“Stand by Me” – Muhammad Ali
[media=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMzj5QlhZ7E]
Surprisingly good cover of the Ben E. King classic by The People’s Champion. With a little bit of work (he was slightly off-key sometimes), I believe Ali coulda been a contender in the world of popular music.
Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) recorded “Stand by Me” as a track on his mostly spoken word and comedic album, I Am the Greatest, in 1963. The legendary boxer’s version of the song was released as a single after he defeated Sonny Liston to become the World Heavyweight Champion. It charted at #102 in March 1964, but his album did better and reached #61 on the albums chart. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1964. Some of the tracks on I Am the Greatest were later regarded as early examples of rap and precursors to hip hop.
Surprisingly good cover of the Ben E. King classic by The People’s Champion. With a little bit of work (he was slightly off-key sometimes), I believe Ali coulda been a contender in the world of popular music.
Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) recorded “Stand by Me” as a track on his mostly spoken word and comedic album, I Am the Greatest, in 1963. The legendary boxer’s version of the song was released as a single after he defeated Sonny Liston to become the World Heavyweight Champion. It charted at #102 in March 1964, but his album did better and reached #61 on the albums chart. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1964. Some of the tracks on I Am the Greatest were later regarded as early examples of rap and precursors to hip hop.
