: Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded “Supernatural Thing” in 1981, and Led Zeppelin covered “Groovin’” (better known as “We're Gonna Groove”). Together, these reinterpretations — spanning soul, pop, rock, reggae, and beyond — highlight the remarkable breadth of King’s artistic legacy and the enduring appeal of the songs he helped define.

Solo career

In May 1960, King left the Drifters, "Stand by Me", "There Goes My Baby", "Spanish Harlem", and "Save the Last Dance for Me" were all named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll; and each of those records has earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. King's other well-known songs include "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", "Amor", "Seven Letters", "How Can I Forget", "I Swear by Stars Above" , "It Ain’t Fair", "Young Boy Blues", "Its All Over", "River of Tears", "Ecstasy", "She’s gone Again", "That's When It Hurts", and "On the Horizon". In the summer of 1963, King had a Top 30 hit with "I (Who Have Nothing)", which reached the Top 10 on New York's radio station, WMCA.

King's records continued to place well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart until the mid-1960s. British pop bands began to dominate the pop music scene, but King still continued to make R&B hits. Some of these hits include "What is Soul?", "Tears, Tears, Tears", and "Till I Can't Take It Anymore". In 1975, King made a comeback on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the disco hit "Supernatural Thing": number 5 on Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards in 1975 for "best R&B vocal performance, male". In 1977, King collaborated with Average White Band in releasing the album Benny & Us. The album spawned two top 40 R&B hits, "A Star in the Ghetto" and "Get It Up".

King returned to the Drifters in late 1982 in the United Kingdom and sang with them until the group's break-up and reorganization in 1986. From 1983 until the band's break-up, the other members of this incarnation of the Drifters were Johnny Moore, Joe Blunt, and Clyde Brown.

A 1986 re-issue of "Stand by Me" followed the song's use as the theme song to the movie Stand By Me and re-entered the Billboard top ten after a 25-year absence. This reissue also topped the charts in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland for three weeks in February 1987.

In 1990, King and Bo Diddley, along with Doug Lazy, recorded a revamped hip hop version of the Monotones' 1958 hit song "Book of Love" for the soundtrack of the movie Book of Love. He also recorded a children's album, I Have Songs In My Pocket, written and produced by children's music artist Bobby Susser in 1998, which won the Early Childhood News Directors' Choice Award and Dr. Toy's/the Institute for Childhood Resources Award. King performed "Stand by Me" on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2007. Ahmet Ertegun said, "King is one of the greatest singers in the history of rock and roll and rhythm and blues."

As both a member of the Drifters and a solo artist, King earned several number‑one hits, including "There Goes My Baby", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Stand By Me", "Supernatural Thing", and the 1986 reissue of "Stand By Me". Across the combined U.S. pop and R&B charts, he amassed 12 Top 10 singles and 28 Top 40 entries. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Drifters and later received a nomination for his solo work as well.

thumb|225px|King performing at Scullers Jazz Club in [[Boston, Massachusetts, on March 31, 2012]]

A re-recording of King's "I (Who Have Nothing)" was selected for the Sopranos Peppers and Eggs Soundtrack CD (2001).

King was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. On March 27, 2012, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that "Stand By Me" would receive its 2012 Towering Song Award and that King would be honored with the 2012 Towering Performance Award for his recording of the song.

Later life

King was active in his charitable foundation, the Stand By Me Foundation, which helps to provide education to deserving youths. King was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, from the late 1960s onwards.

King performed "Stand by Me" during a televised tribute to late comedian George Carlin, as he was one of Carlin's favorite artists. On November 11, 2010, King performed "Stand by Me" at the Latin Grammys with Prince Royce.

King toured the United Kingdom in 2013 and played concerts in the United States as late as 2014, despite reported health problems.

Following a brief illness, King died at Hackensack University Medical Center on April 30, 2015; he was 76 years old. King was married to his wife Betty, for 50 years, and had three children: Terris Cannon, Benjamin King Jr., and Angela Matos, in addition to six grandchildren.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Title

! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Year

! colspan="4" |Peak chart positions

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |US

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |US R&B

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |UK

! scope="row" |Spanish Harlem

| 1961

| —

| 30

! scope="row" |Ben E. King Sings for Soulful Lovers

| rowspan="2" | 1962

| —

! scope="row" |Don't Play That Song!

| —

! scope="row" |Young Boy Blues

| 1964

| —

! scope="row" |Seven Letters

| 1965

| —

! scope="row" |What Is Soul

| 1967

| —

! scope="row" |Rough Edges

| 1970

| —

! scope="row" |The Beginning of It All

| 1972

| —

! scope="row" |Supernatural

| 1975

| 39

| 13

| —

! scope="row" |I Had a Love

| rowspan="1" | 1976

| —

! scope="row" |Benny And Us

| 1977

| 33

| 14

| —

! scope="row" |Let Me Live in Your Life

| 1978

| —

! scope="row" |Music Trance

| 1980

| —

| 73

| —

! scope="row" |Street Tough

| rowspan="1" | 1981

| —

! scope="row" |Save the Last Dance for Me

| 1987

| —

! scope="row" |What's Important to Me

| 1991

| —

| 82

| —

! scope="row" |Shades of Blue

| 1993

| —

! scope="row" |I Have Songs In My Pocket

| 1998

| —

! scope="row" |I've Been Around

| 2006

| —

! scope="row" |White Christmas

| 2008

| —

! scope="row" |Heart & Soul

| 2010

| —

| colspan="6" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Live album

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Title

! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Year

! colspan="2" |Peak chart positions

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |US

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |SWI

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |UK

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |US R&B

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |BEL (FL)

