Benjamin Orr
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Benjamin Orr | |
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Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1965–2000 |
Labels | Elektra |
Formerly of | The Cars · Voices of Classic Rock |
Benjamin Orr (born Benjamin Orzechowski, September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000) was an American musician best known as the bassist, co-lead vocalist, and co-founder of the new wave band the Cars. He sang lead vocals on several of their best-known songs, including "Just What I Needed", "Let's Go", "Moving in Stereo", and "Drive". He also had a moderate solo hit with "Stay the Night".
Orr was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cars in 2018.[1]
Life and career
Benjamin Orzechowski was born in
Known locally as "Benny 11 Letters", he grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, and Parma, Ohio and attended Valley Forge High School before joining local band the Grasshoppers as lead singer and guitarist in 1964.[6] In 1965, the Grasshoppers released two singles on the Sunburst label: "Mod Socks" and "Pink Champagne (and Red Roses)", the latter written by Orzechowski.
The Grasshoppers were also the house band on the in Cleveland. The Grasshoppers dissolved in 1966, when two of the band members were drafted into the U.S. Army, after which Orzechowski joined the band Mixed Emotions, and later the Colours.
Later, Orzechowski was drafted as well, although he received a deferment after approximately a year and a half in the Army.[7][8]
Orr first met Ric Ocasek in Cleveland in the 1960s after Ocasek saw Orr performing with the Grasshoppers on the Big 5 Show.[9] A few years later, Orr moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he and Ocasek formed a musical partnership that would continue in various incarnations until the break up of the Cars in 1988. After moving to Boston, the two formed a folk band called Milkwood with guitarist James Goodkind.
In 1972, the group released one album, How's the Weather? which failed to chart.
As a member of the Cars, Orr sang lead vocal on some of the band's best-known songs, including their first hit in the top 40, "Just What I Needed", "Let's Go", and "Drive", their highest charting single in the United States.
Orr released his only solo album,
A second single, "Too Hot to Stop", was also released, but did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, though it reached No. 25 on the album rock chart. Orr continued to work with the Cars for one more album, Door to Door, and tour before the group disbanded in 1988, after which he and the other members pursued solo work. Sometime in the mid-1990s, Orr recorded tracks with guitarist John Kalishes for an unreleased follow up to The Lace.
From 1998 until his death in 2000, he performed with his own band ORR and two side bands,
and cover band Big People,[2] with Pat Travers (of the Pat Travers Band), Jeff Carlisi (of 38 Special), Derek St. Holmes (of Ted Nugent), and Liberty DeVitto (of Billy Joel).Orr was married twice and had one son.[16]
Illness and death
In April 2000, Orr was diagnosed with
Orr died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Atlanta on October 3, 2000, at the age of 53.[18][19] He had made his final public appearance less than six weeks earlier on August 25, performing with Big People in Anchorage, Alaska; bandmates Jeff Carlisi, Derek St. Holmes and Rob Wilson were at Orr's bedside when he died.[20]
Ric Ocasek wrote and recorded the song "Silver" as a musical tribute to Orr.[21] It appeared on Ocasek's 2005 solo album, Nexterday.[22] The Cars reunited ten years after Orr's death and released their seventh studio album, Move Like This, in May 2011.[23] Orr was given special thanks in the liner notes: "Ben, your spirit was with us on this one."[24]
Discography
Solo albums
- The Lace (1986) – US# 86
With the Grasshoppers
- "Mod Socks" b/w "Twin Beat" (1965) Sunburst Records
- "Pink Champagne (and Red Roses)" b/w "The Wasp" (1965) Sunburst Records
With Milkwood
- How's the Weather? (1973)
With the Cars
- The Cars (1978)
- Candy-O (1979)
- Panorama (1980)
- Shake It Up (1981)
- Heartbeat City (1984)
- Door to Door (1987)
Participation
- 1988 : Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm by Joni Mitchell - backing vocals on 2 songs
Solo singles
Title | Release | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US Rock | US AC | AUS[25] | CAN | |||
"Stay the Night" | 1986 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 66 | 31 | The Lace |
"Too Hot to Stop" | 1987 | — | 25 | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |
References
- ^ "The Cars". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ a b "Benjamin Orr's | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-5381-4318-6.
- ^ "BYZANTINE RITE CATHOLICS". May 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (October 4, 2016). "Benjamin Orr Before the Cars". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ Scott, Jane. "Meet the Men with Green Feet" The Plain Dealer January 30, 1965: 34
- ^ Scott, Jane. "The Cars take off fast in record derby" The Plain Dealer June 9, 1978: Friday 28
- ^ Adams, Deanna. Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection (2002): 50–52
- ^ Scott, Jane. "Cars are roaring back; Blossom is a sell-out" The Plain Dealer August 7, 1984: 5-C
- ^ "Milkwood Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
- ^ "The Lace – Benjamin Orr | Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. Rock Tracks (2002): 103
- ^ "MTV Programming" Billboard December 13, 1986: 42
- ^ "Rock musician Benjamin Orr dies". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. October 5, 2000. p. B2. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Voices of Classic Rock & Rockforever.com – Presents BEN ORR". March 24, 2008. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ^ Reformer, Chris Mays, Brattleboro (November 14, 2018). "'Let's Go': Book gets behind wheel with Benjamin Orr of The Cars". Bennington Banner.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Cars' Benjamin Orr hospitalized". MTV.com. May 24, 2000. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- ^ Niesel, Jeff (November 13, 2000). "Friends and Bandmates Pay Tribute to Ben Orr". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ Petkovic, John (November 10, 2000). "A Rock Star Who Stayed True to his Roots". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio.
- ^ Saidman, Sorelle (October 4, 2000). "MTV reports Benjamin Orr's death". MTV.com. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ Browne, David (October 18, 2019). "The Mystery of Ric Ocasek: 'He Tried for Happiness, But Underneath Was a Lot of Pain'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Nexterday – Ric Ocasek | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Spitz, Marc (May 5, 2011). "Q&A: Ric Ocasek of the Cars". Vanity Fair.
- ^ "Ben Orr". December 28, 2012.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
External links
- [1]
- Benjamin Orr biography – Allmusic
- Benjamin Orr at IMDb
- Benjamin Orr—Find a Grave