Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr, 2019

Voice of Ringo Starr, interview on BBC Radio4, December 31, 2008

Ringo Starr , real name Sir Richard Starkey MBE (born July 7, 1940 in Liverpool ), is a British musician, composer and actor. He became world-famous as the drummer for The Beatles , of which he was a member from 1962 until they broke up in 1970.

Life

Ringo Starr lived in Liverpool , 10 Admiral Grove, from 1943 to 1963

Origin and youth

Ringo Starr grew up in the Liverpool district of Dingle. His parents, Elsie and Richard Henry Parkin Starkey, divorced when he was three years old. In addition, his childhood was hampered by numerous illnesses.

Before joining the Beatles, he was a drummer in the Liverpool band Rory Storm & the Hurricanes from 1959 to 1962 . Since the bands often replaced and helped each other both in Liverpool and at their gigs in Hamburg , Starr was already in close contact with John Lennon , Paul McCartney and George Harrison during this time .

The time with the Beatles

Ringo Starr during a press conference, 1964

Ringo Starr during a concert at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, September 1964

George Harrison (left), in the background Ringo Starr, 1964

On August 18, 1961, Ringo Starr represented the sick Beatles drummer Pete Best at a concert at the Cavern Club in Liverpool . On February 5, 1962 Starr appeared again for the sick Best as a substitute with the Beatles. First again at the Cavern Club and later that evening at the Kingsway Club in Southport . When the Beatles received their record deal in August 1962 and needed a new drummer because George Martin Best assessed as too weak in terms of play, they brought Starr into the band on August 18, 1962. Nevertheless, at the request of George Martin, Starr was replaced by drummer Andy White during the second recording session at Abbey Road Studios , with whom the song Love Me Do was recorded, which was already recorded in the first recording session in September 1962 with Starr as drummer was recorded. For the single Love Me Do , which was released in October 1962, a recording with Starr was used. On the album Please Please Me from 1963, however, a version with Andy White on drums appeared.

Of all the Beatles members, he wrote the fewest songs. His own compositions were Don't Pass Me By on The Beatles (1968) and Octopus's Garden on Abbey Road (1969). He was also involved in the composition of the songs What Goes On , Flying and Dig It . In general, apart from albums A Hard Day's Night , Magical Mystery Tour and Let It Be , he sang at least one song on every studio album: on Please Please Me (1963): Boys , on With the Beatles (1963): I Wanna Be Your Man , on EP Long Tall Sally (1964): Matchbox , on Beatles for Sale (1964): Honey Don't , on Help! (1965): Act Naturally , on Rubber Soul (1965): What Goes On , on Revolver (1966): Yellow Submarine , on Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967): With a Little Help from My Friends and on The Beatles (1968): Good Night .

In those cases where Lennon and McCartney wrote the lyrics and melody especially for him - such as I Wanna Be Your Man , Yellow Submarine , With a Little Help from My Friends, or Good Night - the melodies were often restricted to include the range not to be exceeded by Starr's voice. Thus, With a Little Help from My Friends largely to sing within five tones.

Other unreleased songs in which Ringo Starr sang or co-composed did not appear until 1995 and 1996 on the albums of the anthology series: If You've Got Trouble (vocals), 12-Bar Original (co-composition) and Los Paranoias (co-composition).

The Beatles in August 1965 during a press conference

When Starr got involved in text ideas and titles from Lennon and McCartney, it was often involuntary. One of the most famous examples is the title of the Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night . Starr had come out of the studio after a long day of work and told the others it was "a hard day ..." - but before he finished the sentence he noticed that it was already evening and added "... 's night" (evening) added. Lennon and McCartney loved the twisted phrase so much that they decided to use it on the as-yet-untitled film. Another example is the title of the Lennon composition Tomorrow Never Knows .

“The truth of this kind of question depends on where you're looking: on the surface or below the surface. On the surface, Ringo was just some drummer. But there was a hell of a lot more to him than that. For instance, there wouldn't have been A Hard Day's Night without him. He had this kind of thing where he moved phrases around. [...] Another of his was Tomorrow never knows . He used to say, 'Well, tomorrow never knows'. And he'd say it for real. "

“The truth of this type of question depends on what you're looking at: the surface or what's beneath it. On the surface, Ringo was just some kind of drummer, but he was a hell of a lot more than that. For example, without him there wouldn't be A Hard Day's Night . He had this habit of twisting idioms . […] Another [phrase] from him was Tomorrow never knows . He regularly said: 'Well, tomorrow never knows'. He actually said that. "

- Paul McCartney : Playboy Interview , 1984

Rigid's drum style had a decisive influence on the sound of the band. While the early songs of the Beatles were still influenced by the backbeat , from 1965 the rhythm became more and more demanding. This is already clear with the first single of this year ( Ticket to Ride ) . To this day, many famous drummers name Starr as one of their main influences, such as Max Weinberg of the E Street Band , who said this in his book The Big Beat 1984:

" DJ Fontana had introduced me to the power of the big beat. Ringo convinced me just how powerful that rhythm could be. Ringo's beat was heard around the world and he drew the spotlight toward rock and roll drummer. From his matched grip style to his pioneering use of staggered tom tom fills, his influence in rock drumming was as important and wide spread as Gene Krupa 's had been in jazz. "

“DJ Fontana introduced me to the power of the“ big beat ”. Ringo convinced me how powerful this rhythm could be. Ringo's drumbeat was heard all over the world and he brought the rock and roll drummer to the center of attention. From its custom fingering until his pioneering use of staggered Tomtom - fills . His influence on drumming in rock music was as important and far-reaching as that of Gene Krupa in jazz. "

- Max Weinberg : The Big Beat, 1984

Phil Collins said in a 1992 interview for the television documentary The Making of Sgt.Pepper :

“I think he's vastly underrated. The drum fills on A Day in the Life are very complex things. You could take a great drummer today and say, 'I want it like that'. They wouldn't know what to do. "

“I think he [Ringo] is hugely underrated. A Day In The Life's drum fills are downright complex. You could take a great drummer today and tell him, 'I want it to sound like this'. They wouldn't know what to do. "

- Phil Collins : 1992

Another example of his very idiosyncratic and difficult to imitate drumming can be heard in the song Come Together ; a third example is Strawberry Fields Forever with its complicated cues.

