Benjamin Orr (musician)
Benjamin Orr (born September 8, 1947 in Lakewood , Ohio , † October 3, 2000 in Atlanta , Georgia ), actually Benjamin Orzechowski , was an American singer and bassist and member of the band The Cars .
Life
Orr, who was of Russian and Czechoslovak origin, learned various instruments as a teenager, including guitar , bass, keyboards and drums . He dropped out of high school early and joined the band The Grasshoppers as a singer and guitarist. In 1965 the band released two singles . Two years later, it was disbanded because he and other members were drafted into the US Army .
In 1970 Orr moved to Columbus , where he met Ric Ocasek and founded the band Milkwood with him and the guitarist Jas Goodkind . The first and only album, released in 1972, was commercially unsuccessful, and in 1975 the band was disbanded. The following year he founded the band The Cars with Ocasek . He played the bass and took over the lead vocals on some tracks. His voice can be heard on Just What I Needed , Let's Go and on the commercially most successful single Drive , which reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1984 .
In the fall of 1986 Orr released his solo debut album The Lace on Elektra Records , which reached number 86 on the album charts. The first single, Stay the Night , reached the top 40, and he was also awarded an ASCAP award for this. The following single could not place in the charts. The Cars broke up in 1988 and Orr began recording a second solo album, which was never released.
Orr was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2000 and died in October of the same year.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
|||
| 1986 | The Lace |
US86 (22 weeks) US |
First published: October 1986
|
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1986 | Stay the Night The Lace |
US24 (20 weeks) US |
First published: September 1986
|
Web links
- Benjamin Orr in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Benjamin Orr at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ MTV News, "The Cars Benjamin Orr Dead At 53" (English)
- ↑ a b Chart sources: US
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Orr, Benjamin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Orzechowski, Benjamin (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 8, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lakewood , Ohio , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 3, 2000 |
| Place of death | Atlanta , Georgia , United States |