Ben E. King (born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 28, 1938, in Henderson, North Carolina) moved to Harlem, NY at the age of nine. He became a famous soul singer of the early 60's.

He is probably best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me," a U.S. top 10 hit in both 1961 and 1986 and a #1 hit in the UK in 1987. (Also peaked at #8 in the United World Chart)

Career

In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group called The Five Crowns. Later that year, The Drifters' manager fired the members of the group and replaced them with The Five Crowns, who had performed several engagements with the Drifters. Nelson co-wrote the first hit by the new version of the Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead, using his birth name, on "Save the Last Dance for Me", a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, "Dance With Me," "This Magic Moment," "I Count the Tears," and "Lonely Winds." Ben E. King only recorded ten songs with the The Drifters, including a non-single called Temptation.

In 1960, he left the Drifters after failing to gain a salary increase and what he felt to be a fairer share of the group's royalties. At this point he assumed the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on Atlantic Records, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961). "Stand by Me" was his next recording. Written by King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, "Stand by Me" was voted one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" were named as two of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were both also given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. His other classics are Don't Play That Song (You Lied) (which was covered by Aretha Franklin in the 1970's), Amor, Seven Letters, How Can I Forget, On the Horizon, Young Boy Blues, and many more.

King's records continued to place well on the pop charts until 1964. British pop bands began to dominate the popular music scene, but King still continued to make R&B hits. In the summer of 1963, Ben E. King had a top 30 national hit with the powerful "I (Who Have Nothing)," a song that reached the top 10 on New York's #1 station, WMCA. The song has been covered many times, notably by John Lennon, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Sylvester James, U2, Bruce Springsteen, and most recently by American Idol contestant Jordin Sparks, during the March 20, 2007 and May 15, 2007 telecasts. His other hits were "What is Soul?" (1967), "Supernatural Thing, part 1" (1975), and the re-issue in 1986 of "Stand by Me," following the song's use as the theme music to the movie of the same name. He also recorded a young children's album titled, "I Have Songs In My Pocket," written and produced by Bobby Susser in 1998, which won a "Best Vacation Products Award For Children." King performed his signature song, "Stand By Me" on Late Show with David Letterman in 2007. Ahmet Ertegun once said King had one of the greatest voices in soul history.

Currently, King is active in his charitable foundation, the Stand By Me Foundation.

Discography

Albums

• Spanish Harlem (1961, Atco) US: #57 UK: #30
• Ben E. King Sings for Soulful Lovers (1962)
• Don't Play That Song (1962)
• Young Boy Blues (1964)
• Ben E. King's Greatest Hits (1964)
• Seven Letters (1965)
• What Is Soul (1967)
• Rough Edges (1970, Maxwell)
• The Beginning of It All (1972, Mandala)
• Supernatural (1975, Atlantic) US: #39
• I Had a Love (1976)
• Rhapsody (1976)
• Benny and Us (1977) US: #33 with Average White Band
• The Atlantic Family Live in Montreaux (1977)
• Let Me Live in Thy Life (1978)
• His Love for Her (1980) US: #73
• Street Tough (1981)
• Save the Last Dance for Me (1986, EMI-Manhattan)
• Stand By Me: The Ultimate Collection (1987, Atlantic) UK: #14
• What's Important to Me (1991, Ichiban)
• Shades of Blue (1993, Half Note)
• I Have Songs In My Pocket (1998, Bobby Susser)
• The Very Best of Ben E. King (1998, Atlantic) UK: #15
• Person to Person: Live at the Blue Note (2003, Half Note)
• I've Been Around (2006, True Life)

