Benjamin Orr

Ric Ocasek is probably the most recognizable member of legendary rock group The Cars thanks in part to MTV giving him a lot of exposure during the early 80s and the fact that he’s also married to a super model. Most rock fans know that the guy who really gave the band substance was Benjamin Orr.  Originally born as Benjamin Orzechowski (which is as good a reason as any to change his last name), he was the bassist who also happened to share lead vocal duties and write many of the hits.  If you listened to the tunes without knowing the band’s history, you would think that all songs were sung by one guy.  When I was young and learning about rock & roll, I always assumed Ric Ocasek sang lead on every song. It wasn’t until years later that I realized Benjamin Orr actually sang lead vocals on many of the songs I assumed were sung by Ocasek. Many of the Cars biggest hits including Let’s Go, All That You Needed, and their biggest hit Drive (peaked at #3 in 1985 on the Billboard Top 100 chat) were sung by Orr.   He was the band member that brought the ladies to the shows.  With his moppy blonde hair, dimpled chin and baby face rock star image, he was the best looking guy in the band.  It was a shock that most of the videos that showed on MTV featured Ric Ocasek instead of Orr.

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