Benny e king biography
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He continues to record new music and perform live at top venues around the world.
All bios appear as they were submitted in the year of induction or award presentation.
Ben E. King
| One of the classics of soul music Date of Birth: 28.09.1938 Country: USA |
Content:
- Ben E.
King: The Soulful Crooner
- The Drifters Years (1958-1960)
- Solo Success and "Stand By Me" (1961-1980s)
- Legacy and Impact
Ben E. King: The Soulful Crooner
Ben E. King emerged as one of the defining voices of soul music in the late 1950s and early 1960s, crafting a sound that captivated audiences and transcended racial boundaries.
The Drifters Years (1958-1960)
Born in Harlem, King initially sang with the semi-professional group The Five Crowns.
His first single, "Spanish Harlem" (featuring Phil Spector's lush orchestration), became a hit in 1961. Ben E. King’s career was poetically summed up this way: “As the auburn moon glows and the grand sun keeps shining, Ben E. King’s contribution to the world of music is one that will not only stand the test of time but one that will flourish incessantly.”
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Ben E. King: Shades of Blue
by Dave Nathan
Ben E. King cut his teeth on music singing in gospel groups as a youngster before becoming a member of the consummate R & B, soul packed group, the Drifters. As a lead singer of The Drifters and as a famed solo artist, King has achieved five #1 hits with “Stand By Me,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Save The Last Dance For Me” and “Supernatural Thing.” He has earned 12 Top 10 hits and 25 Top 40 hits, from 1959 to 1986 with three songs appearing on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll and four receiving a GRAMMY Hall of Fame Award.
His 1999 album Shades of Blue is another example of the blurry lines between these ...
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"Stand By Me," Written By Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Ben E. King, To Receive Towering Song Award at the 2012 Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala Event
Source: Chris M.
Slawecki
“Stand By Me,” the song written by Leiber & Stoller and Ben E. King will receive the Towering Song Award at the 2012 Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) Gala Event to be held at the Marriott Marquee Hotel in New York City on Thursday, June 14, 2012, Songwriters Hall of Fame Chairman Jimmy Webb announced today. A generation that had never heard of Ben E.
King found themselves tapping their toes and humming the distinctive melody of the song some 16 years after it enjoyed its first success.
Born Benjamin Earl Soloman in Henderson, North Carolina, on September 28, 1938, King moved with his family at age 11 to New York City, where his father opened a luncheonette in Harlem.
That same year, he released his signature anthem, "Stand By Me." This timeless ballad of friendship surged into the US top 10 twice and ascended to the top of the UK Singles Chart after the release of the eponymous 1987 film.
King continued to record prolifically throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including the disco-era hit "Supernatural Thing, Part I."
Legacy and Impact
Ben E.
King's iconic hits, particularly "There Goes My Baby," "Spanish Harlem," and "Stand By Me," have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and listed among Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." His contributions to pop music have left an indelible mark, with artists from John Lennon to Sean Kingston covering his songs.
Ben E.
King's soulful voice and timeless melodies have cemented his status as one of the most beloved and influential figures in American music history.
Ben E. King
Home » Jazz Musicians » Ben E. King
Possessing one of the most elegant baritone voices ever, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alumnus Ben E.
King’s imprint on the musical landscape is so indelible that an optimum barometer has been set for countless aspiring performers. In 1958, he was recruited by producer George Treadwell to join the renowned vocal ensemble The Drifters. The Stand By Me Foundation sponsors a yearly celebrity- golf tournament and other fund-raising endeavors.
However, the English, who had been studying and rehearsing R&B and early rock sounds of America for nearly a decade, were finally ready to export the very music that inspired them back to its creators. He was so impressed that he encouraged King to re-sign with Atlantic Records. King's later solo LPs, 1978's Let Me Live in Your Life and 1981's Street Tough, saw him regain a measure of prominence on the R & B charts, but he would never again see the tremendous crossover popularity he had enjoyed in his heyday--except, of course, when the impassioned and soulful simplicity of "Stand by Me" captivated late 1980s listeners with its infectious echoes of a simpler time.
by David Collins
Ben E.
King's Career
Formed first singing group, the Four B's, while in junior high school; began singing professionally with quintet the Crowns, 1956-59; member of the Drifters, 1959-61; solo performer, 1961--; produced several Top Ten singles, 1960s; collaborated with the Average White Band on Benny and Us, 1977; 1961 hit single "Stand by Me" featured on soundtrack of film Stand by Me, Columbia, 1986.
Famous Works
- Selective Works
- Spanish Harlem Atlantic, 1961.
- Ben E.
King Sings for Soulful Lovers Atlantic, 1962.
- Don't Play That Song Atlantic, 1962.
- Greatest Hits Atlantic, 1964.
- Seven Letters Atlantic, 1965.
- Beginning of It All Mandala, 1971.
- Supernatural Thing Atlantic, 1975.
- Ben E. King Story Atlantic, 1975.
- I Had a Love Atlantic, 1976.
- (With the Average White Band) Benny and Us Atlantic, 1977.
- Let Me Live in Your Life Atlantic, 1978.
- Music Trance Atlantic, 1980.
- Street Tough Atlantic, 1980.
- Rough Edges Maxwell.
Recent Updates
November 4, 2003: King's album, Person to Person, was released.
His style and the tempo of his voice have a magic all their own. In 2000, King released Person To Person, a tribute album to his love of jazz and blues standards. As King once remarked, “The British launched the greatest entertainment promotional campaign ever. Their first recording in 1959 was Atlantic Records’ trend-setting smash-hit titled “There Goes My Baby”; that ballad (which Ben co-wrote with Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller) distinguished The Drifters as the first popular group to feature strings (violins) on major musical recordings.
As a member of The Drifters, Ben sang lead on such chart-stoppers as “Dance With Me,” This Magic Moment,” “Save The Last Dance,” and “I Count The Tears.” In 1960, and in the midst of unimaginable success as a Drifter, Ben made the decision to aim even higher by pursuing a lifelong dream ¯ to choose and perform many of his own tunes as a solo artist.
Interested? And one has to leave. One evening, while competing against other aspiring acts at the world-renowned Apollo Theater, their sacrifice and success was handsomely rewarded as they walked away with a prized second place finish!
In 1958 Ben reached the big-time as a member of the Five Crowns, a local group that opened shows for well- known groups.
King had sung in church choirs throughout his childhood; at Harlem's James Fenimore Cooper Junior High he eagerly set out to start his own singing group, which was dubbed the Four B's, as all of its members' names started with the letter B. Accounts vary as to how King's professional career got started, but most agree that it began in his father's restaurant, where King often sang as he worked.