Cars

The Cars were a popular American New Wave band that formed in 1976, after going through several different incarnations. They hailed from Boston, Massachusetts and were signed to Elektra Records in 1977. Lineup: David Robinson (drummer), Benjamin Orr (singer/bassist), Ric Ocasek (singer/rhythm guitarist), Elliot Easton (lead guitarist), Greg Hawkes (keyboardist). During their career, they released six albums: The Cars (1978), Candy-O (1979), Panorama (1980), Shake It Up (1981), Heartbeat City (1984), and Door to Door (1987). The first five of these albums all were certified platinum by the RIAA, and their self-titled debut was one of the best-selling albums of the 1970s, remaining on the Billboard album charts for over a year. They experienced a second wave of popularity in 1984 with the album Heartbeat City and the popular MTV staples "You Might Think," "Magic," and "Drive," the last of which was their highest-charting single, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, after that peak, they vanished from the public eye and worked on solo projects, and released one final album before breaking up in early 1988. Benjamin Orr died of pancreatic cancer in October 2000. Guitarist Elliot Easton played in a surf music group and joined a touring act called Creedence Clearwater Revisted with ex-members of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Lead vocalist Ric Ocasek married supermodel Paulina Porizkova not long after The Cars' breakup and has since become a prolific producer, working on albums by such diverse artists as Bad Brains,Weezer, Guided by Voices and No Doubt. He has also released a number of solo albums, including 2005's Nexterday. Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton have recently teamed up with Todd Rundgren and his rhythm section as The New Cars; they have released a live album and are currently touring.