The only drum solo that Starkey had played with the Beatles (persuaded by Georg Martin) was a 13-bar solo in the 1969 song The End .

Long-time Beatles producer George Martin, who had doubted Starr's abilities during the first recording session in 1962, praised Starr in his 1994 book Summer of Love :

“Ringo always got and still gets a unique sound out of his drums, a sound as distinctive as his voice. [...] Ringo gets a looser deeper sound out of his drums that is unique. [...] This detailed attention to the tone of his drums is one of the reasons for Ringo's brilliance. Another is that although Ringo does not keep time with a metronome accuracy, he has unrivaled feel for a song. If his timing fluctuates, it invariably does so in the right place at the right time, keep the right atmosphere going on the track and give it a rock solid foundation. This held true for every single Beatles number Richie played. [...] Ringo was also a great tom tom player. "

“Ringo has always managed to elicit a unique sound from his drums, a sound that is as distinctive as his voice. [...] Ringo can produce such a relaxed, deep sound on his drums that is unique. […] This careful attention to the timbre of his drums is one reason for Ringo's brilliance. Another is that although Ringo doesn't keep the tempo as precisely as a metronome does, he has an unmatched feel for a song. If its pace fluctuates, then without exception in the right place, at the right time, making sure that the title has the right mood and a rock-solid foundation. That goes for every single Beatles number that Richie [birth name Richard] played. [...] Ringo was also a great tom-tom player. "

- George Martin : 1994

Mark Lewisohn , who during his research had the opportunity to listen to all of the Beatles' recordings in the EMI archives , stated:

“It is true that on only a handful of occasions during all of the several hundred session tapes and thousands of recording hours can Ringo be heard to have made a mistake or wavered in his beat. His work was remarkably consistent and excellent, from 1962 right through 1970. "

“It's true that with the hundreds of tapes and thousands of hours of recording, there are only a handful of incidents where Ringo got lost or lost track. His work was remarkably consistent and excellent, consistently from 1962 to 1970. "

- Mark Lewisohn : 1988

Lennon, McCartney and Harrison always claimed that Ringo Starr was one of the best rock 'n' roll drummers in the world.

“Ringo is a damn good drummer. He is not technically good, but I think Ringo's drumming is underrated the same way Paul's bass playing is underrated. [...] I think Paul and Ringo stand up with any of the rock musicians. "

“Ringo is a damn good drummer. He doesn't have the best technique, but I think his drumming is just as underrated as Paul [McCartney] 's bass playing. "

- John Lennon : Playboy Interview , 1980

“Ringo could be the best rock 'n' roll drummer - or at least one of the best rock and roll drummers […] He does fills which crack up people like Jim Keltner . He's just amazed because Ringo starts them in the wrong place and all of that, but that is brilliance, that's pure feel. "

“Ringo may be the best rock 'n' roll drummer - or at least one of the best rock 'n' roll drummers. [...] He plays fills that amaze people like Jim Keltner. He [Keltner] is amazed because Ringo starts the fills at the wrong place and all that, but that's great, that's real empathy. "

- George Harrison : Guitar Magazine Interview , 1987

Paul McCartney played the drums on three Beatles songs. For one, as Starr in 1968 in a dispute for two weeks the recordings for the so-called White Album had left ( Back in the USSR and Dear Prudence ) . On the other hand, with the recordings of The Ballad of John and Yoko , in which, apart from McCartney, only Lennon was involved. In addition, Ringo Starr was replaced by Jimmie Nicol at some concerts in the summer of 1964 due to tonsillitis .

Solo career

1970–1976: Successful solo career

Even before the final separation of the Beatles, Starr worked between October 1969 and March 1970 on his first solo project Sentimental Journey , in which he recorded several old standards of the 1930s and 1940s. The producer of the album was George Martin , who was able to win numerous friends as arrangers , including Paul McCartney, Klaus Voormann as well as prominent arrangers such as Quincy Jones and Elmer Bernstein . The album was released in March 1970 and reached the top ten on the UK charts.

Ringo Starr also pursued a film career at the same time; He was already involved in the feature film Candy in 1968 , followed by The Magic Christian with Peter Sellers the following year . In 1971 Starr played a supporting role in the Frank Zappa film 200 Motels and in the western Blindman .

Ringo Starr had met pedal steel guitarist Pete Drake during the recording of George Harrison's studio album All Things Must Pass , on which he worked as a drummer , who then became the producer of his next album Beaucoups of Blues , which followed in September 1970 and became a foray into country music . The album and the single of the same name were commercially unsuccessful.

Ringo Starr worked in the 1970s on various albums and singles by George Harrison ( All Things Must Pass [1970], Living in the Material World [1973] and Dark Horse [1974]) and John Lennon ( John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band [ 1970] and the singles Cold Turkey [1969], God Save Us [1971]) with.

