Ben E. King

Ben E. King (Sept. 28, 1938 — April 30, 2015) was an American soul singer who rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of doo-wopsters The Drifters, singing on their 1959/60 hits “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “There Goes My Baby,” and “This Magic Moment.” After going solo, he scored hits in 1961 with the vibe-laden “Spanish Harlem” and the evergreen ballad “Stand By Me.”

In the mid-1970s, he returned with a string of soul-funk albums on Atlantic, scoring hits with “Supernatural Thing” and “Do It In the Name of Love.” In 1977, he sang the jubilant “Love Station” in the role of DJ Romeo Jones as part of the all-star Intergalactic Touring Band, assembled by Passport Records for a sci-fi concept album. That same year, he collaborated with Scottish funksters the Average White Band on the album Benny and Us.

He was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 28, 1938, in Henderson, NC.

Discography:

• Spanish Harlem (1961)
  
• Sings for Soulful Lovers (1962)
  
• Don’t Play That Song! (1962)
  
• Young Boy Blues (1964)
  
• Seven Letters (1965)
  
• What Is Soul? (1967)
  
• Rough Edges (1970)
  
• The Beginning of it All (1972)
  
• Supernatural (1975)
  
• I Had a Love (1976)
  
• Rhapsody (1976)
  
• Benny and Us (1977 • Average White Band & Ben E. King)
  
• Let Me Live in Your Life (1978)
  
• Music Trance (1980)
  
• Street Tough (1981)
  
• Save the Last Dance for Me (1987)

Sources:

• Discogs: Ben E. King