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |NOR

! scope="row" |"There Goes My Baby"

| rowspan="2" | 1959

| 2

| 1

|—

! scope="row" |"Dance with Me"

|15

|—

|17

! scope="row" |"This Magic Moment"

| rowspan="4" | 1960

|16

|—

! scope="row" |"Lonely Winds"

|54

|—

! scope="row" |"Save the Last Dance for Me"

! scope="row" |"I Count the Tears"

|17

|—

|28

! scope="row" |"Sometimes I Wonder"

| 1962

|—

| colspan="12" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

As a solo artist

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Title

! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Year

! colspan="10" scope="col" |Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" scope="col" |Certifications

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |US

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |US R&B

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |BEL (WA)

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |GER

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |NOR

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |NZ

! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:85%" |SWI

RMNZ: 4× Platinum

! scope="row" |"Amor"

|18

|10

|—

|17

|—

|38

! scope="row" |"Here Comes the Night"

|81

|—

! scope="row" |"Young Boy Blues"

|66

|—

! scope="row" |"Ecstasy"

| rowspan="5" |1962

|56

|—

! scope="row" |"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)"

|11

|—

|11

|—

! scope="row" |"Too Bad"

|88

|—

! scope="row" |"I'm Standing By"

|111

|—

! scope="row" |"Tell Daddy"

|122

|29

|—

! scope="row" |"How Can I Forget"

| rowspan="3" |1963

|85

|23

|—

! scope="row" |"I (Who Have Nothing)"

|29

|16

|—

! scope="row" |"I Could Have Danced All Night"

|72

|—

! scope="row" |"What Now My Love"

| rowspan="6" |1964

|102

|—

! scope="row" |"That's When It Hurts"

|63

|17

|—

! scope="row" |"Amore Quando"

|—

! scope="row" |"What Can a Man Do"

|113

|39

|—

! scope="row" |"It's All Over"

|72

|40

|—

! scope="row" |"Seven Letters"

|45

|11

|—

! scope="row" |"The Record (Baby I Love You)"

| rowspan="4" |1965

|84

|24

|—

! scope="row" |"She's Gone Again"

|128

|—

! scope="row" |"Cry No More"

|—

! scope="row" |"Goodnight My Love"

|91

|—

! scope="row" |"So Much Love"

| rowspan="3" |1966

|96

|—

! scope="row" |"I Swear by Stars Above"

|—

|35

|—

! scope="row" |"What Is Soul?"

|—

|38

|—

! scope="row" |"Tears, Tears, Tears"

| rowspan="3" |1967

|93

|34

|—

! scope="row" |"Katherine"

|—

! scope="row" |"Don't Take Your Sweet Love Away"

|—

! scope="row" |"We Got a Thing Goin' On"

| rowspan="5" |1968

|127

|—

! scope="row" |"Don't Take Your Love from Me"

|117

|44

|—

! scope="row" |"Soul Meeting"

|91

|37

|—

! scope="row" |"It's Amazing"

|—

! scope="row" |Till I Can't Take It Anymore

|134

|37

|—

! scope="row" |"Hey Little One"

| rowspan="2" |1969

|—

! scope="row" |"I Can't Take It Like a Man"

|—

|45

|—

! scope="row" |"In the Midnight Hour/Lay Lady Lay"

|1970

|—

! scope="row" |"Take Me to the Pilot"

| rowspan="2" |1972

|—

! scope="row" |"Into the Mystic"

|—

! scope="row" |"Spread Myself Around"

|1973

|—

! scope="row" |"Supernatural Thing"

| rowspan="3" |1975

|—

|49

|—

! scope="row" |"Do It in the Name of Love"

|60

|—

! scope="row" |"I Had a Love"

|—

|23

|—

! scope="row" |"I Betcha Didn't Know That"

| rowspan="2" |1976

|—

! scope="row" |"Somebody's Knocking"

|—

! scope="row" |"Get It Up"

| rowspan="2" |1977

|—

|21

|—

|39

|—

! scope="row" |"A Star in the Ghetto"

|—

|25

|—

! scope="row" |"Tippin"

| rowspan="2" |1978

|—

! scope="row" |"Spoiled"

|—

! scope="row" |"Music Trance"

|1980

|—

|29

|—

! scope="row" |"Street Tough"

| rowspan="2" |1981

|—

! scope="row" |"Souvenirs of Love"

|—

! scope="row" |"Save the Last Dance for Me" (re-recording)

|1987

|—

|60

|—

|69

! scope="row" |"What's Important to Me"

|1991

|—

! scope="row" |"You've Got All of Me"

| rowspan="2" |1992

|—

! scope="row" |"You Still Move Me"

|—

|Popular 1962 [Stand By Me] -2026

| colspan="13" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Early life

Career

The Drifters

Legacy

Solo career

Later life

Discography

Studio albums

Live album

As a solo artist

References

External links