Ben E. King in NYC in November 2008
Photo: WireImage
[From article]
Ben E. King, the unforgettable lead singer for the Drifters and solo star whose plaintive baritone graced such pop and rhythm & blues classics as “Stand by Me,” ”There Goes My Baby” and “Spanish Harlem,” has died. He was 76.
King died Thursday of natural causes in Teaneck, New Jersey, his longtime residence, publicist Phil Brown told the Associated Press on Friday.
A native of North Carolina who moved to New York City as a boy, King was singing with the Five Crowns when they were hired in 1958 to become the new incarnation of the Drifters, a top act for Atlantic Records who had several doo-wop hits featuring tenor Clyde McPhatter. The new Drifters, their records among the first in the rock era to use strings, had a more polished production and vocal style and became key influences on numerous ’60s recordings.
[. . .]
He is survived by his wife, Betty; three children and six grandchildren, according to Brown.Ben E. King was a stage name. He was born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson, N.C., and moved to Harlem at age 9, giving him early exposure to both country and urban music. He sang in church and joined local street corner groups in Harlem, although admittedly as much to impress girls as for the music.
[. . .]
“There was an honesty about all that was going on,” he told classicbands.com about his early career. “It connected with the people in the street. You were able to sing something they related to instantly, because it was part of what you felt. It was part of what you had already traveled through.”
“Those things don’t happen today,” he added. “I feel sorry for the kids in the industry today. They have on sunglasses, eat caviar in jet planes, but they’ll never know the true feeling that we did.”
http://nypost.com/2015/05/01/stand-by-me-singer-ben-e-king-dead-at-age-76/
‘Stand By Me’ singer Ben E. King dead at age 76
By Associated Press
New York Post
May 1, 2015 | 11:02am
