Remembering Legendary R&B Singer, Ben E. King

Legendary singer, Ben E. King, known worldwide for his classic hits, passed away at the age of 76 on April 30, 2015 in Hackensack, NJ. The cause of death was not released.

Ben E. King was born in Henderson, North Carolina on September 28, 1928. His first formal singing experiences were in hometown church choirs. After his family moved to New York City’s Harlem, Ben E. founded his first group while in high school. It was called The Four B’s (for Ben, Billy, Billy & Bobby). “The best that I could get out of that group, though,” Ben E. once recalled, “was marrying Betty.” His wife was the sister of brothers Billy and Bobby.

In 1959, Ben was chosen to join a group known as The Five Crowns. The group was pegged to take over for the Drifters, after Clyde McPhatter was drafted into the Army and the original Drifters fell apart. Ben sang lead on the first record cut by the “new” Drifters — “There Goes My Baby.” It was the first Drifters tune to reach the Top 5 on both the R&B and Pop charts. The Drifters continued with a slew of hits including, “Dance With Me”, “This Magic Moment” and “Save The Last Dance For Me.” Here is one of our favorites from the Drifters years:

In 1961, Ben E. King recorded two songs that would mark the beginning of his solo career: “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand By Me,” classics to this day. In 1986, “Stand by Me” enjoyed a second Top 10 run when the coming-of-age movie of the same name was in theaters.

He is survived by his wife, Betty, and their 3 children, Terris, Angela and Benjamin, Jr., and six grandchildren.