Starr made his breakthrough as a solo performer in April 1971 with his first rock-pop single It Don't Come Easy / Early 1970 . Both songs were original compositions. The record reached the top of the charts in the USA, Great Britain and Germany. It Don't Come Easy was produced by George Harrison. Stephen Stills played the guitar , on whose debut album of the same name Starr had played drums in 1970. Ringo Starr also took part in the concert for Bangladesh on August 1, 1971 , where he played drums and sang the song It Don't Come Easy .

In 1972, Starr befriended Marc Bolan , who was successful at the time with his group T. Rex . Starr was in charge of Apple Films at the time . In addition to Bolan & T. Rex, Elton John and Ringo Starr themselves also starred in the film Born to Boogie . The film consists mainly of a concert recorded on March 18, 1972 in London's Empire Pool in front of 10,000 fans. But also numerous skits are included. In March 1972, Ringo Starr's second successful single was released with two original compositions, the Marc Bolan-inspired Back Off Boogaloo and the song Blindman produced by Klaus Voormann (which cannot be heard in the film). Was produced Back Off Boogaloo turn of George Harrison. In November 1972 the album Tommy - As Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Choir with The Who and Various Artists was released, in which Ringo Starr sang the songs Fiddle About and Tommy's Holiday Camp as Uncle Ernie .

Ringo Starr's single Photograph peaked at # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 . This was a release from his third solo album Ringo , which was released in November 1973, which he had written together with George Harrison. The second single from the album, You're Sixteen , reached number 1 in the USA and Oh My My still number 5 on the charts there. Ringo Starr achieved three top five single hits with his three singles from an album in the USA, two of which were number one hits. Neither John Lennon, Paul McCartney nor George Harrison could achieve this chart success. Ringo Starr managed to get all Beatles members to collaborate on this album. John Lennon left Ringo Starr to compose I'm the Greatest . When the song was recorded on March 13, 1973, Lennon played the piano and took over the backing vocals, George Harrison played the guitar, Ringo Starr sang and played drums. Only Paul McCartney was missing for a Beatles reunion. However, the bass was played by Klaus Voormann and the organ by Billy Preston . Paul McCartney gave Ringo Starr his composition Six O'Clock , in which he also participated musically. Since then, Starr has released albums with a large number of befriended guest musicians at intervals. However, no other album was as commercially successful as Ringo .

On September 15, 1973, Ringo Starr acquired John Lennon's 29-  hectare property, Tittenhurst Park , which he sold to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1988 .

Boobshurst Park entrance gate

In addition to music productions, Ringo Starr continued to work on his film career, such as That'll be the Day appeared with David Essex in 1973 and Son of Dracula in 1974 , on which he also participated in the soundtrack.

In November 1974 Goodnight Vienna appeared , the title song of which John Lennon had written, Lennon took part in a total of three songs. Two singles from the album made it into the top 10 on the Billboard charts. The pre-release cover version of the Platters -Hits from the 1950s Only You (And You Alone) , made it to number six, the single The No No Song even reached No. 3. The third single (It's All Down to) Goodnight Vienna was less successful and did not get past 31st place. As with the previous album, Richard Perry was the producer. In March 1975, the album was Two Sides of the Moon of Keith Moon published that the duets Solid Gold and Together contained by Ringo Starr and Keith Moon. In July 1975, Starr's marriage to Maureen Starkey was divorced. In 1975 the film Lisztomania was released , in which Ringo Starr starred in a supporting role.

Ringo Starr plays drums in The Last Waltz

In December 1975 the greatest hits album Blast from Your Past was released , which contains all seven US top ten hits and four top ten hits from Great Britain. Since the contract with Apple and EMI ended, Starr changed the record company and signed in March 1976 with Atlantic Records . In early 1976 Ringo Starr recorded his own composition Band of Steel as a duet with Guthrie Thomas , which appeared on Guthrie Thomas' album Lies and Alibies . In September 1976 Starr's first release for Atlantic Records was released: the pre-release A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll from Starr's new album, which only came to number 26 in the US charts. The album, entitled Ringo's Rotogravure , hit the market a week later. The label and the producer - this time Arif Mardin was responsible at the mixer - were new, but the album's “recipe” was an old one. As with Starr's successful album Ringo , it was possible to get his former band colleagues to collaborate. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison each contributed a composition, and Eric Clapton wrote a piece for the album. As with Ringo , the cover version of a successful Bruce Channel track from the 1960s - the second, even more unsuccessful single Hey Baby (number 74 in the US charts) - completed the compilation of the album's tracks. The best placement of the album in the US was number 28, in the UK and Germany it was not in the charts.

1977–1988: artistic standstill

The moderate success numbers of the previous album, Ringo's Rotogravure, may have been one reason for the musical style of the album, Ringo the 4th , released in September 1977, which sounded like a mix of 1970s disco and pop. The producer was again Arif Mardin. In contrast to previous albums, Starr did without the help of prominent composers and instead wrote six of the ten tracks on the album himself in collaboration with the American musician Vini Poncia . The album did not sell well and only reached number 162 on the charts in the USA; in Great Britain and Germany, like its predecessor, it failed to make it into the charts. The two single releases from the album Drowning in the Sea of ​​Love and Wings did not make it into the charts. In December 1977, the soundtrack for the children's radio play Scouse the Mouse appeared , in which Ringo Starr spoke and sang the title role of the mouse. In 1978 Ringo Starr took on a supporting role in the feature film Sextets .

