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Timeline : Stand By Me

September 28, 1938

Ben E. King, who does time in The Drifters before scoring a solo hit with "Stand By Me, is born in Henderson, North Carolina.

October 27, 1960

Ben E. King records "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand by Me."

March 28, 1964

Heavyweight boxing champ Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) hits #102 in the US with his cover of "Stand By Me."

April 26, 1975

John Lennon's cover of "Stand By Me" reaches #20 in the US.

August 22, 1986

The movie Stand By Me is released in theaters. It's based on a novella by Stephen King called The Body, but director Rob Reiner decides to name it after the famous song to play up the friendship storyline and keep it from sounding like a slasher film.More

December 20, 1986

Thanks to its use in the movie of the same name, Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," originally released in 1961, reaches #9 in the US.

February 21, 1987

Twenty-six years after becoming a hit in America, Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" goes to #1 in the UK following its release in the movie of the same name.

April 30, 2015

Ben E. King, songwriter and singer of "Stand By Me," dies at age 76.

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