Benjamin Orr

Benjamin Orr
Orr in 1978 on The Midnight Special
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Orzechowski
Born	September 8, 1947 Lakewood, Ohio
Died	October 3, 2000(2000-10-03) (aged 53) Atlanta, Georgia
Genres	Rock, new wave
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer, songwriter
Instruments	Bass guitar vocals
Years active	1965–2000
Labels	Elektra
Associated acts	The Cars, Voices of Classic Rock, Big People

Benjamin Orzechowski (September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000), known as Benjamin Orr, was an American musician best known as a singer, bassist and co-founder of the rock band the Cars. He sang lead vocals on several of their best known songs, including "Just What I Needed", "Let's Go" and "Drive". He also scored a moderate solo hit with "Stay the Night."

Benjamin Orr was born in Lakewood, Ohio to parents of Polish, Russian, Czechoslovakian and German 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 attended Valley Forge High School before joining a local band the Grasshoppers as lead singer and guitarist in 1964. 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 were also the house band on the Big 5 Show, a musical variety TV show produced by WEWS-TV in Cleveland. The Grasshoppers dissolved in 1966 when two of the band members were drafted into the U.S. Army, after which Orzechowski joined the band Mixed Emotions and later, the Colours. Later Orzechowski was drafted as well, although he received a deferment after approximately a year and a half in the Army.

Orr first met Ric Ocasek, the future leader of the Cars, in Cleveland in the 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. After moving to Boston, the two formed a folk band called Milkwood with guitarist James Goodkind. In 1973, the group released one album, How's the Weather?, which failed to chart. Remaining in Boston, Ocasek and Orr then formed another band, Richard and the Rabbits, featuring keyboardist Greg Hawkes, followed by another band, Cap'n Swing, which included guitarist Elliot Easton. After the group broke up in 1976, the three of them along with Hawkes and drummer David Robinson formed the Cars.