After two failures, Atlantic split from Ringo Starr, who was looking for a new label and found it with Portrait Records , then a sub-label of CBS Records . His album Bad Boy was released there in April 1978 . In order to market the album, a musical film entitled Ringo was produced for broadcast on US television. The film was inspired by Mark Twain's The Prince and the Beggar Boy and told the story of a rich pop star (Ringo Starr) who can no longer stand the pressure to succeed and swaps places with a poor fellow named "Ognir Rrats". Ringo Starr played a double role: himself and "Ognir Rrats". Despite well-known actors such as Carrie Fisher , Vincent Price and John Ritter as well as George Harrison's involvement in the role of narrator, the show was not a success and the album did not have a positive advertising effect. Bad Boy was musically more mature than his predecessor, but fell through with critics and buyers and only came in at number 129 in the US charts. The two single releases from the album Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette) and Heart on My Sleeve failed to make it into the Charts.

Ringo Starr no longer had a record deal for continental Europe in 1978. In this situation he went to the studio with Russ Ballard as a producer in Copenhagen ( Denmark ) in July 1978 to record a new album, which was not finished. After the failures in his musical career, Ringo Starr faced several other crises during 1979. In April he collapsed and had to undergo an operation in Monte Carlo . On November 28, 1979, his Los Angeles home was destroyed by fire . Starr was unharmed, but a large part of his collected mementos from the Beatles' time was lost. On the other hand, he met his future wife Barbara Bach in February 1980 while filming the movie Caveman , whom he married on April 27, 1981. George Harrison and Paul McCartney were present at the wedding party, one of the wedding pictures shows the three former Beatles together for the first time since the group split up.

Due to the murder of John Lennon on December 8, 1980, George Harrison re-recorded the song All Those Years Ago , which was originally intended for Ringo Starr, as a tribute to John Lennon, probably in March 1981. To do this, he changed the text and invited Paul and Linda McCartney as well as Denny Laine to contribute the backing vocals. Since Ringo Starr already played drums in the original recordings in November 1980, all three living Beatles were involved in a new song for the first time.

In November 1981, the album Stop and Smell the Roses was released , which was also not a commercial success (number 98 in the US charts), although McCartney and Harrison also participated. The first recordings took place in July 1980 at Super Bear Studios in France, where Starr recorded the songs Private Property, Attention, Sure to Fall (In Love with You) and You Can't Fight Lightning with Paul McCartney as producer . George Harrison acted in November 1980 as the producer of the songs he composed Wrack My Brain and You Belong to Me . On November 15, 1980, John Lennon met Ringo Starr for the last time at the Plaza Hotel in New York, where he presented Starr with a music cassette containing four songs. It was planned joint recordings in January 1981 on the album Stop and Smell the Roses . Stephen Stills was also there again, this time as co-writer and producer of You've Got a Nice Way . On the cover of the album, Ringo Starr processed his grief for John Lennon. The following album, Old Wave , was only released in a few countries in June 1983, including Germany, but not the UK and the US.

For several years, Ringo Starr no longer worked as a solo performer, but as a guest and studio musician, among others with McCartney ( Tug of War [1982], Pipes of Peace [1983], Give My Regards to Broad Street [1984] and Flaming Pie [1997]) and Harrison ( Somewhere in England [1981] and Cloud Nine [1987]).

Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach played a small supporting role in the television film Princess Daisy . In 1984 the movie Broad Street by and with Paul McCartney was released, in which Starr and his wife again played a role. In May 1985 he took on a small television role in the musical Alice in Wonderland and sang the song Nonsense .

On October 21, 1985, Ringo Starr was a guest at Carl Perkins , who recorded the television special Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session with Carl Perkins and Friends at the Limehouse Television Studios in London ; other guest musicians included George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Dave Edmunds . Ringo Starr played drums on several songs and sang the song Honey Don't . The song Matchbox was sung by Ringo Starr and Carl Perkins. It was broadcast on television in January 1986. A CD was only released in June 2006. In November 1986, the double album It's a Live-In World was released, for which Ringo Starr contributed the title You Know It Makes Sense .

Ringo Starr's appearance at the Prince's Trust Concert, Wembley Arena , London, June 6th 1987

Between February and May 1987, Ringo Starr went to two recording studios (Three Alarm Studios and Sun Studios ) in Memphis (USA) to record a new album. The producer was Chip Moman, who recorded sixteen songs with Ringo Starr, five of which were then released on bootlegs . In July 1988, the new album should come on the market, Ringo Starr prevented the publication, however, through a lawsuit that was only ended in January 1990. On June 5 and 6, 1987, Ringo Starr performed at Wembley Arena as part of the Prince's Trust Concert in London and sang the song With a Little Help from My Friends , which was recorded on the August 1987 album Highlights of the Prince's Trust Concert has been published. In October 1988, the song When You Wish upon a Star was sung by Ringo Starr on the compilation album Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films . In 1988 Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach successfully fought their alcoholic illness . In February 1989 Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2, the second compilation album was published, which contains material from 1976.

Since 1989: New musical beginnings and tours

When the British Fernseproduzentin Allcroft 1979 in a television adaptation of the Railway Series -Books of Wilbert Awdry was working, she heard Starr's voice on TV and thought Starr for a suitable narrator of the stories. Since Starr had never read these books, he initially declined, but agreed after looking at them. Within eight days he picked up the sets for all 26 episodes of the first season, which aired in 1984. He also told the second season. When a US version was made for the American audience, Starr retold 25 episodes of the first and 17 of the second season. In the American offshoot Shining Time Station , he also played the main role of Mr. Conductor in the first two seasons. In 1990 he left the production and was replaced by Michael Angelis and George Carlin , although he spoke 'Thomas' again in 2009 in the Official BBC Children in Need Medley .

On March 27, 1989, Ringo Starr recorded with Buck Owens the song Act Naturally , which was released as a single in July of the same year, but could not place in the charts. A video was also produced for the song. Starr had the Owens hit in 1965 for the Beatles album Help! recorded.

Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band in Paris , 2011

On June 20, 1989, Ringo Starr announced at the Palladium Theater in New York that he would tour the USA with friends as Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band . From July 23rd to September 4th 1989 the All-Starr Band gave 23 concerts. After that, Ringo Starr toured regularly under the name 'Ringo and his All Starr Band' with groups of changing cast. He has performed with musicians such as Jack Bruce , Peter Frampton , Greg Lake , Gary Brooker , Dave Edmunds , Joe Walsh , Randy Bachman , Nils Lofgren , John Entwistle and many others. Ringo Starr released eleven live albums between 1990 and 2010. ( Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band [October 1990], Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Volume 2: Live from Montreux [September 1993], Ringo Starr and His Third All-Starr Band Volume 1 [August 1997], VH1 Storytellers [October 1998], The Anthology… So Far [June 2001], King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Ringo & His New All-Starr Band [August 2002], Extended Versions [June 2003], Tour 2003 [March 2004], Ringo Starr: Live at Soundstage [October 2007], Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band Live 2006 [July 2008], Live at the Greek Theater 2008 [July 2010]).

In November 1991, the new Ringo Starr song You Never Know appeared on the soundtrack album for the feature film Curly Sue . On April 6, 1992, George Harrison gave a concert at the Royal Albert Hall for the benefit of the Natural Law Party. Ringo Starr played drums on the last two songs While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Roll Over Beethoven .

In June 1992, after a nine-year break, Starr's new studio album Time Takes Time was released , which received good reviews. The concept of the production was taken over from the album Stop and Smell the Roses , as in turn several producers were hired for the album. Some songs on the album are partly reminiscent of the music of the Beatles in the mid-1960s and thus differ significantly from the previous albums. However, this album could not follow the sales figures of the early 1970s. The single Weight of the World made it into the charts for a short time (Germany No. 51; UK No. 74). On April 16, 1993 Paul McCartney gave a concert at the Earth Day Concert at the Hollywood Bowl ( Los Angeles ). During the last song Hey Jude , Ringo Starr came on stage and sang in the choir.

Ringo Starr sang the duet My Little Grass Shack on Leon Redbone's album Whistling in the Wind , which was released in April 1994. In May 1995, another duet was released on the compilation album For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson , here by Ringo Starr with Stevie Nicks , entitled Lay Down Your Arms . The song was written by Harry Nilsson, who died in January 1994 . In October 1996 Carl Perkins released the duet Honey Don't with Ringo Starr on his album Go Cat Go ; this was a live recording of the album Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band , in which Carl Perkins added his vocals afterwards. From 1994–1996, Ringo Starr was also involved in the work on the Beatles' anthology project.

In August 1998 the commercially relatively successful album Vertical Man followed . The concept of the production was taken over from the albums Ringo and Goodnight Vienna , as in turn several prominent musicians supported Ringo Starr on the album. Guest musicians include Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ozzy Osbourne , Steven Tyler and Brian Wilson . From the end of September to October 1997 Paul McCartney contributed backing vocals to La De Da and What in the… World and the bass for the second song in his studio . George Harrison added the guitars to the songs King of Broken Hearts and I'll Be Fine Anywhere in his studio in December 1997 . In October 1999 Starr's Christmas album I Wanna Be Santa Claus was released , six of the twelve songs in this album are new compositions in which Ringo Starr was one of the co-composers.

The last meeting of George Harrison with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr took place on 12 November 2001 at the University Hospital of Staten Iceland ( New York instead) where Harrison was treated. George Harrison died on November 29, 2001. The Concert for George took place on November 29, 2002 on the occasion of the first anniversary of George Harrison's death in London's Royal Albert Hall . Friends and musical companions performed at this concert. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr play together on the songs For You Blue , Something , All Things Must Pass and While My Guitar Gently Weeps , Ringo Starr also sang the songs Photograph and Honey Don't . The live album was released in November 2003.

In March 2003 the album Ringo Rama was released , it contains the song Never Without You , which Ringo Starr recorded in memory of George Harrison. In June 2003 Ringo Starr recorded the song Boys with Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra , which was released on the album Jack O the Green Small World Big Band Friends 3 .

Ringo Starr live, 2005

Choose Love , released in June 2005, was, like the previous albums since Vertical Man , produced by Mark Hudson. Eric Clapton and Billy Preston played as guest musicians. The compilation album Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo (August 2007) reached number 26 in the UK,the second highest ranking to dateafter the album Ringo . In 2006, Ringo Starrtouredwith the All-Starr Band and sang the song Sweet Little Sixteen as a duet with Jerry Lee Lewis , which was released in October 2006 on Jerry Lee Lewis ' album Last Man Standing . In January 2008, Starr's album Liverpool 8 , which was produced by Dave Stewart , was released. It is an homage to his hometown Liverpool . In advance Starr announced the end of the collaboration with Mark Hudson and the "Roundheads".

Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney , 2009

After a joint appearance with Paul McCartney at a benefit concert in New York on April 4, 2009, it was reported that both want to work together musically again. In January 2010 Starr released the 15th studio album Y Not , where he also acted as a producer for the first time . Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Van Dyke Parks and Joss Stone worked on the album . In December 2009, the single Walk With You - a duet by Starr and McCartney - was released as an advance release. The song The Other Side of Liverpool is the second homage to Starr's hometown with partly autobiographical lyrics.

In February 2010, Ringo Starr got - after John Lennon and George Harrison - a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood . On July 7, 2010, Ringo Starr played with the All-Starr Band on his 70th birthday at Radio City Music Hall in New York, towards the end of the concert Paul McCartney came on stage and both played the song Birthday together .

