Ric Ocasek, front man and rhythm guitarist for The Cars, was born today in Baltimore. After moving to Cleveland with his family at 16, Ocasek met bass player Ben Orr and the pair began promoting concerts together in the Columbus area in the early 70's. The two also played together in a few other bands before relocating to Boston and starting a harmony based folk rock group named Milkwood. A subsequent group called Cap'n Swing added guitarist Elliott Easton and caught some airplay on WBCN. After recruiting Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson to join them and re-adding Milkwood member Greg Hawkes on keys, the group shifted gears, becoming The Cars in 1976.

ZZ Top released a couple of albums on March 23. On this day in 1983 the blockbuster Eliminator got its release and on 3/23/90 Recycler came out.
The Red Rocker, Sammmy Hagar, earned his spot on the Bay Area Music Walk Of Fame during a ceremony on this day in 2018.