Elliot Easton

by John BushThe left-handed lead guitarist for the Cars was born Elliot Shapiro (December 18, 1953; Brooklyn, NY). The Cars were active from 1977 to 1987, but Easton took a break after the best-selling Heartbeat City to record on his own in 1984. His LP Change No Change, a collaboration with vocalist Jules Shear, was released the following year, after which Easton returned to the Cars for one more album. He was back by 1993 with the Band of Angels; though the group recorded several tracks, nothing was released until a 1996 reissue of Change No Change. Easton spent time playing on projects by Nelson and Jules Shear, and has also toured with Creedence Clearwater Revisited.