(R&B, Soul) Ben E. King - Stand By Me... And Other Hits - 2018, MP3, 320 kbps

Fans and fellow artists the world over are mourning the death of music legend Ben E. King, who passed away on April 30, 2015 at age 76, after a brief illness. A singer, songwriter, mentor and philanthropist, he personified artistic excellence, humility and warmth. In the words of the late Ahmet Ertegun, “Ben E. King is one of the greatest singers in the history of rock and roll and rhythm and blues. His style and the tempo of his voice have a magic all their own.”
As a solo artist and as the lead singer for The Drifters, Ben E. King created some of the most memorable recordings in popular music: “There Goes My Baby”, “Dance With Me,” “This Magic Moment”, “Save The Last Dance For Me,” “Spanish Harlem”, “Don’t Play That Song”, “I Who Have Nothing”, and the iconic, international anthem “Stand By Me” (which King co-wrote). “Stand By Me” has been covered by countless artists; in March of 2015, King’s recording was selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
He was a member of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the winner of a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award and The Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Towering Performance Award. He continued writing, recording, and performing to sold-out crowds, until shortly before his death.
Offstage, Ben E. King was a devoted family man who donated his time and energy to numerous charitable causes. He was universally known as a true gentleman; respected and beloved by all who knew or worked with him. He will be deeply missed by family, friends, and fans worldwide.
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Ben E. King began his career while still a high-school student singing in a doo-wop group, the Four B's. He later joined The Five Crowns who, in 1959, assumed the name The Drifters. King was the featured lead vocalist and occasional composer on several of their recordings including "There Goes My Baby" and "Save The Last Dance For Me" (written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman).
After leaving the group in 1960, he recorded the classic single "Spanish Harlem" (1961), which maintained the Latin quality of the Drifters' work and deservedly reached the US Top 10. The follow-up, "Stand By Me" (1961), was even more successful and was followed by further hits, including "Amor" (1961) and "Don't Play That Song" (1962).
Throughout this period, King's work was aimed increasingly at the pop audience. "I (Who Have Nothing)" and "I Could Have Danced All Night" (both 1963) suggested show business, and Bert Berns' "It's All Over" (1964) was a superb song.
"Seven Letters" and "The Record (Baby I Love You)" (both 1965) prepared the way for the rhetorical "What Is Soul?" (1967), which effectively placed King alongside such soul contemporaries as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Joe Tex. King later re-signed with his former company and secured a US Top 5 hit in 1975 with "Supernatural Thing Part 1." In 1977, a collaboration with the Average White Band resulted in two R&B chart entries and an excellent album, "Benny And Us."
King's later recordings included "Music Trance" (1980) and "Street Tough" (1981). He briefly joined up with Johnny Moore in a version of the Drifters, still plying their trade on the cabaret circuit. In 1986, "Stand By Me" was included in a film of the same name, reaching the US Top 10 and number 1 in the UK.