@bestofopera.en: Follow @bestofopera.en for the voices that refuse to be forgotten. 🎵 "Stand By Me" - "The Kingdom Choir" Philadelphia, 1905. Charles Albert Tindley is the son of an enslaved man. He became a Methodist pastor in a Black church in the city — and there he writes a hymn: few phrases, a simple promise for those afraid of falling. He names the music "Stand By Me". It's not a cathedral hymn. It's a hymn written to hold common people. Half a century later, in 1961, the same melody becomes a pop hit in the hands of Ben E. King. The song plays on radios around the world. Tindley's name appears nowhere in the credits — the hymn he wrote is forgotten for over a hundred years. In 2018, the song crosses the ocean and enters a stone chapel in Windsor. Who sings it is The Kingdom Choir, a gospel choir from London — invited to the wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle. The choir's voice fills the entire chapel. Did you know the song from Harry and Meghan's wedding was born 113 years before, as a hymn from a son of a slave? Work: Stand By Me Composer: Charles Albert Tindley 🇺🇸 (original hymn, 1905) Performer: The Kingdom Choir 🇬🇧 Recording: St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, 2018 Did you know this story? Comment. #BestOfOpera #StandByMe #TheKingdomChoir #RoyalWedding

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Tuesday 18 August 2026 17:00:04 GMT