Sir Richard Starkey MBE (born 7 July 1940 in Liverpool, England), known by … Read Full Bio ↴Sir Richard Starkey MBE (born 7 July 1940 in Liverpool, England), known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as the drummer of The Beatles. He was the oldest member of the band, and the last to join the now familiar 'Fab Four' line up.
While he was sometimes the least visible member of the band, Ringo's drumming style played a pivotal role in the music played and recorded by The Beatles. He filled the role he was hired for in 1962, then went on to establish a new approach to rhythm in popular music that some claim continues to grow in its significance and influence with every decade since The Beatles recorded their music.
Ringo is left-handed yet plays a right-handed kit; his tendency to lead with his left hand contributes to his distinctive drumming style.
Many drummers list Starr as an influence, including Max Weinberg of the E Street Band, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters/Nirvana, Danny Carey of Tool, Liberty DeVitto of Billy Joel's band, Phil Collins, Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater and others. According to Collins, "Starr is vastly underrated. The drum fills on the song "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."
In his extensive survey of The Beatles' recording sessions, Mark Lewisohn confirmed that Starr was both proficient and remarkably reliable and consistent. According to Lewisohn, there were fewer than a dozen occasions in The Beatles' eight-year recording career where session 'breakdowns' were caused by Starr making a mistake, while the vast majority of takes were stopped due to mistakes by the other three members.
Starr is also considered to have advanced various modern drumming techniques (for playing and recording) such as the matched grip, placing the drums on high risers for visibility as part of the band, tuning the drums lower, and using muffling devices on tonal rings, along with his general contributions to The Beatles as a whole. Specific drum parts executed by Starr in notably signature fashion include the fill that brings the drums and bass guitar into "Hey Jude", the steady rock beats in "Please Please Me" and other early Beatles recordings, the drum kit pattern through the bridge of "Hello, Goodbye", and the driving bass drum notes found in "Lady Madonna", underlying the more intricate, double-tracked snare drum. [citation needed] His use of a 'sizzle' cymbal (a cymbal incorporated with rivets that vibrate) would bring a much fuller sound than standard 'ride' cymbals.
Two song performances where Starr is most renowned as a drummer are "Rain" (his personal favourite) and "She Said, She Said": his synching with McCartney's bass on the coda of "Rain" is considered one of his most memorable moments; on "She Said, She Said", his fills along with his smooth changing of meters from 4/4 to 3/4 have been highly praised.[citation needed]
John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison have all said that Starr was the best rock drummer in the world. McCartney took over the drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence", the first two tracks on the White Album (1968) after Starr had walked out, disgusted with the band's tensions and bored with waiting around to contribute. He did not return for two weeks until the other three Beatles urged him to come back. He spent the fortnight with actor Peter Sellers on his yacht in Piraeus, where he wrote "Octopus' Garden". Lennon sent telegrams to Starr, and Harrison set up flowers all over the studio for Starr's return saying "Welcome home".
McCartney sent Starr a postcard on 31 January 1969 (the day after the band's performance on the roof of Apple Studios) stating: 'You are the greatest drummer in the world. Really.' This postcard is included in Starr's book Postcards From The Boys.
McCartney also played the drums on "The Ballad of John and Yoko", recorded 14 April 1969) since only Lennon and McCartney were immediately available to record the song. Some have stated that while McCartney was able fill in for Starr, he did not possess the smoothness and dexterity Starr had. Starr commented that he was lucky in being 'surrounded by three frustrated drummers' who could only drum in one style. Starr also did not play drums on The Beatles' first-ever single, "Love Me Do". Session drummer Andy White was brought in by The Beatles' producer George Martin to record in place of Pete Best, and Martin claims to not have realized prior to the session that The Beatles had hired a professional drummer. Starr played tambourine on the version of "Love Me Do" featuring Andy White and maracas on "P.S. I Love You".
Starr generally sang at least one song on each studio album, as part of establishing the vocal personality of all four members. In some cases, Lennon or McCartney would write the lyrics and melody especially for him, as Lennon did with "Good Night" from the White Album, and as he and McCartney did for "Yellow Submarine" from Revolver (1966). Often these melodies would be tailored to Starr's baritone vocal range. Although some have criticised Starr's vocal range when comparing him to his band mates, he turned in strong performances on par with other baritone pop stars, making an invaluable vocal and marketing contribution to the group. Starr's backing vocals can be heard on songs such as "All Together Now", "Carry That Weight", and "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill".
