Stand By Me is the biggest hit by American artist Ben E. King (1938-2015). It was recorded by King for the first time in 1960, as the first of more than 400 recordings done up till now. Versions by John Lennon and Maurice White (of Earth Wind & Fire) are the most well-known ones. Stand By Me is ranked as no. 122 in the Rolling Stone magazine list of the 500 best songs ever. The song is also used in movies, the most famous one here is Stand By Me from 1986.