Stand By Me Ben E. King Written by Ben King in 1961 Ben E. King (born Benjamin Earl Nelson) is probably best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me," a U.S. top 10 hit in both 1961 and 1987 and a #1 hit in the UK in 1987, and as one of the principal lead singers of the legendary R&B vocal group, The Drifters. He joined the Drifters in 1958 and co-wrote "There Goes My Baby" in 1959. Two other well-know songs he sang with the Drifters were "This Magic Moment" and "Save the Last Dance For Me." In 1960 he left the Drifters in a royalty dispute and changed his name to Ben E. King, going solo for the first time. His first solo was was the memorable "Spanish Harlem" in 1961, followed up by "Stand By Me." Those two songs, along with "There Goes My Baby," were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 songs that shaped rock and roll. "Stand by Me" was voted as one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. John Lennon, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Sylvester James, U2, and Bruce Springsteen have all recorded his songs. King is currently active in his charitable foundation, the Stand By Me Foundation. For the full YouTube video version of Stand By Me, click here to play.