Singles

• "There Goes My Baby" (1959) R&B: #1 US: #2 with The Drifters
• "Oh my Love (1959) with The Drifters
• "Dance With Me" (1959) R&B: #2 US: #15 UK: #17 with The Drifters
• "This Magic Moment" (1960) R&B: #4 US: #16 with The Drifters
• "Lonely Winds" (1960) R&B: #9 US: #54 with The Drifters
• "Save The Last Dance For Me" (1960) R&B: #1 US: #1 UK: #2 with The Drifters
• "Nobody but me (1960) with The Drifters
• "I Count the Tears" (1960) US: #17 UK: #28 with The Drifters
• "Brace Yourself (1960, Atco)
• "Show Me the Way" (1960, Atco)
• " A Help each other (1960, Atlantic) with Lavern Baker
• "How Often" (1960, Atlantic) with Lavern Baker
• "Spanish Harlem" (1961, Atco) R&B: #15 US: #10
• "First Taste of Love" (1961) US: #53 UK: #27 b-side of Spanish Harlem
• "Stand By Me" (1961) R&B: #1 US: #4 UK: #27
• "Amor" (1961) R&B: #10 US: #18 UK: #38
• "Young Boy Blues" (1961) US: #66
• "Here Comes the Night" (1961) US: #81 b-side of Young Boy Blues
• "Ecstasy" (1962) US: #56
• "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" (1962) R&B: #2 US: #11
• "Too Bad" (1962) US: #88
• "I'm Standing By" (1962) US:#111
• "Tell Daddy" (1962) US:#122 R&B: #29
• "Sometimes I Wonder" (1962) with The Drifters
• "How Can I Forget" (1963) R&B: #23 US: #85
• "I (Who Have Nothing)" (1963) R&B: #16 US: #29
• "I Could Have Danced All Night" (1963) US: #72
• "What Now My Love" US:#102(1964)
• "That's When It Hurts" (1964)
• "What Can A Man Do" (1964) US:#113
• "It's All Over" (1964) US: #72
• "Around The Corner" (1964) US:#125
• "Seven Letters" (1965) R&B: #11 US: #45
• "The Record (Baby I Love You)" (1965) Pop: #84
• "She's Gone Again" (1965) US:#128
• "Cry No More" (1965)
• "Goodnight My Love" (1965) US: #91
• "So Much Love" (1966) US: #96
• "Get In a Hurry" (1966)
• "I Swear By Stars Above" (1966) R&B: #35 b-side of Get in a Hurry
• "They Don't Give Medals to Yesterday's Heroes" (1966)
• "What Is Soul?" (1966) R&B: #38 b-side of They Don't Give...
• "A Man Without a Dream (1967)
• "Tears, Tears, Tears" (1967) R&B: #34 US: #93 b-side of A Man Without...
• "Katherine" (1967)
• "Don't Take Your Sweet Love Away" (1967) R&B: #44
• "We Got a Thing Goin' On" (1968) with Dee Dee Sharp US:#127
• "Don't Take Your Love from Me" (1968) US:#117
• "Where's the Girl" (1968)
• "It Ain't Fair" (1968)
• "Til' I Can't Take It Anymore" US:#134
• "Hey Little One" (1969)
• "I Can't Take It Like a Man" (1970, Maxwell)
• "Take Me to the Pilot" (1972, Mandala)
• "Into the Mystic" (1972)
• "Spread Myself Around" (1973)
• "Supernatural Thing Pt. 1" (1975, Atlantic) R&B: #1 US: #5
• "Do It in the Name of Love" (1975) R&B: #4 US: #60
• "We Got Love" (1975)
• "I Had a Love" (1975) R&B: #23 b-side of We Got Love
• "I Betcha you Didn't Know" (1976)
• "Get It Up" (1977) with Average White Band
• "A Star in the Ghetto" (1977) R&B: #25 with Average White Band
• "Fool for You Anyway" (1977) with Average White Band
• "I See the Light" (1978)
• "Fly Away to My Wonderland" (1978)
• "Music Trance" (1979) R&B: #29
• "Street Tough" (1981)
• "You Made the Difference in My Life" (1981)
• "Stand By Me [re-issue]" (1986) US: #9 UK: #1
• "Spanish Harlem [re-issue]" (1987)
• "Save the Last Dance for Me [re-recorded]" (1987, EMI-Manhattan)
• "What's Important to Me" (1991, Ichiban)
• "You've Got All of Me" (1992)
• "You Still Move Me" (1992)
• "4th of July" (1997, Right Stuff)