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 1986.
He 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 appear on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Additionally, 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.
In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group, The Five Crowns. Later that same 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. He 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 other The Drifters hits.
In 1960 he left the group after failing to gain a salary increase and 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.
The DriftersView profile
Frankie ValliView profile
The Four TopsView profile
Otis ReddingView profile
Etta JamesView profile
The MiraclesView profile
Dionne WarwickView profile