Benjamin Orr
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Orr was an American rock musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for the Boston based rock band, The Cars
.
He sang several of their best known tracks, including "Just What I Needed
", "Let's Go
", their best-known worldwide hit "Drive
", "Cruiser" and "Bye Bye Love
". He also scored a moderate solo hit with "Stay the Night
."
, to parents of Russian
, Czechoslovak, and Polish
descent, who actively supported his musical endeavors. He became proficient in several instruments including the guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and drums. Known locally as "Benny 11-Letters," he grew up in Lakewood, Ohio
, and Parma, Ohio
, and dropped out of Valley Forge 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 produced by WEWS-TV
in Cleveland
. 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 dissolved in 1967 when two of the band members were drafted into the U.S. Army, after which Orzechowski was drafted as well, although he received a deferment after approximately a year and a half in the Army.
Around 1970, Orr moved to Columbus, Ohio
where he met Ric Ocasek
and formed a musical partnership that would continue through to the end of his life. 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. By the mid 1970's, Orr was working in a Boston
night club band, Cap'n Swing, whose members included future Cars leader Ric Ocasek
and guitarist Elliot Easton
. After the group broke up in 1975, the three of them along with keyboardist Greg Hawkes
and drummer David Robinson
formed The Cars
in 1976.
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 part as the storyteller in the accompanying music video. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
charts.
After several top hits and multi-platinum record 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, but did not chart in the Hot 100. 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 featured Ben Orr on the front and his co-writer Diane Grey Page on the back. The video for "Stay the Night" reached number one on both MTV and VH1, and Orr won an ASCAP award for the song.
Orr continued to work with The Cars
for one more album before walking away in 1987 (The Cars never gave an official break up statement), after which he and the other members pursued solo work. Sometime in the mid-90's, 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, "The Voices of Classic Rock" with Mickey Thomas and John Cafferty,
and "Big People", which was a cover band with Jeff Carlisi (of .38 Special), Derek St. Holmes
(of Ted Nugent
), and Liberty DeVitto
(of Billy Joel
).
Also in the late 90's, Orr was helping to promote an unknown local band in New England, and even performed a few Cars songs with the band, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
and was subsequently hospitalized, yet he continued to perform in concerts with the band Big People at summer music festival
s and state fair
s. He reunited with all the former members of The Cars
one last time in Atlanta, for an interview that was used in a Rhino Records video and DVD of a German concert performed in 1979, The Cars Live.
His final public appearance was on September 27, 2000, in a Big People concert in Anchorage
, Alaska. He died at home in Atlanta on October 3, 2000, aged 53, surrounded by his fellow Big People band members Jeff Carlisi, Derek St. Holmes and Rob Wilson and tour manager Joe D'Learo. Orr was survived by his son, Ben, from a previous relationship.
Ocasek wrote and recorded the song "Silver," which was his musical tribute to Orr. It appeared on Ocasek's 2005 solo album, Nexterday
.
He was given a special thanks on the Cars "Move Like This
" album. The booklet reads: "Ben, your spirit was with us on this one."
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
.
He sang several of their best known tracks, including "Just What I Needed
Just What I Needed
-Cover versions:*Big Daddy - Big Daddy*Caleigh Peters – Sky High soundtrack*Sister Hazel – Lift*Poison – Poison'd*Bang Tango – Untied and live!*The Insyderz – Fight Of My Life and Paradise CD Single*Replicants – Replicants...
", "Let's Go
Let's Go (The Cars song)
"Let's Go" was the first single from The Cars' album Candy-O released in 1979. It was written by Ric Ocasek and features lead vocals by Cars bassist Ben Orr. The single peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S., but the song was an even bigger success elsewhere...
", their best-known worldwide hit "Drive
Drive (The Cars song)
"Drive" is a 1984 song by The Cars, the third single from the band's Heartbeat City album and their biggest international hit. It was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Lead vocals were by Cars bassist Benjamin Orr....
", "Cruiser" and "Bye Bye Love
Bye Bye Love (The Cars song)
"Bye Bye Love" is a song by the American Boston-based rock band The Cars. The song appears on the band's eponymous debut album. It was written by band leader Ric Ocasek and sung by bassist Benjamin Orr...
". He also scored a moderate solo hit with "Stay the Night
Stay the Night (Benjamin Orr song)
"Stay The Night" is a song by The Cars vocalist and bassist Benjamin Orr. It was included in his 1986 solo debut album The Lace, and released as a single in late 1986...
."
Career
Benjamin Orr was born Benjamin Orzechowski in Lakewood, OhioLakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
, to parents of Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, Czechoslovak, and Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
descent, who actively supported his musical endeavors. He became proficient in several instruments including the guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and drums. Known locally as "Benny 11-Letters," he grew up in Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
, and Parma, Ohio
Parma, Ohio
Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio...
, and dropped out of Valley Forge High School
Valley Forge High School
Valley Forge High School is located in Parma Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. It is one of three high schools in the Parma City School District, which is one of the largest school districts in the state of Ohio, serving the cities of Parma, Parma Heights, and Seven Hills. The school's colors...
to join a local band the Grasshoppers as lead singer and guitarist. The Grasshoppers were the house band on the syndicated TV show Upbeat produced by WEWS-TV
WEWS-TV
WEWS-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio. WEWS has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception, and is an affiliate of the ABC television network...
in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. 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 dissolved in 1967 when two of the band members were drafted into the U.S. Army, after which Orzechowski was drafted as well, although he received a deferment after approximately a year and a half in the Army.
Around 1970, Orr moved to Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
where he met Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
and formed a musical partnership that would continue through to the end of his life. 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. By the mid 1970's, Orr was working in a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
night club band, Cap'n Swing, whose members included future Cars leader Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
and guitarist Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
. After the group broke up in 1975, the three of them along with keyboardist Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes is a musician best known as the keyboardist for the Rock band The Cars.Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute...
and drummer David Robinson
David Robinson (musician)
David Robinson is an American rock drummer. He has performed with many rock bands including The Modern Lovers, DMZ and The Cars.He attended Woburn Memorial High School....
formed The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
in 1976.
As a key member of The Cars, Orr's biggest success came with the song "Drive
Drive (The Cars song)
"Drive" is a 1984 song by The Cars, the third single from the band's Heartbeat City album and their biggest international hit. It was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Lead vocals were by Cars bassist Benjamin Orr....
," where he was featured on lead vocals and had a part as the storyteller in the accompanying music video. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts.
After several top hits and multi-platinum record albums with The Cars, he released his only solo project The Lace
The Lace (Benjamin Orr album)
The Lace is the debut solo record by The Cars' member Benjamin Orr. It features his only solo hit, the song "Stay the Night" which reached the top 40 in 1987...
in 1986. He co-wrote all music and lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, and the album had one Top 40 hit, "Stay the Night
Stay the Night (Benjamin Orr song)
"Stay The Night" is a song by The Cars vocalist and bassist Benjamin Orr. It was included in his 1986 solo debut album The Lace, and released as a single in late 1986...
". A second single "Too Hot to Stop" was also released, but did not chart in the Hot 100. The album had a very familiar rhythm and feel of The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
but was also free of Ocasek's frequently cryptic lyrics. The album cover for The Lace featured Ben Orr on the front and his co-writer Diane Grey Page on the back. The video for "Stay the Night" reached number one on both MTV and VH1, and Orr won an ASCAP award for the song.
Orr continued to work with The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
for one more album before walking away in 1987 (The Cars never gave an official break up statement), after which he and the other members pursued solo work. Sometime in the mid-90's, 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, "The Voices of Classic Rock" with Mickey Thomas and John Cafferty,
and "Big People", which was a cover band with Jeff Carlisi (of .38 Special), Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Holmes
Derek St. Holmes is an American musician best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitar player for Ted Nugent's successful early solo career.-Early years:...
(of Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
), and Liberty DeVitto
Liberty DeVitto
Liberty DeVitto is an American rock drummer. He is best known as the drummer for Billy Joel, but has also played with the NYC Hit Squad and has been a session drummer on recordings of other artists.-Career:...
(of Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
).
Also in the late 90's, Orr was helping to promote an unknown local band in New England, and even performed a few Cars songs with the band, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Illness and death
In April 2000, Orr was diagnosed with pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
and was subsequently hospitalized, yet he continued to perform in concerts with the band Big People at summer music festival
Music festival
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. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s and state fair
State fair
A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....
s. He reunited with all the former members of The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
one last time in Atlanta, for an interview that was used in a Rhino Records video and DVD of a German concert performed in 1979, The Cars Live.
His final public appearance was on September 27, 2000, in a Big People concert in Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, Alaska. He died at home in Atlanta on October 3, 2000, aged 53, surrounded by his fellow Big People band members Jeff Carlisi, Derek St. Holmes and Rob Wilson and tour manager Joe D'Learo. Orr was survived by his son, Ben, from a previous relationship.
Ocasek wrote and recorded the song "Silver," which was his musical tribute to Orr. It appeared on Ocasek's 2005 solo album, Nexterday
Nexterday
Nexterday is an album released by former lead singer and songwriter of The Cars, Ric Ocasek.The album boasts a more DIY sound than previous albums, having been partially recorded in Ocasek's home studio with Ocasek playing many of the instruments himself...
.
He was given a special thanks on the Cars "Move Like This
Move Like This
-Best Buy edition:This enhanced CD also has videos for "Sad Song" and "Blue Tip.""Rocket USA" is a cover of a 1977 song by the American band Suicide, from their self-titled debut.-Personnel:The Cars*Ric Ocasek – lead and background vocals, guitars, keyboards...
" album. The booklet reads: "Ben, your spirit was with us on this one."
The Grasshoppers
- 1965: "Mod Socks" b/w "Twin Beat" (Sunburst 104, national U.S and Canada release on Warner Bros. 5607)
- 1965: "Pink Champagne (And Red Roses)" b/w "The Wasp" (Sunburst 105)
Solo albums
- 1986: The LaceThe Lace (Benjamin Orr album)The Lace is the debut solo record by The Cars' member Benjamin Orr. It features his only solo hit, the song "Stay the Night" which reached the top 40 in 1987...
(ElektraElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
60460) #86 US
Solo singles
| Year | Song | Canada | US Pop Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Rock | US A/C Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Stay the Night Stay the Night (Benjamin Orr song) "Stay The Night" is a song by The Cars vocalist and bassist Benjamin Orr. It was included in his 1986 solo debut album The Lace, and released as a single in late 1986... " |
31 | 24 | 6 | 2 | The Lace |
| 1987 | "Too Hot To Stop" | - | - | 25 | - | The Lace |
External links
- [ Benjamin Orr biography] – Allmusic