Ben E. King
Sign in to saveAmerican singer (1938–2015)
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Ben E. King (born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson, North Carolina), on 28 September 1938; died of natural causes on April 30 2015) was an American soul and pop singer and composer remembered 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 No. 1 hit) and for co-writing "Stand by Me", a US top ten hit in both 1961 and
Key facts
- Born
- Benjamin Earl Nelson , ( 1938-09-28 ) September 28, 1938, Henderson, North Carolina , US
- Origin
- Harlem , New York, US
- Died
- April 30, 2015 (2015-04-30) (aged 76), Hackensack, New Jersey , US
- Genres
- Soul R&B doo-wop
- Occupations
- Singer songwriter record producer
- Instruments
- Vocals piano
- Years active
- 1958–2015
- Labels
- Atco Atlantic Ichiban
- Formerly of
- The Drifters
- Website
- beneking .info '
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
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.
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Categories
1938 births2015 deaths20th-century African-American male singers20th-century American male singers20th-century American singers21st-century African-American male singers21st-century American male singersAfrican-American male singer-songwritersAfrican-American record producersAmerican baritonesAmerican male pop singersAmerican male singer-songwriters