Ringo
Richard Starkey was born 7 July 1940 in Liverpool, England. The oldest member of The Beatles, he was also the last to join the band. While most famous as The Beatles’ drummer, he later found success as a solo artist, a film and TV actor, and a furniture designer.
Ringo’s parents divorced when he was three yours old. He grew up happy, if not healthy in the home of his mother Elsie and her new husband Harry Graves. He was often ill, suffering from allergies, pleurisy, and an appendicitis-induced coma. He never went to high-school.
Ringo formed his first Skiffle band in 1957. Two years later, as Rory Storm’s drummer, he gained his trademark nickname Ringo Starr, for the rings that he wore. In 1960, Rory Storm’s band The Hurricanes were in Hamburg at the same time as The Beatles, and it was there that they first met. For the next two years, Ringo would sit in for The Beatles whenever Pete Best couldn’t play. On 16 August 1962, at George Martin’s insistence, Pete Best was sacked, and The Beatles chose Ringo as his permanent replacement.
“Ringo was a star in his own right in Liverpool before we even met. He was a professional drummer who sang and performed and had Ringo Starr-time and he was in one of the top groups in Britain but especially in Liverpool before we even had a drummer … Ringo’s a damn good drummer.” - John
Ringo, like Paul, is left-handed, but he plays a right-handed drum set. Early on he developed a unique drumming style that is instantly recognizable to good drummers today. Considered by many to be an innovative and amazing drummer, he popularized the matched grip, raised the drum set to be seen over the guitars, altered traditional drum tunings, and used mufflers and rivets to develop his sound.
Ringo was not the drummer on every Beatles recording. Immediately after Pete Best was removed, George Martin brought in session player Andy White to record the first single “Love Me Do”/”P.S. I Love You”. Ringo attended the session, playing tambourine on the A-side and maracas on the B. During the recording of the White Album in 1968, Ringo temporarily left the band due to the constant fighting. In his absence, Paul drummed on “Back in the USSR” and “Dear Prudence”. The following year, Paul again played the drums on the recording of “The Ballad of John and Yoko”.
Ringo sang lead on at least one track on most Beatles albums. John and Paul wrote some songs specifically for his baritone voice. The least prolific songwriter of the bunch, Ringo wrote only two tracks that appeared on original Beatles albums: “Don’t Pass Me By” and “Octopus’s Garden”. He is listed as a co-writer on “What Goes On”, “Flying”, and “Dig It”.
After The Beatles broke up, Ringo began recording as a solo artist, recording several albums in the 70s and scoring #1 US hits with “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen”. He drummed on solo efforts by George, John, Paul and Yoko Ono. He continues to tour and record to this day.
In addition to The Beatles’ films, Ringo acted in several movies including “The Magic Christian”, “Son of Dracula”, and “Alice in Wonderland”. In 1984 he narrated the children’s TV show “Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends”. Five years later he had a starring roll in an American spin-off “Shining Time Station”. In 1991, he appeared as himself in an episode of The Simpsons.
Ringo’s first marriage, to Maureen Cox in 1965, lasted 10 years and gave him three children. He married actress and Bond Girl Barbara Bach in 1981. Ringo’s first son, Zak, is a successful drummer, playing with Oasis and The Who.
Tags: Beatles, drummer, drums, history, Ringo
Beatles, drummer, drums, history, Ringo
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