Ringo Starr
- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Ringo Starr is a British musician, actor, director, writer, and artist
best known as the drummer of The Beatles who
also coined the title 'A Hard day's Night' for The Beatles' first
movie.
He was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in a small two-storey
house in the working class area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. His
father, Richard Starkey, was a former dockworker turned baker; his
mother, Elsie (Gleave) Starkey, was a bakery worker. His parents divorced when
he was three and he and his mother, Elsie, moved to another home in
Liverpool. While attending Silas Infants' Schools he suffered from many
afflictions that basically ruined his education: he had constant
abdominal pains, was once diagnosed with a ruptured appendix that led
to an inflamed peritoneum, which also led to one of his first
surgeries. Ringo was in a coma, and his recovery took a couple of
months, during which more operations were performed, and he was known
to be accident-prone. Shortly after he came out of the coma, he was
trying to offer a toy bus to another boy in an adjoining bed, but fell
and suffered from a concussion. When he finally was able to go back to
school, he learned that he was far behind in his studies. At age 13 he
caught a cold that turned into chronic pleurisy, causing him another
stay at a hospital in Liverpool. A few lung complications followed,
which resulted in a treatment in yet another children's hospital, this
time until 1955. Meanwhile, Richard's mother Elsie had married Harry
Graves, the man who her son referred to as a "step-ladder".
At the age of 15 he could barely read or write, although he had
aptitude for practical subjects such as woodwork and mechanics. At that
time he dropped out of school and got his first job was as a delivery
boy for British Rail. His second job was a barman on a ferry to New
Brighton, and his next was as a trainee joiner at Henry Hunt & Sons.
Ringo injured his finger on the first day of his new job, and then he
decided to become a drummer. His dream came true, when his stepfather
bought him a new drum kit, and Richard promised to be the best drummer
ever.
In 1957, together with Eddie Miles, he started his own band called
'Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group'. At that time he became known as Ritchie,
and eventually became caught in the Liverpool's Skiffle craze. Although
he was self-taught, he was a good time-keeper, and developed an
original beat with his signature accentuations, due to his left-handed
manner of playing on the right-handed drum set. He traveled from band
to band, but he eventually landed a spot with "Raving Texans", which
was a backing band for Rory Storm, later known as "Rory Storm & The
Hurricanes", a popular band at that time Liverpool. Rory Storm
encouraged Richard to enhance his career by legally changing his name
to Ringo Starr. The Hurricanes topped the bill at one of Liverpool's
clubs, where The Beatles also had a gig.
Ringo's group was at times sharing popularity with
The Beatles and
Gerry and the Pacemakers. He
wanted to leave The Hurricanes to join another group called "The
Seniors."
Before Ringo, The Beatles tried several
other drummers. At one point they were so desperate, that they even
invited strangers from the audience to fill the position. Then came
Pete Best who was not considered by
the other band members to be the greatest drummer, and they were keen
to recruit Ringo as his replacement. On June 6, 1962, at the Abbey Road
studios, The Beatles passed Martin's
audition with the exception of Pete Best. George Martin liked them, but
recommended the change of a drummer. Being asked by John Lennon, Paul
McCartney, and George Harrison; Epstein fired Pete Best. After a mutual
decision the band was completed with Ringo Starr. Ringo contributed to
their first hit in September of 1962, when The Beatles recorded Love Me
Do, which charted in UK, and reached the top of the US singles chart.
Ringo's steady and reliable drumming became essential in their studio
sessions, as well as in their numerous and exhausting live performances
across the world. Ringo's positive disposition as well as his drumming
style played the pivotal role in shaping the famous image and music
style of The Beatles as they are now known
to the world, under the management of
Brian Epstein and music producer
George Martin. Ringo filled the
position of a drummer for The Beatles in the
most critical time of the band's formation. He quickly connected with
the other three members of The Beatles, and contributed to their music
and creativity with his easy-going personality, light humour, reliable
drumming and inventive musicianship. All four members were charismatic
and individually talented artists, they sparked each other from the
beginning. Eventually they made a much better group effort under the
thorough management by Brian Epstein whose coaching helped consolidate
their talents and mutual stimulation into beautiful teamwork.
