Stand by Me - Ben E. King - MP3 instrumental karaoke

“Stand By Me” is a song originally written and recorded by Ben E. King. The artist had been part of a successful R&B vocal group, The Drifters, and was the lead vocalist for two of their biggest hits “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “This Magic Moment”. King originally pitched his song idea to the group but they passed. He ended up writing it with his producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and it became his first hit as a solo artist. Although the singer’s original inspiration for the song was an earlier gospel hymn with the same name written by Charles Albert Tindley, the three songwriters reworked it into a new song. “Stand By Me” is one of the biggest songs of all time. It was a hit for the artist twice, first when it was released in 1961 and again when it was used in the 1986 film Stand By Me. The song hit the Billboard Hot 100 seven more times with other artists including John Lennon, Mickey Gilley, and even profession boxer Muhammad Ali. The backing track for “Stand By Me” is available with background vocals or as an instrumental. Be sure to check out the other arrangements of this song on Karaoke Version.