Greg Hawkes

As the keyboardist for the legendary Boston band and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members, The Cars, Greg Hawkes forged the sound of rock’s New Wave. Pioneering and pushing the limits of technology and sequencing in the late '70s and through the '80s, Greg cemented the synthesizer's place in rock and pop music, and his contribution has influenced countless artists since. Along with achieving Rock & Roll Hall of Fame status and massive commercial success with The Cars, Greg has been a sought-after session and touring musician, and has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren, and The Turtles. The Cars were named Best New Artist in the 1978 Rolling Stone Readers' Poll. The band's debut album, The Cars, sold six million copies and appeared on the Billboard 200 album chart for 139 weeks. The Cars had four Top 10 hits: "Shake It Up" (1981), "You Might Think," (1984), "Drive" (1984), and "Tonight She Comes" (1985). The band won Video of the Year for "You Might Think" at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. Their list of hits is much, much longer than the four songs named above, and it seems everyone knows the words which creates instant sing-a-longs at the live shows; so much fun! In addition to "Shake It Up," "You Might Think," "Drive," and "Tonight She Comes," their extensive catalog also includes "Just What I Needed," "Moving In Stereo," "Good Times Roll," "Let's Go," "My Best Friend's Girl," "Bye Bye Love," "You're All I've Got Tonight," "Touch and Go," "Dangerous Type," "All Mixed Up," and "Candy-O," to name a few. In 2016, Greg collaborated with the acclaimed Boston band Eddie Japan to produce their 2017 album Golden Age. This eventually led to Greg and the band joining forces to create a night of music by The Cars featuring a set list curated by Greg. Since 2019, Greg Hawkes with Eddie Japan Performing the Music of The Cars has been thrilling audiences across the Northeast with an energetic show that includes hits and deeper cuts from The Cars songbook, along with special selections relating to Greg’s amazing musical career.