Black+History+Month+A.H.


 * Ben E. King-** Song writer/singer

It's not about what you could have, but what you already have, and making the best out of it...

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~All My Work~

The Drifters. ||
 * || Early Life || Ben was born on September 23, 1938. In Henderson, North Carolina. His family then moved to Harlem, New York. There he worked at his father's restaurant as a waiter. ||
 * [[image:http://home.att.net/~freebizak/BenEKing/bek03.jpg width="290" height="255"]] || How it all started || He was singing in his singing in his middle schol choir, and joined a doo op group called the our B's ||
 * [[image:http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41A8GG33N9L._AA240_.jpg width="265" height="252"]] || What was offered || When in highschool, he was offered to become a member of a very popular doo op group called, Moonglows. He believed that he was still too unexperieanced to move on to such an extent, so turned down the offer.
 * [[image:http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1153/1472706511_fb1fe25f26.jpg?v=0 width="218" height="215" caption="The Drifters / The Drifters' Golden Hits by bradleyloos."]] || Groups || While with the Drifters, they produced a great number of songs. such as: "There Goes My Baby, Dance WIth Me, This Magic Moment, Save the Last Dance, I Count the Tears." ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/3083821239_c556d8de6c.jpg?v=0 width="247" height="190" caption="Apollo Theater by WTL photos."]] || One hit wonders! || One of his most inspirational peices of music was Stand by me, in which he wrote when he left The Drifters. ||
 * [[image:http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1185/1433271285_791f1d17d2.jpg?v=0 width="262" height="338" caption="Clay 1959 CH 13 Ben E. King by theclaycoleshow."]] || Accomplishments Here and There || With his song "Stand By Me", he made it to the number one spot. Not Only did he make it to number one in America, but also in the U.K. ||
 * [[image:http://www.releaseseek.org/nzb/movies/images/poster/0092005.jpg]] || Stand By Me Fundraiser || The Fundraiser was meant to raise money for people such as civic organizations, to help them help others try to improve the quality of their life. It is also meant to help the young that need help to improve thier social and emotional growth and developement. Also to help those in poverty, abuse, neglect, etc. ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/2429801429_d2d902b5ea.jpg?v=0 width="396" height="316" caption="Golf ball by JLMitch."]] || How he raises money. || He holds annual golf tournaments and ther ways of funding to help. This way he is abe toget even the slightest bit closer to his community, and the people that he cares so much about. ||
 * [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2606824865_d909d6bf76.jpg?v=0 width="388" height="428" caption="ben_e_king_01 by serge.corrieras."]] || In the mind of Ben E. King || " 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." ||
 * [[image:http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1144/1368603351_9b811bbede.jpg?v=0 width="410" height="357" caption="ben e king by video_channel."]] || Why is Ben E King such an inspirational man to many of us? || Many people see Ben E. King as an inspirational type of man, because he never asked for anything. He never begged to become famous, just so that he could get the money. He did it because he loved to sing, it was passion. But what was even stronger than that, was his love for the people around them, and making sure that they were happy, so helping them in any way was what he thought was essential. This proves the point of creating the Stand By Me fundraiser. ||


 * __Narration__

Ben Earl Nelson, now known as Ben E. King, was born on September 23, 1938 in Hernderson, North Carolina. his family decided to move to Harlem, New York, where his father opened a restaurant. Ben had always had a strong passion for singing, so he joined a popular street corner doo op group called the Four B's, where they made many great performences. In highschool, Ben was offered a postion in a popular doo op group called The Moonglows. But he had to decline. How is it that he was able to so easily push away such an opportunity like that? Ben believed that he still wasn't ready to take on such a title, he needed to grow more... Ben had worked at his father's restaurant as a waiter,George Treadwell, manager of famous group, The Drifters, had thought he could use Ben. He was invited into the group, in which they created many number one hits together, such as: There Goes My baby, Dance With Me, This Magic Moment, and much more. They were rewarded second place in Apollo theatre. For a while they were also quite successful, but Ben wanted to take his career a step further, so he decided to go solo. 1961, Ben writes "Stand By Me", and makes it to the number one spot on the charts. Not only here in the U.S., but it also made the #1 spot in the U.K. In 2000, he begins a fundraiser for children aiming for a carreer in the music department, but also for those with disadvantages and the people who undergo poverty, neglect, ect. Even though he loves his carreer as a singer, he knows that there were other that were in need of help, so holding this fundraiser was a way that he is able to get a little closer to the people he cares so much about. Each year there is an annual golf tournament, in which people from all over the world come to attend, even some celebrities take part in this event. So, why is it that we look up to him like we do? He says..." You were able to sing something they could relate to instantly, because it was a part of what you felt. It was a part of what you already travled through. It was a part of the people you associated with daily, It was all of that." The happiness of others around him was really what gave him true happiness, and also being able to do what he loves best at the same time, made it all more worth wild. It's isn't about what you could have had, but what you already have and making the best out of it...**

Full name is Benjamen Earl Nelson. Born September 23,1938- ( _ ) He lived in Henderson, North Carolina. When he moved to Harlem, he entered a street corner doo op group (the four B's) He discovered his wonderfull talent for singing when he was in middle school, singing in harmony with the other members of another group of singers.Also when he had been in his church choir. They were rewarded with second place at Apollo Theatre. 1958 Ben was known to be in a popular group that opened for many other famous groups. In the same year, they were to be openeing for one of the most famous groups in history, The Drifters. Since their lead singer had left the group, they allowed the Five Crown to play with them. That oppertunity is what Ben had just needed. 1959, they made thier first recording as The Drifters, smash-hit, "There goes my Baby" "Dance with me", "This Magic Moment", "Save the last Dance", "I count the Tears" are only some of the songs that they had written together.

1960 To take his carreer one step further he decided to perform as only one person. That is when he was offiacially known as Ben E. King 1961, he made his greatest hit singles, "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand by Me" The song "Stand by me was in the top ten songs in the U.S. and was voted #1 in the U.K. 2000 Ben created a foundation called The Stand By Me Foundation for the disadvantaged and the youth of his community. The raised the money by having a big celebrity golf- tournament, and other fundraising methods. This is one way that he was able to get even a little closer the community that he loved and cared so much about.

Even when he was still in highschool, he was offered to join the moonglows, and doo op group, but he thought that he was still too unexpierienced enough to do that. He worked at his father's restaurant where he worked as a sining waiter. That is what leads him to the Crowns. The manager of the Crowns was dissapointed with what the originall band was producing, witht he fact the the lead singer had left, so he turned the Crowns into The Drifters. Nelson talked to his manager, George Treadwell about giving him a raise in salary. He refused, so that is when Nelson left and became Ben E. King. Vocals, piano, keyboard

http://www.beneking.info/index.cfm [] http://www.flickr.com/photos/wtlphotos/3083821239/ [] http://www.benekingstandbyme.org/ http://www.s9.com/images/portraits/16502_King-Ben-E.jpg http://www.charliegillett.com/images/Charlie-with-Ben-E-King.jpg http://www.charliegillett.com/images/Charlie-with-Ben-E-King.jpg [] http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=7a3f492e4cfc2e7b&q=Ben%20E%20King&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBen%2BE%2BKing%26start %3D300%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-16891123.jpg?size=67&uid=%7BBA3F554B-945F-40EE-A8E3-A19B38EE8B0D%7D [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []