Tears Tears Tears
What Is Soul
Stand By Me
A Rose In Spanish Harlem
Cry No More
Ben E King was as popular on the live UK soul venue scene as Edwin Starr. He was never disappointing, a master soul purveyor. He had a distinguished singing career, starting in the 1950's as the lead vocalist with the Drifters. He then set out on a solo career, starting with A ROSE IN SPANISH HARLEM, STAND BY ME and followed by a string of soul ballads in the early 1960s, often copied by others with greater commercial success - e.g. I who Have Nothing (covered by Shirley Bassey, it became her signature tune).
By the mid 1960s Ben was achieving the height of his soul rendering with numbers such as TEARS TEARS TEARS, and WHAT IS SOUL, and the fantastic Cry No More (written by Burt Burns) which rapidly became yet more soul anthem's for the Manchester Soul Scene.
The Glaswegian group the Senate backed Ben E King. Ben wrote and produced a single for them - Can't Stop.
Stand By Me once again became a major hit in the early 1990's after the release of the film of the same name with Ben E King's song as the title theme.
In 2000 a long lost unreleased track was discovered - Getting To Me recorded in 1965.
Benjamin Earl Nelson
BORN: September 23, 1938, Henderson, NC
Ben E King's first group was the Five Crowns. were selected to replace the Drifters. In 1959 the manager of the Drifters sacked his entire group. There Goes My Baby Save the Last Dance for Me and I Count the Tears were major hits then Ben went solo in 1960.
His Atco released singles echoed the same lavish production technique that the Drifters used - Spanish Harlem, Don't Play That Song (You Lied), and the R & B number one Stand by Me were huge successes. Ben stayed at Atco through 1969, then returned to Atlantic in 1975 with Supernatural Thing (Part 1).
Ben was still touring - visiting Manchester with the Soul Train Show in 1999.