Ben E. King

Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; 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 number one 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 the following year. The single was also placed on the RIAA's list of Songs of the Century.