Ben E. King

Ben E. King personified R&B elegance through a progression that stretched from the Drifters’ pioneering orchestral productions into a string of his own solo successes. His deeply felt baritone conveyed gospel fervor while the arrangements around it favored fluid phrasing and precise diction, showing early on that the genre could reach mainstream pop listeners with genuine refinement. That sensibility shaped generations of smooth soul performers who came afterward, and his output served as a direct precursor to the Motown aesthetic.

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson, North Carolina, in 1938, he first performed with his church choir before his family relocated to Harlem in 1947. During junior high he joined the street-corner doo-wop ensemble the Four B’s, which earned second place at an Apollo Theater talent competition. While still attending high school he received an invitation to join the Moonglows, yet lacked the maturity and seasoning to accept. He later took a job as a singing waiter in his father’s restaurant, an experience that opened the door to becoming the baritone vocalist for the Five Crowns in 1958. The group shared bills at the Apollo with the Drifters, whose fortunes had declined since the departure of original lead Clyde McPhatter. Manager George Treadwell, frustrated by the current members’ unreliability and meager results, dismissed them all in the summer of 1958 and installed the Five Crowns as the new Drifters under the name he controlled.

The reconstituted lineup spent roughly a year on the road, often facing audiences who resented the wholesale personnel change. In early 1959 the musicians entered the studio with producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller to record their debut sides. Nelson, still using his birth name, co-wrote and sang lead on “There Goes My Baby,” whose lush string arrangement introduced an approach virtually unknown in the field at the time. The track became a major hit and set the template for the polished, uptown soul productions that followed. Over the ensuing two years he fronted additional Drifters classics such as “Dance with Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” and “I Count the Tears.”

In 1960 Nelson requested a raise and a larger portion of royalties from Treadwell. When the request was denied he left the group, adopting the stage name Ben E. King as he launched a solo career. Still signed to Atlantic, he achieved his first individual hit with the stylish, Latin-flavored ballad “Spanish Harlem,” a Jerry Leiber–Phil Spector composition that reached the Top Ten in early 1961. Its follow-up, “Stand by Me,” a heartfelt tribute to loyalty that King co-wrote, became his signature piece and an R&B standard; it topped the R&B chart and climbed to the pop Top Five. He continued placing singles through 1963 with smooth pop-soul efforts including “Amor,” “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied),” and the Italian import “I (Who Have Nothing).” After the British Invasion his pop-chart fortunes dimmed, though he maintained a presence on the R&B lists. The Southern-flavored “What Is Soul?” from 1967 marked one of his final Atco releases; he departed the label in 1969 in hopes of revitalizing his commercial standing.

A 1970 album on Maxwell titled Rough Edges drew little notice, leaving King to sustain himself on the oldies circuit. In 1975 Atlantic president Ahmet Ertegun saw him perform in a Miami lounge and offered a new contract. King staged a surprise comeback with the disco single “Supernatural Thing, Pt. I,” which returned him to the top of the R&B chart in 1975 and also reached the pop Top Five. Although subsequent releases did not match that success, he remained with Atlantic through 1981 and teamed with the Average White Band for the 1977 album Benny & Us. After exiting the label once more, he toured from 1982 onward as part of a version of the Drifters.

The 1986 Rob Reiner film Stand by Me prominently featured his signature song; reissued as a single, it reentered the Top Ten. Capitalizing on the renewed attention, King resumed solo recording and issued albums at regular intervals while appearing on tracks by Heaven 17 and Mark Knopfler. His 1999 release Shades of Blue on Half Note Records ventured into jazz, showcasing him with a big band and guests Milt Jackson and David “Fathead” Newman. In 2006 he delivered the smooth R&B set I’ve Been Around on True Life Records. A 2010 project titled Heart & Soul paired him with a small jazz ensemble for interpretations of vocal standards. He maintained an active touring schedule and special appearances while supporting the Stand by Me Foundation, the charity he established to promote children’s education. Ben E. King passed away on April 30, 2015, following a brief illness.