BENJAMIN EARL NELSON
BEN E. KING
September 28, 1938, Henderson, NC to April 30, 2015, Hackensack, NJ
Ben E. King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on Sept. 28, 1938, in Henderson, N.C.. His father relocated the family to Spanish Harlem when he was nine years old. He began singing in church choirs and during high school formed a doo-wop group, the Four B’s, that occasionally performed at the Apollo
The impeccable Mr. King is one of the greatest smooth soulful baritone singers in the history of rock and roll and rhythm and blues. He was lead singer of the iconic group the Drifters who’s hits were “There Goes My Baby,” released in 1959, reached No. 2 on the pop charts. It was followed by “Dance With Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “I Count the Tears,” “Lonely Winds” and “Save the Last Dance for Me,” a No. 1 hit. . But in 1960 he took the risk and embarked on a successful solo career. The music released that made a phenomena was Spanish Harlem written by Mr. Leiber with Phil Spector, it reached the Top 10 that year. “Stand by Me,” which King helped to write, reached the Top 10 in 1961 and again in 1986, when it was used in the soundtrack of the Rob Reiner film “STAND BY ME”.
Ben E. King created some of the most memorable recordings in popular music: “There Goes My Baby”, “Dance With Me,” “This Magic Moment”, “Save The Last Dance For Me,” “Spanish Harlem”, “Don’t Play That Song”, “I Who Have Nothing”, and the iconic, US top five with Stand By Me in 1961 international hit . “Stand By Me” has been covered by various artists; in March of 2015, King’s recording was selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
He became a member of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the winner of a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award and The Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Towering Performance Award. Stand By Me, Spanish Harlem and There Goes My Baby were all named on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and were all given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.