Ben E. King
Ben E. King
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth28 September 1938
CountryUnited States of America
fake different records
One of the hardest things in the world is to perform on record and get someone to enjoy and feel what you're doing. It's unlike, like TV you can, you can fake it with the face and the crying and the bits. Recording is completely different.
writing stand-by-me how-you-feel
You're writing it is how you feel. And when you're finished you put your signature on it and you mail it off and that's it. And that's how "Stand By Me" was really.
marketing records different
It's a different thing when you go into a studio and you record with the intent of going somewhere and you're marketing yourself for that direction.
song successful feelings
I would imagine after the first recording session with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and Atlantic Records I began to realize that this is going to be like this for the rest of my life and I knew that what, what they were doing was going to be successful because with each session that we would do, it would get better and better and better, the songs would become better, the, ah, the feeling of success was there and we were all in the middle of that as well.
heart black ears
Most black singers like to slow the word down and, and go directly to your heart. They're not interested in your ears, we just want to go directly to your heart.
song feelings enjoy
If you just concentrate on what you're doing and allow yourself to actually enjoy and let your feelings come out, whatever the tempos, whatever the rhythms, whatever the songs, 9 out of 10 times it will work.
fun crowns records
When I got involved with The Five Crowns who later became The Drifters, and we got this hit record, I still was looking at this as kind of a fun thing.
talking people gone
Many times I've gone on tours with Paul Anka. He would have someone sitting behind him to keep people from even talking to him. You were almost in a little restricted area there.
breathing long proud
I still perform it in all my shows. I'll do it as long as I'm breathing. I'm so proud it has stood the test of time.
honesty people streets
And, because there was an honesty about all that was going on. It connected with the people in the street.
song writing thinking
I think that the song, the song "Stand By Me" is one of those songs that... and someone asked me, what was you thinking about or what was you feeling about? It's something that, songwriters just write songs. It's like an artist that paints. They paint what they feel. It's not, it's not about how many of these painting I'll sell it's just how they feel at the moment. And that's how I wrote "Stand By Me".
distance journey next
One minute we can be in a small club, the next minute we can be in a coliseum, and the next minute we can be in a small auditorium. It varies, depending on the promoter, the budget, and the travelling distance.
cheating thinking careers
I still think my whole career was accidental. I didn't pursue it. I feel like I'm cheating sometimes.
people time-of-my-life particular
It never dawned on me at any particular time of my life that people are paid tremendous money to sing.