Benjamin Orr

Benjamin Orr (born Benjamin Orzechowski, September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000) was an American musician, bassist, co-lead vocalist, and co-founder of the band the Cars. He sang lead vocals on several of their hits, 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.

Early life
Benjamin Orzechowski was born in Lakewood, Ohio to immigrant parents. His mother, Elizabeth (née Alžbeta Benová), was Carpatho-Rusyn, born in present day Kojšov, Slovakia, and his father, Charles Orzechowski, was born in present-day Ukraine. Both were devout Byzantine Rite Catholics and Ben's mother would not allow him to drive his first car until the local clergy had blessed it. His family 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 attended Valley Forge High School before joining local band the Grasshoppers in 1964.

The Grasshoppers: 1964–1965
Formed in Cleveland, Ohio, the Grasshoppers were a instrumental-based foursome. Their featured band members were Louis Pratile (lead guitar), Jerry Zadar (bass guitar), and Sid Turner (drummer). They were joined by the then-seventeen-year-old Orzechowski, who became their lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and sometimes doubled as a drummer.

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 (and later the Mixed Emotions) were also the house band on the Big 5 Show, more commonly known as Upbeat, a musical variety television show produced by WEWS-TV in Cleveland.

Mixed Emotions: 1966
The Grasshoppers dissolved in 1966, when two of the band members were drafted into the U.S. Army. Orzechowski then played in the band Mixed Emotions, which featured Joe Kurelic (drummer), Chris Kamburoff (rhythm guitar), David Gardina (bass guitar), and Jimmy Vince with Orzechowski (lead guitar) as lead vocalists. The band recorded three unreleased tracks: "Forever You Have My Heart", "I'll Do My Cryin' In The Rain" and "I Can't Help It".

He later joined another band, the Colours. But eventually, Orzechowski was drafted as well, although he received a deferment after approximately a year and a half in the Army.

Various groups: ID Nirvana, Leatherwood
Orr first met Ric Ocasek in Cleveland in the mid-1960s, after Ocasek saw Orr performing with the Grasshoppers on the Big 5 Show. 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). In the late 1960's, they formed the bands ID Nirvana and Leatherwood, performing in and around Ohio State University.

Milkwood: 1970–1972
In the early 1970s, after moving to Boston, Massachusetts, the two musicians formed the folk trio Milkwood with guitarist Jim Goodkind. The group was named after a Dylan Thomas poem called "Under Milkwood". In 1972, the group released one album, How's the Weather? under Paramount Records which failed to chart. From the list of songs on the album, Orr wrote "Lincoln Park".

Various groups: Ocasek & Orr, Richard and the Rabbits
Remaining in Boston, the duo Ocasek and Orr then formed another band, Richard and the Rabbits, featuring keyboardist Greg Hawkes.

Cap'n Swing: 1975–1976
This was followed by another Ocasek and Orr band, Cap'n Swing, "an almost famous band". The additional band members included guitarist Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, Todd Roberto, Danny (Schliftman) Louis, and Glenn Evans.

They would perform songs such as "City Lights", "Jezebel", "Strawberry Moonlight", "Will You Still Love Me Tonight", and "Come Back Down". A few of these songs would make an appearance in the early days of the Cars, in 1977. In later years, there was a CD released labelled the Jezebel album, which contained demos.

After the group broke up in 1976, Orr, Ocasek, Hawkes, Easton and drummer David Robinson formed the Cars.

The Cars: 1977–1988
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’s work with the Cars spanned six studio albums culminating with Door to Door, before the group disbanded in 1988. Afterwards, he and the other members pursued solo work.

Solo career
Orr released his only solo album, The Lace, in 1986. He co-wrote the music and lyrics with his long-time girlfriend Diane Grey Page, who also sang backing vocals and appeared on the album's back cover.

The album featured a top 40 Pop hit, "Stay the Night". The song was also a top 10 album rock hit. An accompanying music video for the song was in heavy rotation on MTV. 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.

In the late 1980s, Orr was working with Joni Mitchell's husband at the time, Larry Klein, who co-produced Orr's solo album, The Lace. He was invited to record backing vocals for "Number One" and "The Beat of Black Wings" for the album Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988).

Sometime in the mid-1990s, Orr recorded tracks with guitarist John Kalishes for an unreleased follow up to The Lace. For the album, Orr did a rendition of Stan Meissner's "River of Fire". Although it was never officially released, multiple tracks from Orr's second solo album exist.

Various groups: ORR Band, Voices of Classic Rock, Big People
From 1998 until his death in 2000, he performed with his own band ORR and two side bands, Voices of Classic Rock with Mickey Thomas and John Cafferty, and cover band Big People, 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).

Personal life
Orr was married twice and had one son.

Illness and death
In April 2000, Orr was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and hospitalized. However, he continued to perform with the band Big People throughout that summer at music festivals and state fairs. He reunited with the Cars one last time in Atlanta, for an interview that was included in the Rhino Records concert video The Cars Live.

Orr died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Atlanta on October 3, 2000, at the age of 53. 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.

Ric Ocasek wrote and recorded the song "Silver" as a musical tribute to Orr. It appeared on Ocasek's 2005 solo album, Nexterday. The Cars reunited ten years after Orr's death and released their seventh studio album, Move Like This, in May 2011. Orr was given special thanks in the liner notes: "Ben, your spirit was with us on this one."

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

Orr lead vocals: The Cars

 * * = shared with Ric Ocasek