There are more than 400 recorded versions of the song Stand By Me, but who was the original singer?
Who originally sang Stand By Me?
Stand By Me was originally performed by Ben E. King. It was jointly written by King and Jeffrey Lieber and Mike Stoller. Leiber and Stoller were a hugely successfully song writing and record producing partnership.
Ben E. King is the original singer of Stand By Me.
The song was first recorded and released in 1961, reaching number one on the R&B charts and achieving a high of number 4 on the Billboard chart.
In 1986, the song was included on the soundtrack for the film Stand By Me, starring Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix.
The song was also featured in a 1987 television advert for Levi’s 501 jeans, following which it reached number one in the UK charts.