Lennon and McCartney were the most prolific songwriters in The Beatles, Harrison wrote several songs, and Starr is credited with "Don't Pass Me By" (on The White Album) and "Octopus's Garden" (on Abbey Road) as sole songwriter. Starr's name also appears as a co-writer: on Rubber Soul, the track "What Goes On" was co-written by Lennon, McCartney and Starr; while the songs "Flying" (on the Magical Mystery Tour album) and "Dig It" (on Let It Be) are listed as being written by Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr.
In addition, Starr wrote "Taking a Trip to Carolina" (on the second CD of Let It Be... Naked), and received joint songwriting credits with the other three Beatles for "12-Bar Original", "Los Paranoias", "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)", "Suzy Parker" (heard in the Let It Be film), "Jessie's Dream" (heard in the Magical Mystery Tour film) and The Beatles' version of "Free as a Bird". The Let It Be film also features "Jazz Piano Song", which is credited as a "McCartney/Starkey" composition.
Each member of The Beatles sometimes contributed to songs without being given specific songwriting credits; for example, Starr provided the line "writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear" to the song "Eleanor Rigby", and he suggested that the priest could be "darning his socks", which McCartney liked and retained in the final lyrics of the song. Lennon also used Ringo's common original expressions, such as "A Hard Day's Night" and "Tomorrow Never Knows", and turned them into Beatles songs.
Starr commented in The Beatles Anthology that when he presented a song to The Beatles, it would often sound to the other three Beatles like another popular song, and Starr recognised the similarities when they were pointed out. The White Album, particularly the song "Don't Pass Me By", continued to show Starr's taste for country music that he had brought into the band.
Starr was often nicknamed the "Sad Beatle" because he was often frowning. Starr, on the subject of this, commented that he had the kind of face that, whether or not he was genuinely enjoying the moment, did not show much emotion.
After the breakup of The Beatles on 10 April 1970, Starr released two albums before the end of that year. Sentimental Journey featured Starr's renditions of many pre-rock standards and included the production talents of Quincy Jones, George Martin and McCartney, among others. His next album, Beaucoups of Blues, put Starr in a country context, and included renowned Nashville session musician Pete Drake. He scored hit singles with "It Don't Come Easy" (1971) and "Back Off Boogaloo" (1972), the latter of which was his biggest UK hit, peaking at #2. He achieved two #1 hits in the US, with "Photograph" (co-written with Harrison) and "You're Sixteen", both in 1973.
He also participated in The Concert For Bangladesh organised by Harrison in 1971, as well as drumming on Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Living in the Material World, Lennon's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, and Yoko Ono's early solo work. Indeed, his song "Early 1970" (the B-side of "It Don't Come Easy") voiced a hope that he could remain friendly and play music with all three of his former Beatles band mates. Starr then made his debut as a film director with the T. Rex documentary Born to Boogie. Starr became firm friends with T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan and during the period of filming the documentary, Starr released the single "Back Off Boogaloo".
Starr remains the only Beatle to have failed to top the UK singles charts as a solo artist, although he did chart two number one singles in the US. He is also the only Beatle to have failed to top the UK album listings, his highest position being #7, achieved in the UK with both Sentimental Journey and Ringo; the latter reached #2 in the US charts, giving Starr his highest album position there.
In 1971, he started a furniture company with designer Robin Cruikshank. Starr's own avant-garde designs included a flower-shaped table with adjustable petal seats and a donut-shaped fireplace.
The 1973 album Ringo remains his biggest-selling record. Produced by Richard Perry with participation by the other three former Beatles on different tracks, Starr became the most commercially successful ex-Beatle at that time. The album Goodnight Vienna followed the next year and was also successful. Hits and notable tracks from these two albums included "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen" both reaching number one on the US charts, and "I'm The Greatest" (written by Lennon) from Ringo, and "Only You (And You Alone)" and "No No Song" from Goodnight Vienna. In late 1975 these singles and others were collected for Starr's first greatest hits compilation, Blast from Your Past, which was also the last album to be released on Apple Records.[citation needed]. During this period, he became romantically involved with Lynsey De Paul and inspired her prophetic song "If I Don't Get You, the Next One Will". He also played tambourine on a song that De Paul wrote and produced for Vera Lynn, called "Don't You Remember When".