Starr had dreamed of becoming a professional actor since his younger
years. He wanted to be in movies probably more so than the other
members of The Beatles. In 1964, during the
first months of Beatlemania, Ringo coined the phrase 'A Hard Day's
Night' which soon became the official title of the Beatles' first
movie, in replacement for the working title 'Beatlemania'. Ringo
received great reviews for his performance in
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
and Help! (1965). At first, Ringo did not
have a songwriting career, although he had no problem with his name
recognition, however, he had a problem with getting his songs noticed.
At that time he got help from his friends; John and Paul wrote a song
or two for him to sing on their albums, such as "I Wanna Be
Your Man" and "Yellow Submarine". He also sang on "Boys" (by Luther Dixon and Wes Farrell) and "Honey Don't (by Carl Perkins), During his eight-year
career with The Beatles, Ringo wrote two
original songs: "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus' Garden" for which he
also sang the lead vocals. He is listed as co-writing "What Goes On" from Rubber Soul with Lennon and McCartney. Besides his drumming, Ringo's voice was
recorded on many of the most popular Beatle's songs, contributing to
their unique sound and tight harmonies.
He had a hectic solo career during the 1970s, after the breakup of
The Beatles. However, Ringo eventually
emerged as a steady performer, and sustained a very popular solo
career, turning out a dozen chart-topping hit songs and eight
best-selling albums. He made a famous appearance together with
George Harrison,
Ravi Shankar, and other popular musicians
in the landmark 'Concert for Bangladesh' in 1971. His 1973 solo release
"Ringo" was the last album to feature all four living Beatles, although
not on the same song. He also appeared in various TV shows, including
his own special, Ringo (1978),
and a TV mini-series,
Princess Daisy (1983),
with his wife Barbara. In 1984 he did narration for the children's
series
Thomas & Friends (1984).
During the 1980s, after having a long period of troubles with alcohol,
Ringo and his wife attended a rehabilitation clinic, and came back to
the scene sober. He made the All-Starr Band tour of America and Japan.
The tour was so popular that he formed another All-Starr Band lineup in
1992, and began an American and European tour in June of that year.
Since then Ringo Starr has been enjoying a continuous career as the
leader of the All-Starr Band. In 1994, along with
George Harrison and
Paul McCartney, the three surviving
members of The Beatles, reunited and
produced Lennon's previously unknown song 'Free as a Bird'. It was
preserved by 'Yoko Ono' on a tape recording made by John Lennon in
1977. The song was re-arranged and re-mixed with the voices of three
surviving members, and became an international hit. 'Free as a Bird'
was also included in The Beatles Anthology TV documentary which was
watched by 420 million people in 1995. Ringo, Paul and George sang
their new songs, in addition to mixing their voices and music
arrangements to John Lennon demos.
Ringo's old friend and band-mate George Harrison passed away on
November 29, 2001, after a long battle against lung cancer. The
following year, on the anniversary of Harrison's death, Ringo Starr,
Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton appeared in
a Concert For George, to raise money for the support of Harrison's
legacy in exploration of alternative lifestyles, views and
philosophies. Starr also supported charitable organizations with
consideration to those who have special needs.
Ringo Starr updated the role of a drummer in popular music, he made
drummer an equal partner to the lead musicians, thus changing the whole
paradigm in how the public saw drummers. His original performing style
evolved from adjusting his natural left-handed manner of playing to the
right-handed drum set, and allowing his left hand lead in weaving a
pattern tightly intertwined with the music of other players, and adding
such enhancements as unusual accents and stops. Ringo's musical
originality as well as his inventive drumming patterns, time signatures
and accentuations became essential to the sound of
The Beatles. His on-stage presence and
acting talent as well as his humor and musicianship was the essential
part in formation and remarkable career of
The Beatles.
He was married to his long-time girlfriend, Maureen Cox, from 1965 -
1975, and they had three children:
Zak Starkey, Jason, and Lee. The couple
broke up in July of 1975, and he married actress
Barbara Bach. Ringo Starr divides his time
between his residences in England, in Switzerland and his home in Los
Angeles, California.
best known as the drummer of The Beatles who
also coined the title 'A Hard day's Night' for The Beatles' first
movie.
