Ben Orr, born as Benjamin Orzechowski, was the co-founder, bassist, and singer for the classic rock band the Cars.
He began his career in Lakewood, Ohio in 1964 by joining a band called the Grasshoppers.
The band dissolved a couple of years afterward in 1966 and when they did, Ben went on to join two more bands, Mixed Emotions, then the Colours.
He co-founded the Cars in 1976 and performed with them until the band’s breakup in 1988. We have an interesting article on how Ben Orr and Elliott Easton created the sounds of The Cars.
Genre
Rock, new wave
Trivia
Ben was originally known in his neighborhood as “Benny 11 Letters” due to the length of his last name.
Labels
Elektra
Artist Website Link: None
Discography
Solo Albums:
The Lace – Released: October 6, 1986
With the Grasshoppers:
“Mod Socks” b/w “Twin Beat” (1965)
“Pink Champagne (and Red Roses)” b/w “The Wasp” (1965)
With the Cars:
The Cars – Released: June 6, 1978
Candy-O – Released: June 13, 1979
Panorama – Released: August 15, 1980
Shake It Up – Released: November 6, 1981
Heartbeat City – Released: March 13, 1984
Door to Door – Released: August 25, 1987
MultiTracks
Bye Bye Love (Ben Orr vocal and bass) – the Cars
All Mixed Up (Ben Orr vocal and Elliott Easton guitar only) – the Cars
The Cars | Just What I Needed (Ben Orr vocal, bass, Elliot Easton guitar solo)