Starr's recording career subsequently diminished in commercial impact, although he continued to record and remained a familiar celebrity presence. Starr signed with Atlantic Records in the mid 1970s, and in 1976 the album Ringo's Rotogravure was released. While it did feature a minor hit single, the album sold only fairly well. This caused the label to revamp Starr's formula; the results were a curious blend of disco and '70s pop. The album Ringo the 4th (1977) was a commercial disaster, and Starr soon signed with Portrait Records. His stint with Portrait began on a promising note: 1978 saw the release of Bad Boy, as well as a network TV special. Sadly, neither were very popular, and Starr did not release another album with Portrait.
In 1975, Starr founded his own record label called Ring O'Records, and four albums were released on the label between 1975 and 1978 (Startling Music by David Hentschel, Graham Bonnet by Graham Bonnet, Restless by Rab Noakes and a re-release of an Apple Records album, The Whale by John Tavener) as well as 16 singles by artists such as: Bobby Keys, Carl Grossman, Colonel Doug Bogie, David Hentschel, Graham Bonnet, Suzanne, Johnny Warman, Stormer, Rab Noakes and Dirk & Stig (the last being names of characters from The Beatles pastiche band "the Rutles", created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes).
In 1980, George Harrison wrote "All Those Years Ago" for Starr to sing on his album Can't Fight Lightning which was later released as Stop and Smell the Roses, but then took it back and sang a re-written version himself, including it on his 1981 album Somewhere in England following John Lennon's murder. Starr, along with Paul and Linda McCartney, also played on Harrison's track. Starr was interviewed by Rolling Stone and Musician around this time. Stop and Smell the Roses was a well regarded album, but again did not sell particularly well. The Harrison-penned "Wrack My Brain" became Starr's last Top 40 single to date. Coincidentally perhaps, Lennon had also written a song for Ringo to use on Roses: "Nobody Told Me". However, following the murder, Starr did not feel comfortable recording the song; it was released posthumously under Lennon's name on the album Milk and Honey.
After Lennon was murdered in 1980, Starr and his girlfriend Barbara Bach flew to New York City, to comfort Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. They were noted for having done so, while McCartney and Harrison did not.
Although Starr had regularly guested on Lennon's and Harrison's solo efforts, and had had all three of his ex-colleagues guest on various records of his own, it was not until 1982 that he first was asked by McCartney to participate in recording sessions (for the Tug of War album). As was also evident with Harrison's "All These Years Ago", Lennon's death had in fact led to a public showing of reconciliation between the remaining Beatles.
Old Wave, produced by Joe Walsh, was released in 1983, but the album was only released in Germany, Canada, Scandinavia, Australia and Brazil (the album finally saw belated US release on CD in 1994).
In 1985, he performed, with his son Zak Starkey, as part of Artists United Against Apartheid on the recording Sun City.
In 1988, Starr drummed on the George Harrison song "When We Was Fab" from his album Cloud Nine. Harrison had written the song with Jeff Lynne with the intent of making a modern song referencing the psychedelic Beatles era, ca. 1967. Reportedly, Harrison felt he "needed" Starr to drum on the song, basically saying something to the effect of, "I can't imagine a song like this starting without Ringo's 'da-da-dum, da-da-dum'." The song charted in the Top 30 in both the UK and the USA, and is often mistaken for a Beatles song.
Beginning in 1989, after Starr had reunited with ex-Beatle guitarist Harrison and ex-Electric Light Orchestra leader Lynne on the Tom Petty song, "I Won't Back Down," followed by a stint in detox for alcoholism, Starr became a visible presence on the summer touring scene, organising a series of concert tours under the name Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, teaming with well-known musicians from various rock eras. The format of the concerts had Starr singing a couple of his Beatles or solo songs, then each of the other musicians taking a turn to sing one of their songs with Starr behind the drums, then Starr singing a couple more, then another go around, and so on. In this way, Starr is relieved from having to carry the full burden of the show, and the audience gets to hear a variety of music. The ninth such All-Starr Band tour took place in 2006.
The success of the initial All-Starr tour led to Starr releasing his first album in nine years, 1992's Time Takes Time. It received substantial exposure and the track "Weight Of The World" got considerable airplay. Critics considered Time Takes Time Ringo's best recording since 1973's Ringo and was produced by four of the top producers in music: Phil Ramone, Don Was, Jeff Lynne and Peter Asher. The album also featured guest appearances by Brian Wilson and Harry Nilsson.