He was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in a small two-storey
house in the working class area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. His
father, Richard Starkey, was a former dockworker turned baker; his
mother, Elsie (Gleave) Starkey, was a bakery worker. His parents divorced when
he was three and he and his mother, Elsie, moved to another home in
Liverpool. While attending Silas Infants' Schools he suffered from many
afflictions that basically ruined his education: he had constant
abdominal pains, was once diagnosed with a ruptured appendix that led
to an inflamed peritoneum, which also led to one of his first
surgeries. Ringo was in a coma, and his recovery took a couple of
months, during which more operations were performed, and he was known
to be accident-prone. Shortly after he came out of the coma, he was
trying to offer a toy bus to another boy in an adjoining bed, but fell
and suffered from a concussion. When he finally was able to go back to
school, he learned that he was far behind in his studies. At age 13 he
caught a cold that turned into chronic pleurisy, causing him another
stay at a hospital in Liverpool. A few lung complications followed,
which resulted in a treatment in yet another children's hospital, this
time until 1955. Meanwhile, Richard's mother Elsie had married Harry
Graves, the man who her son referred to as a "step-ladder".
At the age of 15 he could barely read or write, although he had
aptitude for practical subjects such as woodwork and mechanics. At that
time he dropped out of school and got his first job was as a delivery
boy for British Rail. His second job was a barman on a ferry to New
Brighton, and his next was as a trainee joiner at Henry Hunt & Sons.
Ringo injured his finger on the first day of his new job, and then he
decided to become a drummer. His dream came true, when his stepfather
bought him a new drum kit, and Richard promised to be the best drummer
ever.
In 1957, together with Eddie Miles, he started his own band called
'Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group'. At that time he became known as Ritchie,
and eventually became caught in the Liverpool's Skiffle craze. Although
he was self-taught, he was a good time-keeper, and developed an
original beat with his signature accentuations, due to his left-handed
manner of playing on the right-handed drum set. He traveled from band
to band, but he eventually landed a spot with "Raving Texans", which
was a backing band for Rory Storm, later known as "Rory Storm & The
Hurricanes", a popular band at that time Liverpool. Rory Storm
encouraged Richard to enhance his career by legally changing his name
to Ringo Starr. The Hurricanes topped the bill at one of Liverpool's
clubs, where The Beatles also had a gig.
Ringo's group was at times sharing popularity with
The Beatles and
Gerry and the Pacemakers. He
wanted to leave The Hurricanes to join another group called "The
Seniors."
Before Ringo, The Beatles tried several
other drummers. At one point they were so desperate, that they even
invited strangers from the audience to fill the position. Then came
Pete Best who was not considered by
the other band members to be the greatest drummer, and they were keen
to recruit Ringo as his replacement. On June 6, 1962, at the Abbey Road
studios, The Beatles passed Martin's
audition with the exception of Pete Best. George Martin liked them, but
recommended the change of a drummer. Being asked by John Lennon, Paul
McCartney, and George Harrison; Epstein fired Pete Best. After a mutual
decision the band was completed with Ringo Starr. Ringo contributed to
their first hit in September of 1962, when The Beatles recorded Love Me
Do, which charted in UK, and reached the top of the US singles chart.
Ringo's steady and reliable drumming became essential in their studio
sessions, as well as in their numerous and exhausting live performances
across the world. Ringo's positive disposition as well as his drumming
style played the pivotal role in shaping the famous image and music
style of The Beatles as they are now known
to the world, under the management of
Brian Epstein and music producer
George Martin. Ringo filled the
position of a drummer for The Beatles in the
most critical time of the band's formation. He quickly connected with
the other three members of The Beatles, and contributed to their music
and creativity with his easy-going personality, light humour, reliable
drumming and inventive musicianship. All four members were charismatic
and individually talented artists, they sparked each other from the
beginning. Eventually they made a much better group effort under the
thorough management by Brian Epstein whose coaching helped consolidate
their talents and mutual stimulation into beautiful teamwork.
