Music went in radical new directions in the 1970's. New wave was one of the biggest and most notable products of the era, and The Cars was one of the most memorable groups of that decade. Quirky, off kilter yet unfailingly catchy, the group compensated for its lack of awards and accolades with sheer popularity. Even today, numerous artists will cite the group as an influence, and many more will undoubtedly follow suit.

The Cars' New Wave Drive

"It's real authentic. It's pop art, in a sense."

Music went in radical new directions in the 1970's. New wave was one of the biggest and most notable products of the era, and The Cars was one of the most memorable groups of that decade. Quirky, off kilter yet unfailingly catchy, the group compensated for its lack of awards and accolades with sheer popularity. Even today, numerous artists will cite the group as an influence, and many more will undoubtedly follow suit.

The Cars: Years in the Making

Each of the members in the group go back a long way with all of the others. Front man Ric Ocasek and bassist Benjamin Orr go back the longest, having known each other for about a decade before the band had even formed. The two started out as a rock and roll cover duo in Columbus, Ohio before uprooting to Boston, Massachusetts.

Berklee-trained keyboardist Greg Hawkes met the two in Boston, and they formed a folk group named Milkwood with Jas Goodkind on lead guitar. The group was short lived, as its 1973 album with Paramount, How's the Weather, failed to chart. Milkwood turned into Richard and the Rabbits with the addition of Thomas Tapley on drums. Hawkes then left for other projects while Ocasek and Orr became a Cambridge coffeehouse act.

Ocasek and Orr later formed Cap'n Swing with Elliot Easton, who would go on to be a permanent group member. Cap'n Swing had trouble getting interest from record labels, so Ocasek and Orr decided to reconfigure the band to something that better fit their rock leanings. David Robinson got on board the new group which, upon his suggestion, was named The Cars.

The Cars' New Road

1977 New England was the laboratory for the new group and its new sound. A Boston DJ happened to like their sound and gave Just What I Needed considerable airplay. It caught the attention of Elektra Records, which promptly signed the fivesome.

By the next year, the band had turned Just What I Needed into the lead single for its self-titled 1978 debut album. Two more charting singles came from that album before the five came up with a sophomore effort, 1979's risqué Candy-O. 1980's Panorama, meanwhile, was much more experimental, and few appreciated the uncharacteristic sound.

The group went on a short hiatus in 1982, during which Ocasek and Hawkes each took side projects of his own. Before long, they'd gotten back together to record their most successful album, 1984's Heartbeat City. It yielded the longest list of hits of all their albums and earned them their first MTV Video Music Award nod. Drive was also notable for its use in a Canadian campaign for the Ethiopian famine.

Another hiatus followed while Elliot, Orr and Ocasek released respective solo albums. The five reunited briefly to release Door to Door in 1987, which would turn out to be their last release as a group. It was moderately successful, although it pales in comparison to their earlier work. In 1988, The Cars were officially no more.

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