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Featured Timeline : Stand By Me

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.

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.

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

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.

October 27, 1960 Ben E. King records "Spanish Harlem" and "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.

April 30, 2015 Ben E. King, songwriter and singer of "Stand By Me," dies at age 76.