In 1997, Starr guested on drums on two songs on the Paul McCartney album Flaming Pie. McCartney had written a song about Maureen Starkey ("Little Willow") and asked Starr if he'd play on another ("Beautiful Night"). On the day subsequent to the "Beautiful Night" session, the two recorded a jam session which developed into another song, "Really Love You", notable for being the first song ever credited to McCartney/Starkey and officially released on an album. (An earlier co-write called "Angel in Disguise" was cut from the album Time Takes Time, and a song on the Let It Be film soundtrack was also credited to the two.)
1998 saw two important albums released on the Mercury label. The studio album Vertical Man was well-received by critics and marked the beginning of a 9-year "partnership" with Mark Hudson, who produced the album and, with his band The Roundheads, formed the core of the backing group for the album. In addition, many "famous guests" joined on various tracks, including George Martin, Paul McCartney, and ― in his final appearance on a Ringo Starr album before his death ― George Harrison. Most of the songs were written by Starr and the band. The Roundheads and Joe Walsh also joined Starr for his appearance on "VH1 Storytellers", which was released as an album under the same name. On the show, he performed greatest hits and new songs, and told anecdotes relating to them. Starr's final release for Mercury was the 1999 Christmas-themed album I Wanna Be Santa Claus.
In 2001, Starr and Harrison were both guest musicians on the Electric Light Orchestra's album Zoom, playing on two tracks each.[citation needed] Later that year, he was shocked to hear about George Harrison's death of cancer on November 29, as he told MTV, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, among many others show that "We will miss George for his sense of humor."
In 2002 Starr was inducted into the Percussive Hall of Fame joining the elite group of percussive inductees, which includes Buddy Rich and William F. Ludwig, Sr. and his son.
On November 29, 2002, Starr performed "Photograph" and a cover of Carl Perkins' "Honey Don't" at the Concert For George held in the Royal Albert Hall, London, on the first anniversary of Harrison's death. According to the official website, "Ringo Starr caught everyone with a tear in their eye with a rendition of 'Photograph', a composition he wrote with George, which seemed to sum up how everyone felt." The song includes the lines, "Every time I see your face / it reminds me of the places we used to go / But all I've got is a photograph / and I realize you're not coming back anymore".
When drummer Carl Palmer was asked by fans in Mexico City about his drum set he used in a tour with Emerson, Lake & Palmer (reportedly valued at $25,000), his answer was that he sold it to Starr.
In 2003, Starr began recording for the independent label Koch Records, releasing Ringo Rama that year and Choose Love in 2005; the former includes his stylish tribute to Harrison, "Never Without You", and the latter features appearances by Billy Preston and Chrissie Hynde.
Starr toured again in mid-2006, with an All-Starr Band featuring Sheila E. on percussion, bassist Hamish Stuart (formerly of the Average White Band and Paul McCartney's touring band), and Edgar Winter. The tour was underway on Ringo's 66th birthday, 7 July 2006, when the All-Starr Band performed in Clearwater, Florida.
Starr appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 20 June 2006. He sang two songs; "What Goes On" from Rubber Soul and "With a Little Help from My Friends" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Starr was featured on the Jerry Lee Lewis 2006 duet album, Last Man Standing; he performed a cover, with Lewis, of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen".
In 2008, the studio album Liverpool 8, produced by Dave Stewart, Mark Hudson and Starr himself, was released. Two years later in 2010, Starr self-produced and released his studio album Y Not. In 2012, he released the follow-up album Ringo 2012. 2015 saw the release of his next studio album Postcards from Paradise. His nineteenth studio album, titled Give More Love, was released in 2017. Again two years later in 2019, Starr released his 20th album, What's My Name. He recorded the album in his home studio, Roccabella West in Los Angeles.
Starr was the narrator of early series of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends in the mid 1980's. He was also the original little conductor on Shining Time Station.
In 2017, Starr was awarded a knighthood for services to music and charity work.
While he was sometimes the least visible member of the band, Ringo's drumming style played a pivotal role in the music played and recorded by The Beatles. He filled the role he was hired for in 1962, then went on to establish a new approach to rhythm in popular music that some claim continues to grow in its significance and influence with every decade since The Beatles recorded their music.
Ringo is left-handed yet plays a right-handed kit; his tendency to lead with his left hand contributes to his distinctive drumming style.
