. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – Interview with Ben E. King – 1986 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
. . .or click on the link here for Audio Player – The Drifters featuring Ben E. King – 1980s reunion – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
More sad news this week. The passing of Soul legend and singer of one of the greatest love songs of the 60s, Ben E- King passed away earlier today at 76, leaving a legacy and making an indelible impression on Pop Music for generations to come.
Co-writing the classic ballad Stand By Me; a song which made the charts 9 times and has been the fourth most played track of the 20th Century on radio and TV, King had a string of hits, which in turn became hits for others. But it was his original version of those hits which made Ben E. King a household word from the early 60s all the way to his passing earlier today.
A member of the Drifters in the 1950s, King left in 1960 to pursue a solo career. He hit one out of the park with his first solo record Spanish Harlem, in 1961 – following it with Stand By Me. The rest is history.
Universally loved both as a musician and person, Ben E. King established the Stand By Me Foundation,a charity that helps deserving youth working to further their education and to assist groups in their efforts to improve their quality of life of their constituents.
As a reminder of the gifted talent we lost today, here is an interview with Ben E. King, recorded in 1986. Also, as a bonus is an appearance on an early 1980s French TV show, reunited with The Drifters, ending with the ever-popular Stand By Me.
The Music world lost a great one today.
Related articles
