[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 185 (Friday, December 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1830-E1831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
A DAY IN HONOR OF BENJAMIN EARL KING
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HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL
of new york
in the house of representatives
Friday, December 18, 2015
Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life, legacy,
and work of Benjamin Earl King; who was a Singer, Record Producer and
Composer of some of America's greatest soul music and hit songs such as
``Stand By Me'' & ``Spanish Harlem.'' He is a legendary and well known
musician. He has had many accomplishments throughout his entire life.
Mr. King was also extremely active in his charitable foundation, the
Stand By Me Foundation, which helps to provide education to deserving
youths. On Thursday, December 10th, 2015, at Harlem's historic
Interchurch Center at The Riverside Church; The Office of Congressman
Charles B. Rangel, Voza Rivers/New Heritage Theatre Group, The
Interchurch Center & Harlem Music Fest In Partnership With Community
Works presents ``Celebrating the Music of Ben E. King,'' to memorialize
Ben E. King's contributions to the Harlem community and beyond.
The celebration featured musical guest performances by Rhythm & Blues
Legends Chuck Jackson, Maxine Brown, Beverly Crosby, Wild Women
featuring (Maxine Brown, Beverly Crosby & Sherryl Marshall) and Soul
Vocalist Joe Coleman. The evening culminated in a very special musical
performance by Al Orlo, who served as Ben E. King's Lead Guitarist for
25 years and his Musical Director from 1996-2015.
From the groundbreaking orchestrated productions of the Drifters to
his own solo hits,
[[Page E1831]]
Ben E. King was the definition of R&B elegance. King's plaintive
baritone had all the passion of gospel; however the settings in which
it was displayed with his honey smooth phrasing and crisp enunciation,
proved, for perhaps the first time, that R&B could be sophisticated and
accessible to pop audiences. King's approach influenced countless
smooth soul singers in his wake, and his records were key forerunners
of the Motown sound.
On September 28, 1938, King was born under the given name of Benjamin
Earl Nelson in Henderson, North Carolina, where he sang with his church
choir before the family moved to Harlem in 1947. In junior high, he
began performing with a street corner doo wop group called the Four
B's, which won second place in an Apollo Theater talent contest. While
attending high school, he was offered a chance to join the Moonglows,
but was simply too young and inexperienced to stick. He subsequently
worked at his father's restaurant as a singing waiter, which led to an
invitation to become the baritone singer in a doo wop outfit called the
Five Crowns in 1958.
The Five Crowns performed several gigs at the Apollo Theater along
with the Drifters, whose career had begun to flounder in the years
since original lead singer Clyde McPhatter departed. Drifters manager
George Treadwell, dissatisfied with the group members' unreliability
and lack of success, fired them all in the summer of 1958 and hired the
Five Crowns to assume the name of the Drifters.
The new Drifters toured for about a year, playing to hostile
audiences who knew they were a completely different group. In early
1959, they went into the studio with producers Jerry Leiber and Mike
Stoller to cut their first records. A song Nelson (still performing
under his given name) co-wrote called ``There Goes My Baby'' became his
first lead vocal, and the lush backing arrangement made highly
unorthodox (in fact, virtually unheard of) use of a string section.
``There Goes My Baby'' became a massive hit, laying the groundwork for
virtually every smooth/uptown soul production that followed. Over the
next two years, Nelson sang lead on several other Drifters classics,
including ``Dance with Me,'' ``This Magic Moment,'' ``Save the Last
Dance for Me,'' and ``I Count the Tears.''
In 1960, Nelson approached Treadwell about a salary increase and a
fairer share of the group's royalties. Treadwell rebuffed him and
Nelson quit the group, at this point assuming the more memorable stage
name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on
Atlantic, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged
ballad ``Spanish Harlem,'' a Jerry Leiber/Phil Spector composition that
hit the Top Ten in early 1961. The follow-up, ``Stand by Me,'' a
heartfelt ode to friendship and devotion co-written by King, became his
signature song and an enduring R&B classic; it was also his biggest
hit, topping the R&B charts and reaching the pop Top Five.
King scored a few more chart singles through 1963, including velvety
smooth pop-soul productions like ``Amor,'' ``Don't Play That Song (You
Lied),'' and the Italian tune ``I (Who Have Nothing).'' In the post-
British Invasion years, King had a rough go of it on the pop charts but
continued to score R&B hits. 1967's Southern-fried ``What Is Soul?''
was one of his last singles for Atco before departing the label in
1969.
In 1975, Atlantic president Ahmet Ertegun caught King's act in a
Miami lounge and invited him to re-sign with the label. King scored an
unlikely comeback smash with the disco track ``Supernatural Thing, Pt.
I,'' which returned him to the top of the R&B charts in 1975 and also
reached the pop Top Five. While he was unable to duplicate that
single's success, King recorded several more albums for Atlantic up
through 1981, and also collaborated with the Average White Band in 1977
on the album Benny & Us. After leaving Atlantic a second time, King
toured in a version of the Drifters beginning in 1982.
In 1986, ``Stand by Me'' was prominently featured in the Rob Reiner
film of the same name; re-released as a single, it climbed into the Top
Ten all over again. In its wake, King returned to solo recording,
issuing albums every few years. He also guested on recordings by Heaven
17 and Mark Knopfler, among others. King's 1999 album Shades of Blue
(on Half Note Records) found him branching out into jazz territory,
performing with a big band and guests like Milt Jackson and David
``Fathead'' Newman.
On March 27, 2012, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that
``Stand By Me'' would receive its 2012 Towering Song Award and that
King would be honored with the 2012 Towering Performance Award for his
recording of the song. King toured the United Kingdom in 2013 and
played concerts in the United States as late as 2014, despite reported
health problems. Ben E. King died on April 30, 2015, after a brief
illness. King has been covered by acts from several genres and artist
including Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones in 1970 and Sylvester. ``Till I
Can't Get 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 Otis Redding, John Lennon and Mickey Gilley. King also
inspired several rock bands: Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded
``Supernatural Thing'' in 1981 and Led Zeppelin did a cover version of
``Groovin'', more known under the title of ``We're Gonna Groove.''
Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me
in recognizing Benjamin E. King, and honoring his truly pioneer work,
dedication, and great accomplishments; worthy of our Nation's highest
artistic and charitable esteem. He is an example of someone who used
his raw talent to become a legendary figure, and set the groundwork for
many others that followed.
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