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About Ben E. King
American soul and R&B singer and record producer Benjamin Earl King (born Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was born in the United States.
He gained notoriety as one of the main lead singers for the R&B vocal group The Drifters, most known for singing the lead vocals on “Save the Last Dance for Me,” which went on to become one of their biggest international hits and only U.S. No. 1 songs. King is best known as a solo performer as the vocalist and co-composer of the song “Stand by Me,” which reached the US Top 10 in 1961 and 1986 (when it served as the title to the movie of the same name) and peaked at number one in the UK in 1987. It was also included in the RIAA’s list of the 100 Greatest Songs.
King’s songs “There Goes My Baby” and “Spanish Harlem” were also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, in addition to “Stand By Me.” On the Billboard Hot 100, his single “Supernatural Thing” also made it to the top ten. King was a part of the Drifters when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and he has also been nominated as a solo artist. In addition, he was included in the Drifters’ induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, as well as his own induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.
