R I P

Seems like hardly a day goes by without another RIP thread.
RIP Ben.






"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

The light has gone and the land is dark...RIP Ben E King. Soul inging legend.

This from the BBC.


R&B and soul singer Ben E King, best known for the classic song Stand By Me, has died at the age of 76.

King started his career in the late 1950s with The Drifters, singing hits including There Goes My Baby and Save The Last Dance For Me.

After going solo, he hit the US top five with Stand By Me in 1961.

It returned to the charts in the 1980s, including a three-week spell at number one in the UK following its use in the film of the same name and a TV advert.

King's other hits included Spanish Harlem, Amor, Don't Play That Song (You Lied) and Supernatural Thing - Part I.

The singer died on Thursday, his publicist Phil Brown told BBC News.

He wrote: "I can tell you that Ben E will be missed more than words can say. Our sincere condolences go out to Betty and the entire family.

"Thank you Ben E for your friendship and the wonderful legacy you leave behind."

BBC Radio 2 DJ Bob Harris said on Twitter: "So sad to hear that Ben E King has passed away. More than almost anyone, he fired and inspired my love of music. #StandByMe #ThereGoesMyBaby."

Actor Jerry O'Connell, who played Vern in the film Stand By Me alongside River Phoenix and Corey Feldman, tweeted: "You know you are good when John Lennon covers your song. Ben E. King was a wonderful and immensely talented man."

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson, he initially joined a doo-wop group called The Five Crowns, who became The Drifters after that group's manager fired the band's previous members.

He co-wrote and sang on the band's single There Goes My Baby, which reached number two in the US in 1959.
Ben E King had six songs in the US Billboard top 40 between 1961 and 1975
But the group members were paid just $100 per week by their manager and, after a request for a pay rise was turned down, the singer decided to go it alone. In the process, he adopted the surname King.

His first solo hit, in 1961, was Spanish Harlem, which was followed by Stand By Me.

He originally intended Stand By Me for The Drifters, but said they turned it down. So he worked on the song when Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun paired him with writers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

"In my vocal I think you can hear something of my earlier times when I'd sing in subway halls for the echo, and perform doo-wop on street corners," he told The Guardian in 2013.

"But I had a lot of influences, too - singers like Sam Cooke, Brook Benton and Roy Hamilton. The song's success lay in the way Leiber and Stoller took chances, though, borrowing from symphonic scores, and we had a brilliant string arranger."

The song went on to chart nine times on the US Billboard 100 - King's version twice and seven times with covers by artists like John Lennon and Spyder Turner.

It was also the fourth most-played track of the 20th Century on US radio and TV.

Earlier this year, the US Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry, declaring that "it was King's incandescent vocal that made it a classic".

Stand By Me, Spanish Harlem and There Goes My Baby were all named on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and were all given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

King also set up a charity to help young people continue their education
As the 1960s went on and rock 'n' roll took off, King's commercial success waned.

He continued to tour and, in the mid-1970s, Ertegun was so impressed by one of his shows in Miami that he decided to re-sign him to Atlantic.

That led to a return to the charts with Supernatural Thing - Part I, which reached the US top five in 1975.

King returned to the spotlight again in the late 1980s when Stand By Me was the theme song for Rob Reiner's film about boyhood friendship and was used in a British TV commercial for Levi's jeans.

The star also established the Ben E King Stand By Me Foundation, a charity that says it helps "deserving youths working to further their education and to assist various civic organisations and associations in their efforts to improve the quality of life of their constituents".

[www.bbc.co.uk]

RIP Ben E King

"Stand By Me" has been covered by so many greats such as John Lennon and Otis Redding.

Rest in peace, Ben E. King.

I was unaware he was a one-time member of the legendary Drifters.

RIP BEK, great music

R.I.P. I was first introduced to his music, as I'm sure a whole generation growing up in the 80's was, via the movie Stand By Me. I then went out and got a Drifters Greatest Hits double CD. Stand By Me and Spanish Harlem were recorded during the same sessions.

King came out of the Brill Building in NYC. There will never be another scene like that. So much talent -- producing, playing, and singing -- in one place.

Here's a great article about the Brill Building sound.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-05-02 00:16 by Pietro.

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Big Al
Rest in peace, Ben E. King.

I was unaware he was a one-time member of the legendary Drifters.

I did not realise as well.

Love 'Stand By Me" and 'Spanish Harlem'. Here's a taste of some other stuff by the late Mr. King. You can explore other tunes in the sidebars. Enjoy.

[www.youtube.com]

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odean73

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Big Al
Rest in peace, Ben E. King.

I was unaware he was a one-time member of the legendary Drifters.

I did not realise as well.

It appears that 'There Goes My Baby' was the hit-record they achieved during King's tenure with the group. I have seven tracks of theirs on my iPod, and this is one of them. I was just unaware that he was the vocalist. 'Under The Boardwalk' is currently playing now. Hmm... who else recorded that one?

Thans kfor your beautiful Music Ben !! Rest in the Heavens !!
Jeroen

Thank you for some beautiful singing. Personal favourites Spanish Harlem and Save The Last Dance, but they're all good.

"Under The Boardwalk' is currently playing now. Hmm... who else recorded that one?"

Ummm...John Mellancamp as a hidden bonus track on one of his albums.