Ben E. King Biography

Born asBenjamin Earl Nelson
Occup.Musician
FromUSA
BornSeptember 28, 1938
Henderson, North Carolina
DiedApril 30, 2015
Hackensack, New Jersey
Causenatural causes
Aged76 years
Benjamin Earl Nelson was born upon September 28, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina. He was the youngest of five siblings and matured in a music household. His papa, Benjamin Nelson Sr., was a Baptist preacher that executed scripture songs, and also his mother, Easter Nelson, played the piano as well as sang in the church choir.

When Ben was 9 years of ages, his family moved to Harlem in New York City. There, he was subjected to the arising rhythm and also blues sound that was forming in the city. He started singing in a doo-wop team called The Five Crowns, as well as in 1958 they were discovered by songs manufacturers Jerry Leiber as well as Mike Stoller.

Leiber and Stoller altered the group's name to The Drifters as well as hired Ben as the diva. With him as their frontman, they tape-recorded numerous hits, consisting of "There Goes My Baby", "Save the Last Dance for Me", and "This Magic Moment". Nevertheless, in 1960, Ben left The Drifters to embark on a solo occupation.

Under the phase name Ben E. King, he signed with Atlantic Records and had his initial solo hit in 1961 with "Spanish Harlem". The tune reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as well established Ben as a solo musician. That same year, he launched another hit song, "Stand by Me", which took place to become one of one of the most renowned as well as beloved tunes of perpetuity.

Throughout his occupation, Ben E. King launched many other successful tunes, including "Amor", "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", and also "Supernatural Thing - Part I". He also teamed up with other artists, such as Aretha Franklin and also The Average White Band.

Ben E. King was recognized for his smooth, emotional voice and also his capacity to instill emotion right into his songs. He was sworn in into the Rock as well as Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a participant of The Drifters and also was granted a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.

Sadly, Ben E. King passed away on April 30, 2015 at the age of 76. However, his songs remains to reside on as well as influence generations of musicians as well as followers around the globe.

Our collection contains 25 quotes who is written / told by Ben.

Related authors: Aretha Franklin (Musician), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

Discography:
Source / external links:

25 Famous quotes by Ben E. King

Small: If theres anything about the business that I love and that Im extremely happy about, is that my career
"If there's anything about the business that I love and that I'm extremely happy about, is that my career started at that time and that I met some of the greatest entertainers at that time and some are still here"
Small: I still think my whole career was accidental. I didnt pursue it. I feel like Im cheating sometimes
"I still think my whole career was accidental. I didn't pursue it. I feel like I'm cheating sometimes"
Small: And, because there was an honesty about all that was going on. It connected with the people in the stre
"And, because there was an honesty about all that was going on. It connected with the people in the street"
Small: The industry now wants to be in charge of everything
"The industry now wants to be in charge of everything"
Small: You were able to sing something they related to instantly, because it was part of what you felt. It was
"You were able to sing something they related to instantly, because it was part of what you felt. It was part of what you had already traveled through. It's part of the people you were associating with daily. It was all of that"
Small: It would probably take me an hour to two to write it down, get the feel of it, and thats with quite a f
"It would probably take me an hour to two to write it down, get the feel of it, and that's with quite a few changes. It's not really a hard thing for me to do"
Small: We were doing things with a hundred per cent feeling. It wasnt programmed. It wasnt asked for. It wasnt
"We were doing things with a hundred per cent feeling. It wasn't programmed. It wasn't asked for. It wasn't structured. It was just there. It was very raw. I don't think the industry would allow that to happen again"
Small: Those things dont happen today. I feel sorry for the kids in the industry today. They have on sunglasse
"Those things don't happen today. I feel sorry for the kids in the industry today. They have on sunglasses, eat caviar in jet planes, but they'll never know the true feeling that we did"
Small: It never dawned on me at any particular time of my life that people are paid tremendous money to sing
"It never dawned on me at any particular time of my life that people are paid tremendous money to sing"
Small: I never even visualized for a second doing what Im doing
"I never even visualized for a second doing what I'm doing"
Small: I do like what Alicia Keys and John Legend are doing. With their music, you keep your clothes on
"I do like what Alicia Keys and John Legend are doing. With their music, you keep your clothes on"
Small: At that time, we were in charge. We didnt ask. We just did. We just did what was in our heart
"At that time, we were in charge. We didn't ask. We just did. We just did what was in our heart"
Small: Yeah. Im amateurish. I can play enough to write a song, or strum on a little guitar to write out a song
"Yeah. I'm amateurish. I can play enough to write a song, or strum on a little guitar to write out a song. But, I don't play well at all. I wouldn't even attempt for a second to play in public"
Small: Of course, the kids who had never heard of a person called Ben E. King were then aware of the name asso
"Of course, the kids who had never heard of a person called Ben E. King were then aware of the name associated with the song. That gave a tremendous lift to me as an artist"
Small: It doesnt take me long to write songs
"It doesn't take me long to write songs"
Small: The movie is actually from a book by Stephen King called The Body. When they were gonna put it to a mot
"The movie is actually from a book by Stephen King called The Body. When they were gonna put it to a motion picture, they found the story was a bit too strong for the title The Body, based on a young kid's movie. It would be too heavy"
Small: One of the members of the group, I cant remember which one, found out we were making 3 - 5,000 a night.
"One of the members of the group, I can't remember which one, found out we were making $3 - $5,000 a night. We were getting a hundred dollars a week a piece. Everybody got upset about it"
Small: One minute we can be in a small club, the next minute we can be in a coliseum, and the next minute we c
"One minute we can be in a small club, the next minute we can be in a coliseum, and the next minute we can be in a small auditorium. It varies, depending on the promoter, the budget, and the travelling distance"
Small: Many times Ive gone on tours with Paul Anka. He would have someone sitting behind him to keep people fr
"Many times I've gone on tours with Paul Anka. He would have someone sitting behind him to keep people from even talking to him. You were almost in a little restricted area there"
Small: Yeah. Ive been pretty fortunate to travel I guess, all around the place
"Yeah. I've been pretty fortunate to travel I guess, all around the place"
Small: I do a lot of Vegas work and work with the comedians
"I do a lot of Vegas work and work with the comedians"
Small: He was a manager, one of the singers, I guess talent coordinator for the local talent in Harlem. His na
"He was a manager, one of the singers, I guess talent coordinator for the local talent in Harlem. His name was Lover Patterson. He was living right across the street from where my dad had his restaurant. I guess he saw a lot of kids come in, a lot of my buddies"
Small: When we took on the name The Drifters, we became the new Drifters, and signed a contract to be put on s
"When we took on the name The Drifters, we became the new Drifters, and signed a contract to be put on salary, which I think was like a hundred dollars a week, a piece, five hundred dollars for all five of us"
Small: When I got involved with The Five Crowns who later became The Drifters, and we got this hit record, I s
"When I got involved with The Five Crowns who later became The Drifters, and we got this hit record, I still was looking at this as kind of a fun thing"
Small: The Phil Spector that I would meet has always been a nice, quiet, little guy whos very serious about hi
"The Phil Spector that I would meet has always been a nice, quiet, little guy who's very serious about his work; obviously you can tell that because each and everything he's ever done has always been charted"