Ringo Starr at the All-Starr Band concert in Paris, June 26, 2011

In the summer of 2011, Starr and his All Starr Band went on a European tour for the first time in 13 years. On July 7th, he celebrated his 71st birthday in Hamburg with the first of a total of five concerts in Germany on the tour. The studio album entitled Ringo 2012 was released in January 2012 . The title of the album Ringo 2012 is an allusion to the name of the album Ringo from 1973. The song In Liverpool is the third homage again with partly autobiographical text.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr played the McCartney song Queenie Eye live at the 2014 Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 26, 2014 . Starr and McCartney performed again together on January 27, 2014 at The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles in Los Angeles . The concert was broadcast on CBS on February 9th and 12th, 2014 . They played the songs With a Little Help from My Friends and Hey Jude together .

In March 2015, Starr's studio album Postcards from Paradise was released , which with Rory and the Hurricanes contains the fourth homage to his youth. In an interview, Starr mentioned that several book publishers would like to publish an autobiography of his, but the condition is that they focus thematically on the time with the Beatles. That is the reason why he processes parts of his life musically. In April 2015 Ringo Starr was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the last Beatle ; Paul McCartney gave the introductory speech. In December 2015 the Starr tribute album Ringo Starr: The Lifetime of Peace & Love Tribute Concert was released, in which Starr sings the songs Photograph , Boys and With a Little Help from My Friends , other artists included Ben Harper and Joe Walsh . The concert took place in January 2014.

In September 2017, Ringo Starr's studio album Give More Love was released , in which Paul McCartney played again. In November 2017 he announced his first European tour in seven years. In June 2018 u. a. Performances in Flensburg , Hamburg , Berlin and Zwickau . In April 2018 it was announced that BMG Rights Management had taken over the publishing rights for all Ringo Starr songs.

Ringo Starr played the song Get Back with Paul McCartney on December 16, 2018 at the O ₂ Arena in London and the songs Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) and Helter Skelter on July 13, 2019 at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles during two McCartney concerts.

Ringo Starr's 20th studio album What's My Name was released in October 2019 , Starr and McCartney recorded the Lennon composition Grow Old With Me for the album .

Ringo Starr celebrated his 80th birthday on July 7, 2020 via his YouTube channel with guest musical contributions by Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh , Gary Clark Jr. , Sheryl Crow , Sheila E. and Ben Harper .

family

In 1965 Starr married his girlfriend Maureen Cox , whom he knew from his time in Liverpool and with whom he had the children Zacharias (Zak), Jason and Lee. Zak is also a drummer; he was with Oasis for a short time and is currently a member of The Who . The marriage ended in divorce in 1975. In 1981 Ringo Starr married the American actress Barbara Bach .

Instruments and influence

Ringo Starr played a Premier brand drums when he joined the Beatles in 1962 . His model "54" (Royal Ace) had smaller dimensions: It had a 20 ″ × 17 ″ bass drum , a 12 ″ × 8 ″ hanging tom , a 16 ″ × 20 ″ standing tom and a 14 ″ × 4 ″ Snare . This set was one of the manufacturer's cheaper models. It was supplemented by a set of cymbals from the “Zyn” series, also by Premier.

Ludwig drum set

Towards the end of April 1963, Starr wanted to switch to a better model. The choice of a drum kit from Ludwig came about by chance, as the "Drum City" store did not have black drums in stock. The seller then showed Starr a color sample from Ludwig in the color "Black Oyster Pearl", which he liked so much that he decided on this manufacturer. Relatively small kettles were also chosen for the new Ludwig set: a 20 ″ bass drum, a 12 ″ × 8 ″ hanging tom and a 14 ″ × 14 ″ standing tom. The reason was that Ringo Starr looked taller behind a smaller drum kit and could be seen better on stage. The new drums were used for the first time during recordings for a television appearance on May 12, 1963.

The Beatles logo as seen on Ringo's bass drum in the Ludwig set

With the new drums came the well-known Beatles logo. Brian Epstein noticed the word Ludwig on the bass drum and demanded that the name The Beatles should also be there, and that it should be bigger. Ivor Arbiter , the owner of "Drum City", then sketched a rough draft of a logo. Arbiter recalls hiring the character painter Eddie Stokes to paint a Beatles logo on the eardrum. Stokes took the sketch as a suggestion and developed the final logo from it.

In May 1964 Ringo Starr switched to larger drums. His new set, also in the color "Black Oyster Pearl", now had a 22 ″ × 14 ″ bass drum, a 13 ″ × 9 ″ hanging tom and a 16 ″ × 16 ″ standing tom. Moved around the end of 1968 Ringo Starr to Ludwig "Hollywood" set imitation wood (maple shell varnished), now with an additional 12 "x 8" - Hängetom equipped. The pool set has now been supplemented by another pool. Ringo Starr later played this set during joint recordings with Marc Bolans T. Rex and decades later during performances with his all-star bands.

The great success of the Beatles had a positive effect on Ludwig's sales figures, because many groups oriented themselves towards the Beatles and used instruments from the same manufacturers. A Ludwig set became the most popular and most frequently played drum kit in the 1960s and into the 1980s. For his services to the Ludwig company, Ringo Starr honored this with a gold-plated snare drum in September 1964 . On the occasion of Ringo Starr's 70th birthday, this drum was part of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York from July to December 2010 .

At the same time as the change from Premier to Ludwig, the cymbal manufacturer changed. A set of cymbals from the Swiss company Paiste was initially used before Ringo Starr discovered the cymbals made by the manufacturer Zildjian in February 1964 during the Beatles' first US tour . The Paiste basins were gradually replaced by Zildjian basins in the following years.

Recording studio

Starr took over the titshurst Park estate near Ascot in England from John Lennon in 1973 , which was equipped with a recording studio. He renamed the studio in Startling Studios and made it available to other musicians. Among other things, the albums Unleashed in the East and British Steel by Judas Priest were recorded or completed there. In 1988 he sold the entire property to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , the Emir of Abu Dhabi .

