Singer/songwriter
Ben E. King is one of the best performers of the smooth soul singer set. King,
who was born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson ,
North Carolina , in 1938, got his
start in music with a revamped version of the Drifters, in 1958.
As the
lead singer of this new incarnation of the Drifters, King lent his velvet pipes
to the hits, “There Goes My Baby,” (which he co-wrote) “Save the Last Dance for
Me,” and “This Magic Moment.”
Due to a
contract dispute with Drifters manager George Treadwell, King left the group
and embarked on a solo career in 1960. King would soon find solo success with a
number of classic hits including the Phil Spector-produced “Spanish Harlem” and
“Stand by Me.” Both of these songs are among the finest pop records made in the
decade. King would score a number of lesser hits in the early Sixties with the
songs, “Young Boy Blues,” I (Who Have Nothing),” and “Hear Comes the Night.”
King’s
classic hits can be found on the compilations, “Stand By Me-The Best of Ben E.
King and Ben E, King and the Drifters” (1986), “Stand By Me (The Ultimate
Collection” (1987), and “Anthology” (1993).
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