Many drummers list Starr as an influence, including Max Weinberg of the E Street Band, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters/Nirvana, Danny Carey of Tool, Liberty DeVitto of Billy Joel's band, Phil Collins, Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater and others. According to Collins, "Starr is vastly underrated. The drum fills on the song "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."
In his extensive survey of The Beatles' recording sessions, Mark Lewisohn confirmed that Starr was both proficient and remarkably reliable and consistent. According to Lewisohn, there were fewer than a dozen occasions in The Beatles' eight-year recording career where session 'breakdowns' were caused by Starr making a mistake, while the vast majority of takes were stopped due to mistakes by the other three members.
Starr is also considered to have advanced various modern drumming techniques (for playing and recording) such as the matched grip, placing the drums on high risers for visibility as part of the band, tuning the drums lower, and using muffling devices on tonal rings, along with his general contributions to The Beatles as a whole. Specific drum parts executed by Starr in notably signature fashion include the fill that brings the drums and bass guitar into "Hey Jude", the steady rock beats in "Please Please Me" and other early Beatles recordings, the drum kit pattern through the bridge of "Hello, Goodbye", and the driving bass drum notes found in "Lady Madonna", underlying the more intricate, double-tracked snare drum. [citation needed] His use of a 'sizzle' cymbal (a cymbal incorporated with rivets that vibrate) would bring a much fuller sound than standard 'ride' cymbals.
Two song performances where Starr is most renowned as a drummer are "Rain" (his personal favourite) and "She Said, She Said": his synching with McCartney's bass on the coda of "Rain" is considered one of his most memorable moments; on "She Said, She Said", his fills along with his smooth changing of meters from 4/4 to 3/4 have been highly praised.[citation needed]
John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison have all said that Starr was the best rock drummer in the world. McCartney took over the drums on "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence", the first two tracks on the White Album (1968) after Starr had walked out, disgusted with the band's tensions and bored with waiting around to contribute. He did not return for two weeks until the other three Beatles urged him to come back. He spent the fortnight with actor Peter Sellers on his yacht in Piraeus, where he wrote "Octopus' Garden". Lennon sent telegrams to Starr, and Harrison set up flowers all over the studio for Starr's return saying "Welcome home".
McCartney sent Starr a postcard on 31 January 1969 (the day after the band's performance on the roof of Apple Studios) stating: 'You are the greatest drummer in the world. Really.' This postcard is included in Starr's book Postcards From The Boys.
McCartney also played the drums on "The Ballad of John and Yoko", recorded 14 April 1969) since only Lennon and McCartney were immediately available to record the song. Some have stated that while McCartney was able fill in for Starr, he did not possess the smoothness and dexterity Starr had. Starr commented that he was lucky in being 'surrounded by three frustrated drummers' who could only drum in one style. Starr also did not play drums on The Beatles' first-ever single, "Love Me Do". Session drummer Andy White was brought in by The Beatles' producer George Martin to record in place of Pete Best, and Martin claims to not have realized prior to the session that The Beatles had hired a professional drummer. Starr played tambourine on the version of "Love Me Do" featuring Andy White and maracas on "P.S. I Love You".
Starr generally sang at least one song on each studio album, as part of establishing the vocal personality of all four members. In some cases, Lennon or McCartney would write the lyrics and melody especially for him, as Lennon did with "Good Night" from the White Album, and as he and McCartney did for "Yellow Submarine" from Revolver (1966). Often these melodies would be tailored to Starr's baritone vocal range. Although some have criticised Starr's vocal range when comparing him to his band mates, he turned in strong performances on par with other baritone pop stars, making an invaluable vocal and marketing contribution to the group. Starr's backing vocals can be heard on songs such as "All Together Now", "Carry That Weight", and "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill".
Lennon and McCartney were the most prolific songwriters in The Beatles, Harrison wrote several songs, and Starr is credited with "Don't Pass Me By" (on The White Album) and "Octopus's Garden" (on Abbey Road) as sole songwriter. Starr's name also appears as a co-writer: on Rubber Soul, the track "What Goes On" was co-written by Lennon, McCartney and Starr; while the songs "Flying" (on the Magical Mystery Tour album) and "Dig It" (on Let It Be) are listed as being written by Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr.
