- Singer, best known for his hit song "Stand By Me".
- Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Drifters) in 1988.
- He left The Drifters in 1960 and embarked on a successful solo career. "Spanish Harlem" reached the Top 10 that year. "Stand by Me", which he co-wrote, reached the Top 10 in 1961 (and again in 1986, when it was used in the soundtrack of the Rob Reiner film of the same name, Stand by Me (1986)).
- He changed his surname to King, which belonged to a favorite uncle, soon after joining The Drifters.
- He grew up in Harlem, where his father had moved the family when he was a child. He began singing in church choirs. In high school, he formed a doo-wop group, the Four B's, that occasionally performed at the Apollo Theater.
- Survived by his mother Jenny Nelson, his wife, Betty, daughters, Terris Cannon, and Angela Matos, and one son, Benjamin, Jr. four sisters, Gladys Johnson, Deborah Nelson, Joyce Powell, and Stacy Nelson, and three brothers, Jeffrey, Calvin, and Billy, and six grandchildren.
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