Ben E. King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 23, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina and was raised in Harlem, New York. While he was still in high school, he sang with The Moonglows and in 1957 he joined the Five Crowns, which became The Drifters in 1959. His first lead vocal performance with The Drifters was on There Goes My Baby, and he even wrote the song's lyrics. He left the group to pursue a solo career in 1960. He appeared on the Billboard charts twenty-two times between the end of 1960 and 1986, with his last chart entry a repeat of his third hit, Stand By Me, due to its popularity in the movie of the same name starring River Phoenix and Will Wheaton.
This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Ben E. King and two of his signature songs: Spanish Harlem and Amor. Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear. Click Voice Your Choice on any page of the website and make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.
