‘Stand By Me’ Singer Ben E. King Dead At Age 76 [Video]

Several sources are reporting that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Ben E. King has passed away. 

His 1961 hit 'Stand By Me' remains as one of the top rhythm and blues songs from the '60s.

King originally wrote 'Stand By Me' with Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller to be used by his R&B group The Drifters, but they passed on the track. After recording the hit 'Spanish Harlem', during a solo recording session the story King tells says he used some some of the remaining studio time to cut a version of 'Stand By Me' with the studio musicians after playing it for them on the piano.

Stoller recounts writing the song with King:

When I walked in, Jerry and Ben E. were working on the lyrics to a song. They were at an old oak desk we had in the office. Jerry was sitting behind it, and Benny was sitting on the top. They looked up and said they were writing a song. I said, "Let me hear it."... Ben began to sing the song a cappella. I went over to the upright piano and found the chord changes behind the melody he was singing. It was in the key of A. Then I created a bass line. Jerry said, "Man that's it!" We used my bass pattern for a starting point and, later, we used it as the basis for the string arrangement created by Stanley Applebaum.

 

The song was partially based on an old Gospel hymn, 'Lord, Stand By Me'.

The song hit number one on the R&B charts, and number four on Billboard's Hot 100. Severla other artists have recorded versions, most notably John Lennon and Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire.

The song climbed back on the charts in 1986, hitting number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 following its use in the hugely popular movie of the same name, about three boys who go on a hike to see a dead body they heard about it.

Neither King's web site or his Facebook page has mentioned the death, which was confirmed by his manager to BBC News. The cause of death has not been mentioned.

According to Wikipedia, King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 28, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina, and moved to Harlem,New York, at age 9.

He recorded 13 songs with the Drifters between 1958 and 1960, including the Doo-Wop standard "Save The Last Dance For Me", before splitting following a contract dispute. He never would perform with the band again in person, but still provided studio vocals.

His other solo hits included the aforementioned 'Spanish Harlem' and 'Supernatural, Part One'.