Ben S. Cauley Jr. (October 3, 1947 – September 21, 2015) was an American trumpet player, vocalist, songwriter, and founding member of the Stax recording group the Bar-Kays.

He learned to play trumpet when at school, and formed a band with guitarist Jimmy King, saxophonist Phalon Jones, drummer Carl Cunningham, keyboardist Ronnie Caldwell, and bassist James Alexander.

Madison Police Inspector John Harrington was quoted as saying that a person without insulated SCUBA gear "wouldn't live longer than 20 or so minutes" in the icy water.

[5] Ben Cauley and James Alexander reformed the Bar-Kays and went on to record with Stax artists such as Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas and the Staple Singers, as well as appear at Wattstax, "The Black Woodstock".

[6] Cauley suffered a debilitating stroke in 1989, but eventually fully recovered, aside from occasional problems with slightly slurred speech and he performed with the choir of Calvary Longview United Methodist Church.

[7] Into the 2000s, Cauley could be heard backing up Liz Lottmann,[8] jazz and blues singer, or performing live at the Memphis club Rum Boogie, located downtown on Beale Street.