Australian singles charts:
Stand By Me entered the Kent charts on 24 June 1961 and peaked at #45.
Album:
The song is on the 1962 Ben E King album Don’t Play That Song!
Songwriters:
Ben E King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Producers:
Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Record label of Australian release:
London / Atlantic
Songfacts:
Ben E King recorded this shortly after leaving The Drifters in 1960. It gave him a solid reputation as a solo artist.
Stand By Me was the name of a gospel hymn written by the Philadelphia minister Charles Albert Tindley in 1905. His hymn became popular in churches throughout the American South and was recorded by various gospel acts in the 1950s. Ben pushed The Drifters to record it, but the group’s manager rejected it. With Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s help, he got it recorded soon after.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/ben-e-king/stand-by-me
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
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