Ben E. King

There is a reason they call it soul music, and if it’s something that’s managed to escape you thus far, then that’s what ‘Stand by Me’ is for. Listen to Ben E. King deliver his signature song - whether it’s a version from his sixties heyday or one that’s altogether more recent - and you’ll see what I mean; that track is completely visceral in its delivery, coming from somewhere beyond just the brain; it’s easy to come across as if I’m dismissing King for having just the one major hit, but in fact, I’m paying tribute to the fact that the great man penned one of the standards of the Great American Songbook. Having also made his name as a member of The Drifters through the late fifties and early sixties, King is one of the enduring icons of soul, and remains active to this day; his most recent release, Heart & Soul, dropped in 2011. Just like so many of his contemporaries, he remains an energising presence onstage, playing across his native U.S. on a regular basis. Last year, he played a slew of rare shows in provincial British towns like Milton Keynes, Warrington and Dunfermline, delivering standards of the genre alongside cherry-picked classics of his own and, of course, a rendition of ‘Stand by Me’ so powerful that it sounded as if he’d written it the same day. King remains a master of his craft; don’t miss the opportunity to catch him in action when he passes through again (and he will).