Late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek was born 80 years ago, on March 23, 1944. The popular New Wave band’s main songwriter, rhythm guitarist, and, usually, lead singer, Ocasek died of natural causes at age 75 at his home in New York City in September 2019.
Ocasek enjoyed huge success with The Cars, but he also played in a variety of other bands earlier in his career. He also became an in-demand record producer, and released about a half-dozen solo albums.
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Here are five interesting facts about Ocasek in commemoration of what would’ve been his milestone birthday:
The Cars Were a Boston Band, but Ocasek Wasn’t from Boston
Ocasek was born Richard Otcasek in Baltimore. At age 16, his father moved the family moved the family to the Cleveland area, where he had grown up. Ocasek briefly studied at a couple of Ohio colleges before dropping out to pursue a career.
He met future Cars bassist/singer Benjamin Orr in Cleveland in 1965 when Orr was playing in a band called The Grasshoppers. He reconnected with Orr in Columbus, Ohio, and the two began playing music together in various bands in 1968.
In the early 1970s, Ocasek and Orr relocated to Boston to try and launch a music career there.
Ocasek and Orr Played in a Folk-Rock Group Before Forming The Cars
When Ocasek and Orr got to Boston, they formed a Crosby, Stills & Nash-style folk-rock group called Milkwood. In 1973, the band released its only album, How’s the Weather, which featured musical contributions from future Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes. The album was a commercial failure.
After Milkwood broke up, Ocasek formed a band called Richard and the Rabbits, that also featured Orr and Hawkes. Around the same time, Ocasek and Orr played as an acoustic duo. Ocasek and Orr later put together a group with guitarist Elliot Easton called Cap’n Swing. A demo by that group got some local radio airplay, but after the band was rejected by several record labels, Ocasek decided to shake things up.
He fired the bassist and drummer, Orr went from singer/percussionist to singer/bassist, and David Robinson, formerly of the influential Boston band The Modern Lovers, became the new drummer. Hawkes was added on keyboardist, and the group was rechristened The Cars.
The Cars Had More Than a Dozen Top-40 Hits & Six Platinum Albums
During their career, The Cars released 13 singles that reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, all of which were written by Ocasek. Seven of those songs broke into the Top 20: “Let’s Go” (No. 14, 1979), “Shake It Up” (No. 4, 1980), “You Might Think” (No. 7, 1984), “Magic” (No. 12, 1984), “Drive” (No. 3, 1984), “Hello Again” (No. 20, 1984), “Tonight She Comes” (No. 7, 1985), and “You Are the Girl” (No. 17, 1987).
Ocasek also had a Top 20 hit as a solo artist. His song “Moment to Moment, from his second solo album, This Side of Paradise, peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986.
Four of the band’s first five studio albums were certified multi-platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than 1 million copies in the U.S. The band’s 1978 self-titled debut was certified six-times platinum, Candy-O (1978) and Heartbeat City (1984) were certified four-times platinum, and Shake It Up (1981) was certified double platinum. In addition, The Cars’ 1985 Greatest Hits compilation also was certified six-times platinum.
Ocasek Produced Albums for Many Noteworthy Artists
As a producer, Ocasek amassed quite an impressive resume. Among the many artists whose recordings he produced were Suicide, Romeo Void, Bad Brains, Weezer, Bad Religion, D Generation, Jonathan Richman, Guided by Voices, No Doubt, and Le Tigre.
One of the many standout projects helmed by Ocasek was Weezer’s 1994 self-titled debut album, a.k.a. “The Blue Album.” That record, which has been certified triple platinum, features the alternative-rock hits “Buddy Holly,” “Undone – The Sweater Song,” and “Say It Ain’t So.”
Ocasek Last Performance Was at The Cars’ Rock Hall Induction
The Cars were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on April 14, 2018. The four surviving band members reunited to perform at the event, with Weezer bassist Scott Shriner stepping for Orr, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2000 at age 53.
The Cars played four songs at the event—“My Best Friend’s Girl,” “You Might Think,” “Moving in Stereo,” and “Just What I Needed.”
In his acceptance speech, Ocasek paid tribute to Orr.
“It’s hard not to notice that Benjamin Orr is not here. He would have been elated to be here on this stage, in his hometown,” he said. “It feels quite strange to be up here without him, because we miss him and loved him dearly.”
The Cars’ Rock Hall set marked the last time Ocasek performed in public before his death in 2019.