Benjamin Earl Nelson formed The Four B’s in high school before joining another doo-wop group The Five Crowns. Drifters manager George Treadwell, who was becoming less impressed with his group, saw The Five Crowns perform at the Apollo Theater and recruited them to replace all existing members, a move that gave The Drifters their first five top 20 hits including the chart-topping “Save The Last Dance For Me”. But when negotiations over money stalled, Nelson began a solo career in 1960 under the stage name Ben E. King.

From 1960-1963, King scored five top 30 hits with “Spanish Harlem”, “Amor”, “Don’t Play That Song”, “I (Who Have Nothing)”, and a song that has been called one of the greatest and most performed songs of all time – the top 5 hit “Stand By Me”. Three of King’s early singles also charted in the UK.

When British Invasion bands of the mid 60’s began to rule the airwaves, King’s popularity waned but never expired. Between 1964-1981, King reached the top 5 his second and final time with “Supernatural Thing” in addition to landing eight more minor Hot 100 hits. In 1982, King returned to The Drifters for four years.

In 1986, the film Stand By Me, based on the Stephen King novel The Body, featured a soundtrack full of songs from the 1950s and early 1960s including “Stand By Me”. The soundtrack introduced King to a new generation and became so popular the song re-charted, peaking at #9 in the US that summer, and later reaching the top 10 in eight more countries overseas in early 1987.

In 1988, King was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of The Drifters. As a solo artist, he has been nominated, but not inducted. He passed away in 2015.