In addition, Starr wrote "Taking a Trip to Carolina" (on the second CD of Let It Be... Naked), and received joint songwriting credits with the other three Beatles for "12-Bar Original", "Los Paranoias", "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)", "Suzy Parker" (heard in the Let It Be film), "Jessie's Dream" (heard in the Magical Mystery Tour film) and The Beatles' version of "Free as a Bird". The Let It Be film also features "Jazz Piano Song", which is credited as a "McCartney/Starkey" composition.
Each member of The Beatles sometimes contributed to songs without being given specific songwriting credits; for example, Starr provided the line "writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear" to the song "Eleanor Rigby", and he suggested that the priest could be "darning his socks", which McCartney liked and retained in the final lyrics of the song. Lennon also used Ringo's common original expressions, such as "A Hard Day's Night" and "Tomorrow Never Knows", and turned them into Beatles songs.
Starr commented in The Beatles Anthology that when he presented a song to The Beatles, it would often sound to the other three Beatles like another popular song, and Starr recognised the similarities when they were pointed out. The White Album, particularly the song "Don't Pass Me By", continued to show Starr's taste for country music that he had brought into the band.
Starr was often nicknamed the "Sad Beatle" because he was often frowning. Starr, on the subject of this, commented that he had the kind of face that, whether or not he was genuinely enjoying the moment, did not show much emotion.
After the breakup of The Beatles on 10 April 1970, Starr released two albums before the end of that year. Sentimental Journey featured Starr's renditions of many pre-rock standards and included the production talents of Quincy Jones, George Martin and McCartney, among others. His next album, Beaucoups of Blues, put Starr in a country context, and included renowned Nashville session musician Pete Drake. He scored hit singles with "It Don't Come Easy" (1971) and "Back Off Boogaloo" (1972), the latter of which was his biggest UK hit, peaking at #2. He achieved two #1 hits in the US, with "Photograph" (co-written with Harrison) and "You're Sixteen", both in 1973.
He also participated in The Concert For Bangladesh organised by Harrison in 1971, as well as drumming on Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Living in the Material World, Lennon's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, and Yoko Ono's early solo work. Indeed, his song "Early 1970" (the B-side of "It Don't Come Easy") voiced a hope that he could remain friendly and play music with all three of his former Beatles band mates. Starr then made his debut as a film director with the T. Rex documentary Born to Boogie. Starr became firm friends with T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan and during the period of filming the documentary, Starr released the single "Back Off Boogaloo".
Starr remains the only Beatle to have failed to top the UK singles charts as a solo artist, although he did chart two number one singles in the US. He is also the only Beatle to have failed to top the UK album listings, his highest position being #7, achieved in the UK with both Sentimental Journey and Ringo; the latter reached #2 in the US charts, giving Starr his highest album position there.
In 1971, he started a furniture company with designer Robin Cruikshank. Starr's own avant-garde designs included a flower-shaped table with adjustable petal seats and a donut-shaped fireplace.
The 1973 album Ringo remains his biggest-selling record. Produced by Richard Perry with participation by the other three former Beatles on different tracks, Starr became the most commercially successful ex-Beatle at that time. The album Goodnight Vienna followed the next year and was also successful. Hits and notable tracks from these two albums included "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen" both reaching number one on the US charts, and "I'm The Greatest" (written by Lennon) from Ringo, and "Only You (And You Alone)" and "No No Song" from Goodnight Vienna. In late 1975 these singles and others were collected for Starr's first greatest hits compilation, Blast from Your Past, which was also the last album to be released on Apple Records.[citation needed]. During this period, he became romantically involved with Lynsey De Paul and inspired her prophetic song "If I Don't Get You, the Next One Will". He also played tambourine on a song that De Paul wrote and produced for Vera Lynn, called "Don't You Remember When".
Starr's recording career subsequently diminished in commercial impact, although he continued to record and remained a familiar celebrity presence. Starr signed with Atlantic Records in the mid 1970s, and in 1976 the album Ringo's Rotogravure was released. While it did feature a minor hit single, the album sold only fairly well. This caused the label to revamp Starr's formula; the results were a curious blend of disco and '70s pop. The album Ringo the 4th (1977) was a commercial disaster, and Starr soon signed with Portrait Records. His stint with Portrait began on a promising note: 1978 saw the release of Bad Boy, as well as a network TV special. Sadly, neither were very popular, and Starr did not release another album with Portrait.
