George HaffendenAfter rumours that Ben E. King had died this morning – and subsequent rumours that suggested it was a hoax – it has been confirmed that the soul icon has sadly passed away at the age of 76. King was one of the true icons of the classic soul era – his biggest hit ‘Stand By Me’ is arguably one of the finest love songs ever written: it charted in the UK at Number 27 on the Singles Chart in 1967, but topped the chart in 1987. The song has become a true soul standard, and King became a household name.
King of course had his big break leading The Drifters, but soon went solo on Atlantic Records, cementing his place in musical history. In recent years King remained active, he toured the UK with friend Gary US Bonds in 2010 (where we were fortunate enough to see him perform live), and spearheaded the Ben E. King Foundation set up to provide funds to help young Americans and their communities. Ben E. King is one of the those special artists for us here at TF&SR: the tour with Gary US Bonds was one of the first that Haff was allowed to go to on his own. The tour was far from sold out – in Tunbridge Wells less than seventy people were in the audience – but hearing King sing ‘Stand By Me’ is one of those great moments that will last a lifetime. To honour the great talent that was Ben E. King, we revisit some of our favourites.
Don’t Play That Song (You Lied) – Don’t Play That Song, 1962.
Written by his wife Betty along with Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegün, this song was most famously recorded by Aretha Franklin, yet it was King who recorded and released this first. His version went to Number 2 on the US R&B Singles Charts, and featured a classic, lushious Drifters-esque string arrangement that gave the song a distinctively pop feel compared to the Aretha version. That said, King’s vocals are emotional, and the female background vocalists are equally delightful.
Everybody Plays The Fool – I Had Love, 1976
Produced with Philadelphia International’s Norman Harris (most famous for his work with The Trammps), this heart-wrenching ballad is stunning. Harris’ lush Philly Soul arrangement suits King well, and here his vocals have a depth and warmth to them that some of his sixties recordings lacked. This is poignant ballad, and is indeed an underrated song from King off a fairly well-produced album.
Get It Up For Love – Benny & Us, 1977 (with the Average White Band)
After I Had Love failed commercially to restore King’s popularity, he was teamed up with the Scottish funk band Average White Band on a pretty good album Benny & Us. The opening song was a cover of Ned Doheny’s 1976 song ‘Get It Up For Love’, and although the song would go on to be later era Motown dance-floor filler for Tata Vega, this version is pretty nice. King’s delivery is fairly straight, but with a voice like King’s that doesn’t really matter. The Average White Band set down a delightful groove, which King rides well considering this odd pairing. For fans of the Tata Vega version, this is less fast paced but a great listen to nonetheless.
Made For Each Other – Street Tough, 1981
By 1981 King’s career had yet to be revived with the re-release of ‘Stand By Me’, and in 1981 he released his last album on Atlantic Records. Interestingly, in the post-disco era the album continued to make use of lush string arrangements, shunning the new sounds of the new decade. ‘Made For Each Other’ is a highlight from the album: it is a nice, mid-tempo groove that features a delightful slap-bass performance, and a great vocal from King as well. Whilst King may have suffered from poor record sales, his output was consistently good. (‘Staying Power’ off the same album features a brilliant disco-esque vibe, and is also worth seeking out).
There Goes My Baby – The Drifters, 1959
In 1958 George Treadwell, the owner of The Drifters trademark, fired the first incarnation of the group after refusing to pay them more money after a run of successful performances. In response, Treadwell hired King and his group the 5 Crowns to become the new Drifters. This song, co-written by King, became an important song in the progression of doo-wop and R&B into soul music: it remains as exciting today to listen to as it was back then, one of the Drifters finest. King may not have been with The Drifters long, but he sure made an almighty impact.
Spanish Harlem – Spanish Harlem, 1961
Soon after King left the Drifters Atlantic Records released his debut album Spanish Harlem, and the title song was a fairly big US R&B and Pop hit. Indeed, Aretha Franklin would again turn to this song in 1971 – her version when to Number One on the US R&B Charts, and Number Two on the Pop Chart. Aretha aside, this song demonstrated to Atlantic and the public that post-Drifters life for King could be fruitful. Indeed, Atlantic didn’t have to wait long until King struck gold.
Stand By Me – Don’t Play That Song, 1962
A year after his solo debut, King was back and released the song he became most famous for – ‘Stand By Me’. The song is perhaps one of the most covered and most well-loved songs ever recorded, but it is King’s version which remains definitive. In 1986 it was featured in a film of the same title, propelling the song back into the public psyche and resurrecting King’s career. Overplayed maybe, but the song is nothing but classic soul: it sounds so simple, but in fact that’s its beauty. The bass, the drums and the guitar are all played beautifully; combined with such a majestic string arrangement, and King had the perfect song to sing. His vocals are so beautiful, so emotional that no other singer has been able to cover this song as well as King originally performed it. This version sees King perform on David Letterman with Paul Shaffer’s excellent CBS orchestra – as you would expect, it’s pretty special.
This soul classic has outlived King, and will no doubt outlive us all.