The Cars’ Ric Ocasek Signs With SESAC

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Ric Ocasek of The Cars has signed with the performing rights organization, SESAC. Ocasek has sole songwriting credit on most of the band’s hit-strewn catalog, save for a few tracks co-written with keyboardist Greg Hawkes.

Over the span of seven studio albums, stretching from 1978 until 2011, The Cars notched 13 top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — four of them top 10, and charted five top 10s on the Billboard 200.

The band’s 1978 self-titled debut album alone produced six rock radio staples, “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Good Times Roll,” “Bye Bye Love,” “You’re All I Got Tonight” and “Moving in Stereo,” and is certified six-times platinum by the RIAA.

The 1980s were also very kind to the group, with made-for-MTV hits like “Shake It Up,” “Magic,” “You Might Think” and their biggest single “Drive,” sung by the late-great Benjamin Orr.

Related

Ric Ocasek on The Cars' Rock Hall Nomination, His Upcoming Art Exhibit & Unreleased Material

10/17/2017

Ocasek’s solo albums include Beatitude (1982), Fireball Zone (1990), Troublizing (1997) and Nexterday (2005), and as a producer he has put his sonic stamp on several albums by Weezer, Nada Surf and Guided By Voices, among others.

“As a multi-faceted artist, Ric continues to inspire with his creative influence and subtle bravado,” says John Josephson, chairman and CEO, SESAC. “His remarkable career as songwriter and musician has made a significant impact on American music, and SESAC is proud to welcome Ric to our affiliate family.”