Stephen Wilson Jr. Explains How The Rob Reiner-Directed Movie, ‘Stand By Me,’ Sparked A Deep Connection To The Ben E. King Song

One could say that “Stand By Me” changed Stephen Wilson Jr.’s life.

The world really took notice of the 46-year-old country music artist when he took center stage at the 2025 CMA Awards and played a cover song. Some thought it would have been a perfect moment for Wilson Jr. to shine a light on his own work, but he wasn’t worried about that. He wanted to make sure that his late father was there in spirit on his big night.

Stephen Wilson Jr. has a special connection to “Stand By Me,” which was co-written and originally released by Ben E. King in 1961. It’s since been covered a multitude of times, and there might not be a better cover than Stephen Wilson Jr.’s.

And as the artist explained on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, he was never looking for that song… instead, it kind of found him:

“The reason why I play the song ‘Stand By Me’ is because two weeks after he died, I was scheduled to play this songwriter festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. It’s a very spiritually charged area. And the guy that runs it says, ‘You don’t have to play any music. I know you are in a bad, bad spot.’ I hadn’t slept in a week. He was like, ‘Just come here and see what happens.'”

Suddenly, having the track stuck in his head made sense.

An opportunity presented itself at that very festival, and Stephen Wilson Jr. – who wasn’t even officially an artist at the time – felt as though he was being guided by some higher power to sing the cover:

“At the end of the festival, they asked all the writers and stuff, ‘If you wanted to play a cover, what’s your favorite cover?’ They did this big finale, and I had been – for some reason, for about a year prior to my dad’s death – singing the song ‘Stand By Me’ the exact way I play it now.

That song has haunted me my whole life because of the movie ‘Stand By Me.’ I very much saw myself in the writer that was trying to find a voice, the nerdy little writer kid. That song was threaded so brilliantly throughout that film, and it’s obviously the title.”

Wilson Jr. thinks the Rob Reiner directed film probably played a role in the song holding a place so close to his heart.

And that tidbit hits especially hard because it was earlier this month that Rob Reiner and his wife were brutally murdered in their Los Angeles home. Reiner got his start in the entertainment industry back in the late 1960s with small roles in shows like The Andy Griffith Show and The Beverly Hillbillies, then broke out starring in All In the Family. While he continued acting, Reiner came to be known more for his work as a director on critically-acclaimed films like When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men and the aforementioned Stand By Me.

Stephen Wilson Jr. says the film left a lasting impact on him, and it now means even more to him because of his connection to the song that helps him feel the presence of his father:

“The song haunted me because of that movie, and I just started playing it. When my dad died, fast forward to Deadwood, all I could play was ‘Stand By Me.’ I started playing it, and I had never really played it for anybody like that.

The whole place just went crazy… I swear to God (my dad) was on my shoulders like a little kid. I got so addicted to that feeling. He was there. He showed up. And I truly believe he showed up at Bridgestone at the CMAs. He showed up that night.”

Watch the bone-chilling CMA Awards performance of “Stand By Me.”

The post Stephen Wilson Jr. Explains How The Rob Reiner-Directed Movie, ‘Stand By Me,’ Sparked A Deep Connection To The Ben E. King Song first appeared on Whiskey Riff.