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.
This first-ever biography about Orr spans 11 years in the making, as writer 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interviews with over 120 family members, friends, bandmates, and music associates from Orr’s life, as well as many unpublished and never before seen photos from private collections, to reveal an intimate portrait of one of classic rock’s great talents. Joe has been a music journalist, editor and website publisher for two decades. A die-hard music fan with a degree in visual arts, Joe turned to writing as his creative outlet, first as a local reporter, then a sports/arts & entertainment editor and freelancer. In 2014, he launched Standing Room Only, a website dedicated to promoting music and the arts on a New England local angle and national level.
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interviews with over 120 family members, friends, bandmates, and music associates from Orr’s life, as well as many unpublished and never-before-seen photos from private collections, to reveal an intimate portrait of one of classic rock’s greatest talents.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.
You can get it here.
