In 1960, Ben E. King repurposed an older gospel hymn by
Charles Albert Tindley loosely based-upon Psalm 46 - will not we fear, though the Earth be
removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. King composed this for the Drifters who
subsequently took a pass.
Later in the
year King had some studio time left over and the producers, Jerry Leiber and
Mike Stoller (think Supremes and others), inquired if he had any more songs. King played it on the piano for them. They
liked it and called the studio musicians back in to record it. File this under really smart move.
Remarkably, there have been more than 400
recorded covers of the song including the soundtrack of the 1986 film Stand by
Me. In 2015 King's original version was inducted into the National Recording
Registry by the Library of Congress, as "culturally, historically, or
aesthetically significant". Later
that year – and only five weeks before his death - the 2015 line up of the
Drifters recorded it as a tribute to him.
Enjoy this really nicely-done cover of a song that resides on my personal Top 100 list.....
Friday, September 3, 2021
Friday Music
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