Ben E. King (Henderson,28. rujna1938. –Hackensack,30. travnja2015.) bio jeAmeričkisoulpjevač. Svjetsku slavu stekao je otpjevavši pjesmuStand by Me, koju je skladao. Ta pjesma je čak dva puta bila hit1961. i1987. godine.
Ben E. King je također poznat bio kao glavni solist R&B vokalnog sastavaThe Drifters.
Rođen je u graduHendersonu uSjevernoj Karolini, kaoBenjamin Earl Nelson, s devet godina preselio se unewyorški kvartHarlem.
1958. godine pridružio se tada popularnom vokalnomdoo wop sastavuThe Five Crowns, pri kraju te godine desilo se da jemenadžer vokalnog sastavaThe Drifters otpustio neke članove te ih je zamijenio članovima The Five Crowns.1959. godine, tada još Ben Nelson, napisao je svoj prvi hit koju je i izveo s Driftersima,There Goes My Baby. Pod imenom Ben Nelson otpjevao je kao glavni pjevač Driftersa njihove velike hitove;Save the Last Dance for Me,Dance With Me,This Magic Moment,I Count the Tears iLonely Winds.
1960. godine, King je napustio Drifterse nakon što se nisu uspjeli dogovoriti oko većeg udjela Kinga pri raspodjeli prihoda. Kao solo izvođač promijenio je ime u lakše prepoznatljivo Ben E. King, ostao je vezan uz diskografsku kuću Atlantic Records. Prvi veliki Kingov uspjeh bila je baladaSpanish Harlem iz1961. slijedio je još većiStand by Me. Ovu pjesmu napisao je osobno King uz : Jerry Leibera i Mike Stollera.Stand by Me je proglašena Pjesmom stoljeća od strane Udruženja proizvođača ploča iz Amerike.
Ostale su upamćene i Kingove izvedbe pjesamaDon't Play That Song (ovu pjesmu uspješno je otpjevala iAretha Franklin1970-ih),Amor, Seven Letters, How Can I Forget, On the Horizon, Young Boy Blues, I (Who Have Nothing), First Taste of Love, Here Comes the Night, Ecstasy, That's When It Hurts, Down Home, River of Tears, Do It in the Name of Love i It's All Over.
Kingov hit iz1963. godineI (Who Have Nothing), kasnije su izvodili mogi poznati glazbenici poput;Lennona,Shirley Bassey,Toma Jonesa, Sylvestera Jamesa,U2,Springsteena,Jedi Mind Tricks, do najnovije američke zvijezdeJordin Sparks iz tv showaamerički Idol.
Karijera Ben E. Kinga bila je uspješna do polovice1960-ih, tad su ga iz mode izbacili sastavibritanske invazije. King je nastavio snimati i koncertrirati, iako s manjim odazivom kod publike.1990. godine, King je sBo Diddleyem iDoug Lazyem snimiorap inačicu pjesmeThe Book of Love.
Tijekom svoje pedesetogodišnje karije King je imao 5 hitova #1:There Goes My Baby,Save The Last Dance For Me,Stand By Me,Supernatural Thing, te1986. ponovno izdaniStand By Me.
Poslije je se Ben E. King bavio s dobrotvornim radom u zakladi koju je osobno osnovao Stand By Me Foundation.[1]
- Spanish Harlem (1961, Atco) SAD: #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) SAD: #39
- I Had a Love (1976)
- Rhapsody (1976)
- Let Me Live in Your Life (1978)
- Music Trance (1980)
- Street Tough (1980)
- Save the Last Dance for Me (1987, 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, Rhino) UK: #15
- Eleven Best (2001, Cleopatra)
- Person To Person: Live At The Blue Note (2003, Half Note)
- Soul Masters (2005, Digital Music Group)
- I've Been Around (2006, True Life)
- Love Is Gonna Get You (2007, Synergy)
- "Brace Yourself (1960, Atco)
- "Show Me the Way" (1960, Atco)
- " A Help Each Other (1960, Atlantic) s Lavern Bakerom
- "How Often" (1960, Atlantic) s Lavern Bakerom
- "Spanish Harlem" (1961, Atco) R&B: #15 SAD: #10
- "First Taste of Love" (1961) SAD: #53 UK: #27 (A-strana i b-strana od "Spanish Harlem")
- "Stand by Me" (1961) R&B: #1 SAD: #4 UK: #27
- "Amor" (1961) R&B: #10 SAD: #18 UK: #38
- "Young Boy Blues" (1961) SAD: #66
- "Here Comes the Night" (1961) SAD: #81 (b-strana od "Young Boy Blues")
- "Ecstasy" (1962) SAD: #56
- "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" (1962) R&B: #2 SAD: #11
- "Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear (1962)
- "Too Bad" (1962) SAD: #88
- "I'm Standing By" (1962) SAD:#111
- "Tell Daddy" (1962) SAD:#122 R&B: #29
- "How Can I Forget" (1963) R&B: #23 SAD: #85
- "Amore Quando" (1963)
- "I (Who Have Nothing)" (1963) R&B: #16 SAD: #29
- "I Could Have Danced All Night" (1963) SAD: #72
- "What Now My Love (song)|What Now My Love" SAD:#102(1964)
- "That's When It Hurts" (1964)
- "What Can A Man Do" (1964) SAD:#113
- "It's All Over" (1964) SAD: #72
- "Around The Corner" (1964) SAD:#125
- "Seven Letters" (1965) R&B: #11 SAD: #45
- "The Record (Baby I Love You)" (1965) Pop: #84
- "She's Gone Again" (1965) SAD:#128
- "Cry No More" (1965)
- "Goodnight My Love" (1965) SAD: #91
- "So Much Love" (1966) SAD: #96
- "Get In a Hurry" (1966)
- "I Swear By Stars Above" (1966) R&B: #35 (b-strana of "Get in a Hurry")
- "They Don't Give Medals to Yesterday's Heroes" (1966)
- "What Is Soul?" (1966) R&B: #38 (b-strana od "They Don't Give...")
- "A Man Without a Dream (1967)
- "Tears, Tears, Tears" (1967) R&B: #34 SAD: #93 (b-strana od "A Man Without...")
- "Katherine" (1967)
- "Don't Take Your Sweet Love Away" (1967) R&B: #44
- "We Got a Thing Goin' On" (1968) s Dee Dee Sharp SAD:#127
- "Don't Take Your Love from Me" (1968) SAD:#117
- "Where's the Girl" (1968)
- "It Ain't Fair" (1968)
- "Til' I Can't Take It Anymore" SAD:#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, Part 1" (1975, Atlantic) R&B: #1 SAD: #5
- "Do It in the Name od Love" (1975) R&B: #4 SAD: #60
- "We Got Love" (1975)
- "I Had a Love" (1975) R&B: #23 (b-strana od "We Got Love")
- "I Betcha you Didn't Know" (1976)
- "Get It Up" (1977) s Average White Band
- "A Star in the Ghetto" (1977) R&B: #25 s Average White Band
- "Fool for You Anyway" (1977) s 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) SAD: #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 od Me" (1992)
- "You Still Move Me" (1992)
- "4th of July" (1997, Right Stuff)
