The recent passing of Ric Ocasek left all of us reeling. Especially since it happened just days after we lost Eddie Money. Their respective music was the soundtrack of our youth for many of us. Ric showed us he had so many more facets than we ever dreamed possible. He was a singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and painter, as well as husband and father.
Born Richard Theodore Otcasek in Baltimore MD, he was always interested in music. A forced move to Ohio when he was 16 proved most fortuitous for Ric, because soon after that was when he met Benjamin Orr. The two met when Ric saw Ben perform with another band, when they were just out of high school. They became friends but would not form a band together until some years later. In 1968, they formed a band called “ID Nirvana” and performed around the Ohio State University campus.
In 1970, the duo moved to Boston and formed a new folk-style band called “Milkwood,” which included future Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes. The...