Acting activity

Starr was an actor in several films such as Candy (1968), Magic Christian (1969, with Peter Sellers ), Blindman (1971), 200 Motels (1971), Son of Dracula (1974), Sextette (1978, with Tony Curtis , Keith Moon and Mae West ) and Caveman (1981). In this film he also met his future wife Barbara Bach , with whom he appeared in Paul McCartney's feature film Broad Street in 1984 . This was followed by a mini-appearance in water (1985) with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Starr also worked on the children's television shows Shining Time Station and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends . In the cartoon series The Simpsons he appeared in the episode "Marges Meisterwerk" (original: "Brush with Greatness") as himself. He had a cameo in the 2016 film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping by the comedy trio The Lonely Island .

social commitment

• Appearance at the benefit concert Concert for Bangladesh on August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York City . Ringo Starr and Bob Dylan supported the organizer of the George Harrison concert to raise money for the hungry in Bangladesh .
• Appearance at the benefit concert "Change Begins Within" of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace on April 4, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall, New York City, with Paul McCartney, Donovan , Ben Harper and Sheryl , among others Crow . With the concert proceeds, the foundation wants to give socially disadvantaged children the opportunity to learn Transcendental Meditation .

Honors

Star for Ringo Starr on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Ringo Starr Drive in Liverpool

In addition to numerous awards for his political and social commitment, Ringo Starr received the title of Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on September 24, 2013 (Commander of the Order for Art and Literature). In 1990 the asteroid (4150) Starr was named after him. In 2016, the music magazine Rolling Stone listed Starr as 14th of the 100 best drummers of all time .

At the annual New Year's ceremony for the Queen, Starr was knighted as a Knight Bachelor in January 2018 and has therefore had the suffix “Sir” since then. The accolade he received on March 20, 2018 Prince William .

Drummers Vinnie Colaiuta , Mike Portnoy , Stewart Copeland , Dave Grohl, and Chad Smith were respectful of Starr's drumming.

Discography

→ Main articles : Ringo Starr / discography  and The Beatles / discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks / months, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks / months, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1970	Sentimental Journey	-	-	-	UK7 (6 weeks) UK	US22 (14 weeks) US
	Beaucoups of Blues	-	-	-	-	US65 (15 weeks) US
1973	Ringo	DE28 (7 months) DE	-	-	UK7th gold (20 weeks)UK	US2 platinum (37 weeks)US
1974	Goodnight Vienna	DE39 (1 month) DE	AT8 (4 weeks) AT	-	UK30th silver (2 weeks)UK	US8th gold (25 weeks)US
1975	Blast from your past	-	-	-	-	US30 (11 weeks) US
1976	Ringo's rotogravure	-	AT10 (4 weeks) AT	-	-	US28 (9 weeks) US
1977	Ringo the 4th	-	-	-	-	US162 (6 weeks) US
	Scouse the Mouse	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	-	US- n / aUS
1978	Bad boy	-	-	-	-	US129 (6 weeks) US
1981	Stop and Smell the Roses	-	AT13 (4 weeks) AT	-	-	US98 (12 weeks) US
1983	Old Wave	-	-	-	UK- n / aUK	US- n / aUS
1989	Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
1990	Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band	-	-	-	-	-
1992	Time takes time	-	AT19 (1 week) AT	-	-	-
1993	Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Volume 2: Live from Montreux	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
1995	Ringo Starr and His Third All-Starr Band-Volume 1	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
1998	Vertical Man	DE59 (4 weeks) DE	-	-	UK85 (1 week) UK	US61 (4 weeks) US
	VH1 storytellers	-	-	-	-	-
1999	I wanna be Santa Claus	-	-	-	-	-
2001	The Anthology… So Far	-	-	-	-	-
2002	King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Ringo & His New All-Starr Band	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
2003	Ringo Rama	-	-	-	-	US113 (2 weeks) US
	Extended Versions	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
2004	Tour 2003	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
2005	Choose love	-	-	-	-	-
2006	Ringo Starr and Friends	-	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	-	US- n / aUS
2007	Photographer: The Very Best of Ringo	-	-	-	UK26 (3 weeks) UK	US130 (2 weeks) US
	Ringo Starr: Live at Soundstage	-	-	-	-	-
2008	Liverpool 8	DE94 (1 week) DE	AT71 (2 weeks) AT	-	UK91 (1 week) UK	US94 (2 weeks) US
	Ringo 5.1: The Surround Sound Collection	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
	Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band Live 2006	-	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	-	-
2010	Y Not	DE75 (1 week) DE	-	-	-	US58 (2 weeks) US
	Live at the Greek Theater 2008	-	-	-	-	-
2012	Ringo 2012	DE69 (1 week) DE	AT75 (1 week) AT	-	-	US80 (2 weeks) US
2014	ICON	DE- n / aDE	AT- n / aAT	CH- n / aCH	UK- n / aUK	-
2015	Postcards from Paradise	-	-	-	-	US99 (1 week) US
2017	Give more love	DE69 (1 week) DE	AT65 (1 week) AT	CH51 (1 week) CH	-	US128 (1 week) US
2019	What's my name	DE40 (2 weeks) DE	AT43 (1 week) AT	CH50 (1 week) CH	UK99 (1 week) UK	US127 (1 week) US

