The Cars

The Cars were an anomaly in the '70s, when they first came out of Boston: a synth-driven New Wave group that was fully embraced by traditional rock radio. It helped that their songs were based on familiar pop hooks often powered by rock 'n' roll muscle. Singers Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr injected the songs with both robotic coldness and human warmth. As MTV reached its cultural impact in the mid-'80s, the Cars became even bigger, scoring four Top 10 hits before they disbanded in 1988. (Some of the members reunited with Todd Rundgren as the New Cars 17 years later.) Orr died of cancer in 2000 at the age of 53.

The Cars Taken for Ride by Folk Singer Kris Delmhorst
The Cars Taken for Ride by Folk Singer Kris Delmhorst
Classically trained singer-songwriter Kris Delmhorst is a mega Cars fan, an attraction that started back in 1984 when the then-teenager bought her first cassette from Tower Records, ‘Heartbeat City.' She was instantly “unnerved but fascinated by lead singer punchy warble” and “defenseless against intricate layers of pop hooks,” reads a note on her website.
Ric Ocasek Of The Cars Calls Their Reunion ‘Fun’ and ‘Positive’
Ric Ocasek Of The Cars Calls Their Reunion ‘Fun’ and ‘Positive’
In a recent interview with WXRT radio personality Frank E. Lee following a sold out Cars show in Chicago, frontman Ric Ocasek spoke about the band’s new album ‘Move Like This,’ a release that he says finds the band in “good spirits,” something that largely contributed to the “positive” sound of the songs on the album.