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Overview
“When Ben got out of the hospital he said, ‘When I fall down and can’t pick myself up we’ll know it’s over. Until then, we rock!’” – Jeff Carlisi
Benjamin Orr was the co-founder, co-lead singer, and bassist for the platinum-selling rock band The Cars. Often considered the band’s heartthrob, Orr possessed an incredible voice, diverse musical talent, and rare stage presence, all balanced by an enigmatic personality and a relentless determination to reach rock stardom.
Selling over 30 million albums worldwide with fifteen Billboard Top 40 hits, The Cars certainly achieved success. Within a decade of the debut album, though, Orr found himself adrift and without a band. Veteran music journalist Joe Milliken draws together interviews with over 120 family members, friends, bandmates, and music associates from Orr's life, as well as many unpublished and never-before-seen photos from private collections, to reveal an intimate portrait of one of classic rock’s greatest talents. From Orr’s first performances as a house-band musician for the TV show UpBeat through his creation of The Cars with Ric Ocasek to Orr’s eventual rebirth with the supergroup Big People, this definitive account of Orr’s life is a rollercoaster ride that sheds new light on the history of The Cars.
Orr is no longer able to rock with The Cars, but the music he made with them continues to attract new generations of fans. Coinciding with the band’s 2018 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this first-ever biography of Benjamin Orr immortalizes his legacy as a deeply kind-hearted and exceptionally talented musician who would stop at nothing to live his rock and roll dream.
Benjamin Orr was the co-founder, co-lead singer, and bassist for the platinum-selling rock band The Cars. Often considered the band’s heartthrob, Orr possessed an incredible voice, diverse musical talent, and rare stage presence, all balanced by an enigmatic personality and a relentless determination to reach rock stardom.
Selling over 30 million albums worldwide with fifteen Billboard Top 40 hits, The Cars certainly achieved success. Within a decade of the debut album, though, Orr found himself adrift and without a band. Veteran music journalist Joe Milliken draws together interviews with over 120 family members, friends, bandmates, and music associates from Orr's life, as well as many unpublished and never-before-seen photos from private collections, to reveal an intimate portrait of one of classic rock’s greatest talents. From Orr’s first performances as a house-band musician for the TV show UpBeat through his creation of The Cars with Ric Ocasek to Orr’s eventual rebirth with the supergroup Big People, this definitive account of Orr’s life is a rollercoaster ride that sheds new light on the history of The Cars.
Orr is no longer able to rock with The Cars, but the music he made with them continues to attract new generations of fans. Coinciding with the band’s 2018 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this first-ever biography of Benjamin Orr immortalizes his legacy as a deeply kind-hearted and exceptionally talented musician who would stop at nothing to live his rock and roll dream.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781538118658 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. |
Publication date: | 11/30/2018 |
Pages: | 248 |
Sales rank: | 397,880 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d) |
About the Author
Joe Milliken has been a music journalist, editor, and website publisher for 20 years. A life-long rock music fan with a degree in visual arts, Joe would turn to writing as his creative outlet, starting as a local reporter, then a Sports/Arts & Entertainment editor, while also freelancing for various national publications. In 2014, he launched Standing Room Only, a website dedicated to promoting music, the arts and specialty food on both a local (Boston, New England) and national level. Originally from Boston, he now resides in southern Vermont with his family. Let’s Go is his first book.
Table of Contents
Foreword vii
Timeline of Bands xi
About the Book xiii
Prologue-Full Circle Cars vii
1 The Early Years 1
2 Moving Forward 21
3 Changing Directions 29
4 Connecting Cars 41
5 False Start 47
6 Richard and The Rabbits 57
7 Cap'n Swing 65
8 Creating Cars 75
9 Revving the Engine 85
10 The Cars 95
11 Candy-O 107
12 Panorama 115
13 Shake It Up 123
14 Solo Cars and Heartbeat City 131
15 The Lace 141
16 Door to Door 147
17 River of Fire 155
18 Traveling Solo 163
19 Big People 177
20 Cars' Last Drive 189
21 Move Like This 197
Afterword 201
Acknowledgments 205
Bibliography 207
Interviews 211
Selected Index 215
About the Author 227
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