Ben E. King died on Friday. The various tributes have featured his classic "Stand By Me", which has provided the backing track for numerous films, but few have referred to the fact that he was the original and for me the authentic sound of the Drifters, as their lead vocalist.
Many of his songs were covered by others. Stand By Me was done by a lot of other top artists, including Jimmy and David Ruffin, as we as another classic version by Gene Chandler, who did it as the flip side, of his own class "Duke of Earl". Ben E. King also did "Don't PLay That Song For Me", which was also a 1960's hit for Aretha Franklin.
Because everyone will be playing "Stand By Me", instead I have chosen as my tribute another Ben E. King also covered by Aretha, and something that takes me back to the early 1960's - Spanish Harlem.
No comments:
Post a Comment