Starr had dreamed of becoming a professional actor since his younger
years. He wanted to be in movies probably more so than the other
members of The Beatles. In 1964, during the
first months of Beatlemania, Ringo coined the phrase 'A Hard Day's
Night' which soon became the official title of the Beatles' first
movie, in replacement for the working title 'Beatlemania'. Ringo
received great reviews for his performance in
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
and Help! (1965). At first, Ringo did not
have a songwriting career, although he had no problem with his name
recognition, however, he had a problem with getting his songs noticed.
At that time he got help from his friends; John and Paul wrote a song
or two for him to sing on their albums, such as "I Wanna Be
Your Man" and "Yellow Submarine". He also sang on "Boys" (by Luther Dixon and Wes Farrell) and "Honey Don't (by Carl Perkins), During his eight-year
career with The Beatles, Ringo wrote two
original songs: "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus' Garden" for which he
also sang the lead vocals. He is listed as co-writing "What Goes On" from Rubber Soul with Lennon and McCartney. Besides his drumming, Ringo's voice was
recorded on many of the most popular Beatle's songs, contributing to
their unique sound and tight harmonies.
He had a hectic solo career during the 1970s, after the breakup of
The Beatles. However, Ringo eventually
emerged as a steady performer, and sustained a very popular solo
career, turning out a dozen chart-topping hit songs and eight
best-selling albums. He made a famous appearance together with
George Harrison,
Ravi Shankar, and other popular musicians
in the landmark 'Concert for Bangladesh' in 1971. His 1973 solo release
"Ringo" was the last album to feature all four living Beatles, although
not on the same song. He also appeared in various TV shows, including
his own special, Ringo (1978),
and a TV mini-series,
Princess Daisy (1983),
with his wife Barbara. In 1984 he did narration for the children's
series
Thomas & Friends (1984).
During the 1980s, after having a long period of troubles with alcohol,
Ringo and his wife attended a rehabilitation clinic, and came back to
the scene sober. He made the All-Starr Band tour of America and Japan.
The tour was so popular that he formed another All-Starr Band lineup in
1992, and began an American and European tour in June of that year.
Since then Ringo Starr has been enjoying a continuous career as the
leader of the All-Starr Band. In 1994, along with
George Harrison and
Paul McCartney, the three surviving
members of The Beatles, reunited and
produced Lennon's previously unknown song 'Free as a Bird'. It was
preserved by 'Yoko Ono' on a tape recording made by John Lennon in
1977. The song was re-arranged and re-mixed with the voices of three
surviving members, and became an international hit. 'Free as a Bird'
was also included in The Beatles Anthology TV documentary which was
watched by 420 million people in 1995. Ringo, Paul and George sang
their new songs, in addition to mixing their voices and music
arrangements to John Lennon demos.
Ringo's old friend and band-mate George Harrison passed away on
November 29, 2001, after a long battle against lung cancer. The
following year, on the anniversary of Harrison's death, Ringo Starr,
Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton appeared in
a Concert For George, to raise money for the support of Harrison's
legacy in exploration of alternative lifestyles, views and
philosophies. Starr also supported charitable organizations with
consideration to those who have special needs.
Ringo Starr updated the role of a drummer in popular music, he made
drummer an equal partner to the lead musicians, thus changing the whole
paradigm in how the public saw drummers. His original performing style
evolved from adjusting his natural left-handed manner of playing to the
right-handed drum set, and allowing his left hand lead in weaving a
pattern tightly intertwined with the music of other players, and adding
such enhancements as unusual accents and stops. Ringo's musical
originality as well as his inventive drumming patterns, time signatures
and accentuations became essential to the sound of
The Beatles. His on-stage presence and
acting talent as well as his humor and musicianship was the essential
part in formation and remarkable career of
The Beatles.
He was married to his long-time girlfriend, Maureen Cox, from 1965 -
1975, and they had three children:
Zak Starkey, Jason, and Lee. The couple
broke up in July of 1975, and he married actress
Barbara Bach. Ringo Starr divides his time
between his residences in England, in Switzerland and his home in Los
Angeles, California.