Ben E. King was one of those R&B and soul singers who inspired many other artists of our generation. He is best known for classics like “Stand by Me,” King died at age 76 of natural causes.
Born Benjamin Earl Nelson, he initially joined a doo-wop group called The Five Crowns, which became The Drifters after that group's manager fired the band's previous members. He co-wrote and sang on the band's single There Goes My Baby, which reached number two in the US in 1959.
His career started in the late 1950s with The Drifters, singing hits including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me. After going solo, he hit the US top five with Stand By Me in 1961.
King recorded this one in 1961 https://youtu.be/hwZNL7QVJjE?list=RDhwZNL7QVJjE and one of my favorites: