Benjamin Earl King[1] (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter.

King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, as a member of the Drifters, and has been nominated as a solo artist.

[6] Benjamin Earl Nelson was born on September 28, 1938, in Henderson, North Carolina,[2] but moved to Harlem, New York, at the age of nine in 1947.

[7] He began singing in church choirs, and in high school formed the Four B's, a doo-wop group that occasionally performed at the Apollo Theater.

King sang lead on a succession of hits by the team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, including "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment", and "I Count the Tears".

[10] After a year of touring with the Drifters, contract disputes arose with Treadwell, in which King and his manager Lover Patterson demanded greater compensation.

Remaining with Atlantic Records on its Atco imprint, His first release, "Show Me The Way"/"Brace Yourself" failed to hit the charts.

King's next single, "Stand by Me", written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, ultimately would be voted as one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America.

King cited singers Brook Benton, Roy Hamilton, and Sam Cooke as influences for his vocals of the song.

[16] From 1983 until the band's break-up, the other members of this incarnation of the Drifters were Johnny Moore, Joe Blunt, and Clyde Brown.

[28][29][30] He was married to his wife Betty, for 50 years, and had three children: Terris Cannon, Benjamin King Jr., and Angela Matos, in addition to six grandchildren.

"Till I Can't Take It Anymore" was revisited by peer Ray Charles in 1970 and "Spanish Harlem" was sung by Aretha Franklin in 1971.

"Stand by Me" was covered by the Righteous Brothers, Otis Redding, John Lennon, Mickey Gilley, Seal, Florence and the Machine, and Tracy Chapman.

King also inspired a number of rock bands: Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded "Supernatural Thing" in 1981 and Led Zeppelin did a cover version of "Groovin'", which is better known under the title of "We're Gonna Groove".