Benjamin Orr (September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000) was the bass guitar player and one of the vocalists for New Wave band The Cars. Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ...

Career

Orr was born Benjamin Orzechowski in Lakewood, Ohio, to Russian and Czechoslovakian parents.[3] He grew up in Cleveland, and dropped out of high school to join a local band The Grasshoppers as lead singer and guitarist. The Grasshoppers were the house band on the syndicated TV show Upbeat hosted by Don Webster. In 1965, they released two singles on the Sunburst label, "Mod Socks" and "Pink Champagne (And Red Roses)", the latter written by Orr. His parents were both singers and actively supported his musical endeavors. He became proficient in several instruments including the guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and drums. However, his talents in The Cars were mostly in playing the bass and lead vocals for many of their most popular hits, including "Just What I Needed", "Let's Go", and "Drive". Orr's backing vocals were also a Cars' signature. Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ...

Around 1970, Orr moved to Columbus where he met Ric Ocasek and formed a musical partnership that would continue through to the end of The Cars. Along with lead guitarist Jas Goodkind, the two formed a folk band called Milkwood. The group released one album "How's the Weather" in 1972 which failed to chart; it was recently re-released in Japan. By the mid 1970s Orr was working in a Boston night club band, Cap'n Swing, with other members including future Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and guitarist Elliot Easton. When the group broke up in 1975, the three of them joined up with keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson to form The Cars by 1976. Ric Ocasek (born Richard Otcasek on March 23, 1949, in Baltimore, Maryland) is the former vocalist and frontman for The Cars and a producer for several other groups, including Bad Brains and Suicide. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... A nightclub (often dance club or club, particularly in the UK) is an entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... In music, a band is a group of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of a musical arrangement. ... Ric Ocasek (born Richard Otcasek on March 23, 1949, in Baltimore, Maryland) is the former vocalist and frontman for The Cars and a producer for several other groups, including Bad Brains and Suicide. ... Elliot Easton Elliot Easton (born Elliot Steinberg, 18 December 1953, in Brooklyn, New York) played lead guitar and sang background vocals for The Cars. ... Greg Hawkes is one of the most influential keyboardists of the new wave era. ... David Robinson (born April 2, 1953) was a drummer for the Massachusetts bands The Modern Lovers and The Cars. ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ...

As a key member of The Cars, Orr's biggest success came with the song "Drive" where he was featured on lead vocals and had a prominent part in the accompanying music video. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Drive is a 1984 song by The Cars. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

After several top hits and multi-platinum albums with The Cars, he released his only solo project The Lace in 1986. He co-wrote all music and lyrics, and the album had one Top 40 hit, "Stay the Night". A second single "Too Hot to Stop" was also released. The album had a very familiar rhythm and feel of The Cars but was also free of Ocasek's frequently cryptic lyrics. The album cover for The Lace was shot by then manager Jean Renard and featured Ben Orr on the front and his co-writer Diane Page on the back. The video for "Stay the Night", co-directed by Renard went on to number one on both MTV and VH1. In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list—a chart—of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. ... Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has sold a certain number of copies. ... An album (from Latin albus white, blank, relating to a blank book in which something can be inserted) is a packaged collection of related things. ... The Lace is Benjamin Orrs 1986 solo debut album. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 1980s in music // January 23 - The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley) February 11 - Culture Club... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ... Jean Renard is presently a manager and living in Los Angeles. ...

Orr continued to work with The Cars for one more album before their subsequent break-up in 1988, after which he and the other members pursued solo work. Between 1987-1989 Orr recorded tracks for an unreleased follow-up to The Lace. From 1998 onwards he led three bands, including 'Orr', 'The Voices of Classic Rock', and 'Big People'. The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ...

In April 2000, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and subsequently hospitalized ^[1], yet continued to perform in concerts with his all-star band, Big People, at summer music festivals and state fairs. He reunited with all the former members of The Cars only once in Atlanta, Georgia for an interview that was used in a Rhino Records video and DVD of a German concert performed in 1979, The Cars Live. Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumour within the pancreatic gland. ... A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. ... A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. states population. ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ... Nickname: Location in Fulton and DeKalb counties in the state of Georgia Coordinates: , Country United States State Georgia Counties Fulton, DeKalb Government  - Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area  - City  132. ... Rhino Entertainment is a specialty record label originally known for releasing retrospectives of famous comedy performers, including Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer, and Spike Jones. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ... A classical music concert in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 2005 Kasia Kowalska concert in Warsaw A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

His final appearance was on September 27, 2000 in a Big People concert in Alaska. Six days later, he passed away at his home in Atlanta, on Tuesday night, October 3, 2000 at the age of 53, surrounded by his fiancee Julie Snider, manager Billy Johnson and Big People band members Jeff Carlisi, Derek St. Holmes and Rob Wilson ^[2]. The bands Orr and Big People still perform his classic Cars hits. is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

Ric Ocasek wrote and recorded the song "Silver" which was his musical tribute to Ben. It appeared on Ocasek's 2005 solo album Nexterday. Ric Ocasek (born Richard Otcasek on March 23, 1949, in Baltimore, Maryland) is the former vocalist and frontman for The Cars and a producer for several other groups, including Bad Brains and Suicide. ...

Solo discography

• The Lace (1986 Elektra Records) #86 US

The Lace is Benjamin Orrs 1986 solo debut album. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ...

Singles

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ... The Adult Contemporary chart lists the most popular songs weekly calculated by airplay and occasionally sales. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 1980s in music // January 23 - The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley) February 11 - Culture Club... See also: 1986 in music, other events of 1987, 1988 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ...

Notes

External links

• Benjamin Orr biography - All Music Guide
• Benjamin Orr bio & discography - Voices of Classic Rock
• CarsUnreleased.com - Ben Orr Live and Unreleased Tracks