Biography
Benjamin Orr served as bassist and vocalist for the Cars, a group responsible for multiple Top Ten Pop singles during the 1980s, among them “Drive,” “Shake It Up,” “You Might Think,” and “Tonight She Comes.” Additional tracks “Magic” and “Let’s Go” reached the Top 20. He supplied the lead vocal on both “Drive” and “Just What I Needed.”
Born Benjamin Orzechowski on September 8, 1947, in Lakewood (Cleveland), Ohio, Orr amused relatives and acquaintances by mimicking Elvis Presley. As a teenager he acquired skills on guitar, bass, keyboards, and percussion. After leaving high school he supported himself through session work on guitar and appearances with the Cleveland television program Upbeat.
Orr first met singer/guitarist Ric Ocasek while both were attending a band rehearsal. The pair subsequently exchanged their own compositions, prompting Ocasek to invite Orr into the group as keyboardist. Because the ensemble shared a booking agency with the Stooges and the MC5, the acts toured together.
Eventually Orr and his bandmates relocated to New York City in pursuit of wider recognition. After two years on the local club circuit the lineup dissolved; Ocasek settled in Boston while Orr returned to Ohio. Ocasek later urged the bassist/vocalist to join him in Boston, citing its active music community. The musicians appeared throughout New England clubs in shifting configurations, occasionally performing as an acoustic duo. They secured bookings by claiming they would perform current hit covers, only to play original material instead—an approach that occasionally resulted in dismissal.
In 1976 Orr and Ocasek added left-handed lead guitarist Elliott Easton to the lineup known as Cap’n Swing. Multi-instrumentalist Greg Hawkes, who had previously recorded with Orr and Ocasek on an album by Milkwood, and drummer David Robinson joined shortly thereafter, forming the Cars.
Airplay for the band’s demo of “Just What I Needed” on Boston stations WBCN-FM and WCOZ-FM prompted several labels to extend recording contracts. The group signed with Elektra/Asylum; their debut album, The Cars, produced by Roy Thomas Baker, appeared in May 1978. Candy-O followed in June 1979 and achieved platinum status. The Cars continued to accumulate platinum certifications, including those awarded to Shake It Up (1981) and Heartbeat City. Their Greatest Hits collection entered the Top 20 in 1986, the same year the band disbanded.
Concurrently Orr launched a solo career, scoring a hit with “Stay the Night” from the album The Lace. He also contributed to Ocasek’s solo release This Side of Paradise and to the Joni Mitchell albums Misses and Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm. In November 1995 Rhino released the two-CD anthology Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology. During the late 1990s Orr performed with Big People, whose members included former .38 Special guitarist Jeff Carlisi.
In summer 2000 Orr rejoined his former bandmates to film the documentary Live, slated for November release on Rhino Home Video. Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer at age 53 in his Atlanta, Georgia, residence on October 3, 2000.
Born Benjamin Orzechowski on September 8, 1947, in Lakewood (Cleveland), Ohio, Orr amused relatives and acquaintances by mimicking Elvis Presley. As a teenager he acquired skills on guitar, bass, keyboards, and percussion. After leaving high school he supported himself through session work on guitar and appearances with the Cleveland television program Upbeat.
Orr first met singer/guitarist Ric Ocasek while both were attending a band rehearsal. The pair subsequently exchanged their own compositions, prompting Ocasek to invite Orr into the group as keyboardist. Because the ensemble shared a booking agency with the Stooges and the MC5, the acts toured together.
Eventually Orr and his bandmates relocated to New York City in pursuit of wider recognition. After two years on the local club circuit the lineup dissolved; Ocasek settled in Boston while Orr returned to Ohio. Ocasek later urged the bassist/vocalist to join him in Boston, citing its active music community. The musicians appeared throughout New England clubs in shifting configurations, occasionally performing as an acoustic duo. They secured bookings by claiming they would perform current hit covers, only to play original material instead—an approach that occasionally resulted in dismissal.
In 1976 Orr and Ocasek added left-handed lead guitarist Elliott Easton to the lineup known as Cap’n Swing. Multi-instrumentalist Greg Hawkes, who had previously recorded with Orr and Ocasek on an album by Milkwood, and drummer David Robinson joined shortly thereafter, forming the Cars.
Airplay for the band’s demo of “Just What I Needed” on Boston stations WBCN-FM and WCOZ-FM prompted several labels to extend recording contracts. The group signed with Elektra/Asylum; their debut album, The Cars, produced by Roy Thomas Baker, appeared in May 1978. Candy-O followed in June 1979 and achieved platinum status. The Cars continued to accumulate platinum certifications, including those awarded to Shake It Up (1981) and Heartbeat City. Their Greatest Hits collection entered the Top 20 in 1986, the same year the band disbanded.
Concurrently Orr launched a solo career, scoring a hit with “Stay the Night” from the album The Lace. He also contributed to Ocasek’s solo release This Side of Paradise and to the Joni Mitchell albums Misses and Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm. In November 1995 Rhino released the two-CD anthology Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology. During the late 1990s Orr performed with Big People, whose members included former .38 Special guitarist Jeff Carlisi.
In summer 2000 Orr rejoined his former bandmates to film the documentary Live, slated for November release on Rhino Home Video. Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer at age 53 in his Atlanta, Georgia, residence on October 3, 2000.
Albums
