Ben E. King

• Genre: Soul

About

Even deaf desert dwellers have heard "Stand by Me" thousands of times, but don't let that keep you from listening to the rest of Ben E. King's classic work. King was a soulful crooner who had much of the uptown class of Sam Cooke. He first came to prominence as the (second) lead singer of the Drifters, but he quickly broke out on his own. His hit "Spanish Harlem" shows the sophisticated feel and dreamy production of his '60s recordings. King recorded through out 1970s and '80s and even returned to the top of the charts in 1975 with "Supernatural Thing." The film Stand by Me exposed a new generation to King's music. King still records, often with great jazz and blues musicians.

- Nick Dedina