Ben E. King : The Ultimate Collection: Stand By Me

WHEN THE NIGHT HAS COME
AND THE LAND IS DARK

AND THE MOON
IS THE ONLY LIGHT WE'LL SEE

Benjamin Earl King

  (September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) 

was an 

American

 soul

 and

 R&B singer 

and 

songwriter.

 He rose to 

prominence as

 one of the 

principal 

lead singers

 of the 

R&B vocal group

 The Drifters, 

singing the lead vocals 

on three 

of their biggest

 hit singles:

 "There Goes My Baby",

 "This Magic Moment", 

and

 "Save the Last Dance for Me"

 (their only US No. 1 hit).

As a soloist,

King is best known

 as the singer 

and co-composer of 

"Stand by Me", 

which became a

 US top-10 hit, 

both in 1961

 and later in 1986 

when it was used as

 the theme

 to the film of the same name

 and a number-one hit

 in the United Kingdom

 in 1987.

 The single was also placed 

on the RIAA's 

list of 

Songs of the Century. 

His 1975 single 

"Supernatural Thing" 

became a

 top-five hit 

on the

 Billboard Hot 100. 

Additionally, 

King was the

 original recording artist 

of songs such as

 "Spanish Harlem",

 "I (Who Have Nothing)", 

"So Much Love", 

"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", 

"We're Gonna Groove", 

and

 "Till I Can't Take It Anymore", 

all of which have been

 covered by

 multiple artists 

to varying degrees 

of success.

King was inducted 

into the

 Rock and Roll 

Hall of Fame

 in 1988,

 as a member of

 the Drifters, 

and has been

 nominated as a 

solo artist.

Along with the Drifters'

 "There Goes My Baby", 

King's songs 

"Stand by Me" 

and

 "Spanish Harlem" 

also appeared on

 the Rock and Roll

 Hall of Fame's

 list of 500 Songs 

That Shaped Rock and Roll.

 Additionally, 

he was inducted 

alongside

 the Drifters 

into the

 Vocal Group

 Hall of Fame in 2000, 

as well as the 

Songwriters 

Hall of Fame

 in 2012 

with the 

Towering song award.

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