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Blu-ray / DVD / VHS

Feature films

• 1964: Yeah Yeah Yeah
• 1965: Hi-Hi help!
• 1967: Magical Mystery Tour
• 1968: Candy - (DVD released 2005)
• 1969: Let It Be
• 1969: Magic Christian ( The Magic Christian ) - (DVD release: 2006)
• 1971: 200 Motels - (VHS video cassette release: 1993, DVD release: 2010)
• 1971: Blindman - (DVD released 2005)
• 1973: That'll be the Day - (DVD release: 2000)
• 1974: Son of Dracula - (no DVD / VHS videotape release)
• 1975: Lisztomania - (DVD release: 2009)
• 1978: Sextets - (DVD release: 2005)
• 1981: Caveman - (DVD released 2002)
• 1983: Princess Daisy - (DVD release 2006)
• 1984: Broad Street (Give My Regards to Broad Street) - (DVD released 2004)
• 1985: Alice in Wonderland (TV musical) - (DVD release: 2006)

literature

• The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . Ullstein, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-550-07132-9 .
• Ringo Starr: Postcards from the Boys (112 pages of postcards by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison with comments by Ringo Starr), 2004, ISBN 3-89602-657-7 .
• Nicola Bardola : Ringo Starr - The biography. Edition Olms, Zurich 2020, ISBN 3-283-01295-4 .

Web links

Commons : Ringo Starr  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Ringo Starr in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Literature by and about Ringo Starr in the catalog of the German National Library
• Ringo at Discogs (English)
• ringostarr.com - Official Homepage
• thebeatles.com
• German BEAT *** - Non-commercial, German portal about Ringo Starr new releases
• Ringo Starr promotional publications
• LPs from Great Britain by Ringo Starr
• Great Britain singles by Ringo Starr

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} gw.geneanet.org: Ringo Starr
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Bill Harry: The Ringo Starr Encyclopedia . 1st edition. Random House, 2012, ISBN 978-0-7535-4716-8 .
3. ↑ Philipp Norman: Shout! , 2003, p. 170.
4. ^ Max Weinberg: The Big Beat: Conversations With Rock's Great Drummers . Hudson Music, 1984. ISBN 1-4243-1667-7
5. ^ The Making of Sgt. Pepper . Interview on The South Bank Show , 1992
6. ^ Brian Roylance, Nicky Page, Derek Taylor (Eds.): The Beatles Anthology. Chronicle Books, San Francisco 2000; as a translation from English: Ullstein, Munich 2000. ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 337 f.
7. ↑ George Martin and William Pearson: Summer of Love . Macmillan, 1994. ISBN 0-333-60398-2 . P. 144 f.
8. ^ Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years . Hamlyn, 1988. ISBN 0-600-61207-4 )
9. ^ The Starkeys' wedding photo with George Harrison and Paul McCartney and their wives
10. ^ The TV Series. Retrieved on August 23, 2020 (English). 
11. ↑ Thomas & Friends | Interview - Ringo Starr on Thomas's TV debut. October 9, 1984, accessed August 23, 2020 . 
12. ^ Thomas' North American Introduction. 1989, accessed on August 23, 2020 . 
13. ↑ Paul and Ringo get back for new album . In: Daily Express , April 7, 2009
14. ↑ Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr start comeback. ( Memento from October 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) In: Gala , April 7, 2009.
15. ↑ Ringo Starr got a star on the "Walk of Fame" . At: relevant.at , February 9, 2010
16. ↑ Ringo Starr - almost youthful at 70
17. ↑ Legend Ringo Starr celebrates his 71st in Hamburg. In: Die Welt , July 5, 2011
18. ↑ Chris Talbott: Grammys Beatles Salute Includes Performance From Katy Perry, John Mayer . In: The Huffington Post , January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
19. ↑ [1]
20. ↑ Ringo Starr: The Lifetime of Peace & Love Tribute
21. ↑ Ringo and his All Starr Band European Tour 2018 Announcment
22. ↑ Sir Ringo Starr signs an exclusive contract with BMG. In: bertelsmann.de. April 10, 2018, accessed April 10, 2018 . 
23. ↑ Starr / McCartney on December 16, 2018 during a McCartney concert
24. ↑ Starr / McCartney on July 13, 2019 during a McCartney concert
25. ↑ Ringo Starr's 80th birthday
26. ↑ Andy Babiuk: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio . Backbeat Books, 2001; P. 69 f
27. ↑ Andy Babiuk: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio . Backbeat Books, 2001; Pp. 86-88
28. ↑ Andy Babiuk: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio . Backbeat Books, 2001; P. 87 f
29. ↑ Andy Babiuk: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio . Backbeat Books, 2001; P. 129
30. ↑ Andy Babiuk: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio . Backbeat Books, 2001; P. 233 f
31. ↑ Andy Babiuk: Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio . Backbeat Books, 2001; P. 114
32. ^ Ludwig History: The Night That Changed The Music World . Retrieved November 5, 2011.
33. ↑ Ringo Starr's Gold Drum to Go on View at Met Museum . Retrieved November 5, 2011.
34. ^ McCartney and Starr reunite in NYC for meditation. ( Memento of April 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Reuters, April 5, 2009
35. ^ Paul, Ringo, Donovan and Mike Love promote TM at the Lynch Foundation press conference: the transcripts. ( Memento of July 30, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Transcript of the press conference, examiner.com, April 3, 2009
36. ^ Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr give concert. ( Memento of April 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) sueddeutsche.de, April 5, 2009
37. ↑ Ringo Starr: Ex-Beatle receives the highest French cultural medal In: Spiegel Online , accessed on September 26, 2013
38. ↑ Minor Planet Circ. 16248
39. ↑ 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time. In: Rolling Stone . March 31, 2016, accessed August 6, 2017 . 
40. ↑ Ringo Starr knighted
41. ↑ The man with the magic touch. Retrieved August 20, 2020 .