In 1975, Starr founded his own record label called Ring O'Records, and four albums were released on the label between 1975 and 1978 (Startling Music by David Hentschel, Graham Bonnet by Graham Bonnet, Restless by Rab Noakes and a re-release of an Apple Records album, The Whale by John Tavener) as well as 16 singles by artists such as: Bobby Keys, Carl Grossman, Colonel Doug Bogie, David Hentschel, Graham Bonnet, Suzanne, Johnny Warman, Stormer, Rab Noakes and Dirk & Stig (the last being names of characters from The Beatles pastiche band "the Rutles", created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes).
In 1980, George Harrison wrote "All Those Years Ago" for Starr to sing on his album Can't Fight Lightning which was later released as Stop and Smell the Roses, but then took it back and sang a re-written version himself, including it on his 1981 album Somewhere in England following John Lennon's murder. Starr, along with Paul and Linda McCartney, also played on Harrison's track. Starr was interviewed by Rolling Stone and Musician around this time. Stop and Smell the Roses was a well regarded album, but again did not sell particularly well. The Harrison-penned "Wrack My Brain" became Starr's last Top 40 single to date. Coincidentally perhaps, Lennon had also written a song for Ringo to use on Roses: "Nobody Told Me". However, following the murder, Starr did not feel comfortable recording the song; it was released posthumously under Lennon's name on the album Milk and Honey.
After Lennon was murdered in 1980, Starr and his girlfriend Barbara Bach flew to New York City, to comfort Lennon's widow Yoko Ono. They were noted for having done so, while McCartney and Harrison did not.
Although Starr had regularly guested on Lennon's and Harrison's solo efforts, and had had all three of his ex-colleagues guest on various records of his own, it was not until 1982 that he first was asked by McCartney to participate in recording sessions (for the Tug of War album). As was also evident with Harrison's "All These Years Ago", Lennon's death had in fact led to a public showing of reconciliation between the remaining Beatles.
Old Wave, produced by Joe Walsh, was released in 1983, but the album was only released in Germany, Canada, Scandinavia, Australia and Brazil (the album finally saw belated US release on CD in 1994).
In 1985, he performed, with his son Zak Starkey, as part of Artists United Against Apartheid on the recording Sun City.
In 1988, Starr drummed on the George Harrison song "When We Was Fab" from his album Cloud Nine. Harrison had written the song with Jeff Lynne with the intent of making a modern song referencing the psychedelic Beatles era, ca. 1967. Reportedly, Harrison felt he "needed" Starr to drum on the song, basically saying something to the effect of, "I can't imagine a song like this starting without Ringo's 'da-da-dum, da-da-dum'." The song charted in the Top 30 in both the UK and the USA, and is often mistaken for a Beatles song.
Beginning in 1989, after Starr had reunited with ex-Beatle guitarist Harrison and ex-Electric Light Orchestra leader Lynne on the Tom Petty song, "I Won't Back Down," followed by a stint in detox for alcoholism, Starr became a visible presence on the summer touring scene, organising a series of concert tours under the name Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, teaming with well-known musicians from various rock eras. The format of the concerts had Starr singing a couple of his Beatles or solo songs, then each of the other musicians taking a turn to sing one of their songs with Starr behind the drums, then Starr singing a couple more, then another go around, and so on. In this way, Starr is relieved from having to carry the full burden of the show, and the audience gets to hear a variety of music. The ninth such All-Starr Band tour took place in 2006.
The success of the initial All-Starr tour led to Starr releasing his first album in nine years, 1992's Time Takes Time. It received substantial exposure and the track "Weight Of The World" got considerable airplay. Critics considered Time Takes Time Ringo's best recording since 1973's Ringo and was produced by four of the top producers in music: Phil Ramone, Don Was, Jeff Lynne and Peter Asher. The album also featured guest appearances by Brian Wilson and Harry Nilsson.
In 1997, Starr guested on drums on two songs on the Paul McCartney album Flaming Pie. McCartney had written a song about Maureen Starkey ("Little Willow") and asked Starr if he'd play on another ("Beautiful Night"). On the day subsequent to the "Beautiful Night" session, the two recorded a jam session which developed into another song, "Really Love You", notable for being the first song ever credited to McCartney/Starkey and officially released on an album. (An earlier co-write called "Angel in Disguise" was cut from the album Time Takes Time, and a song on the Let It Be film soundtrack was also credited to the two.)
1998 saw two important albums released on the Mercury label. The studio album Vertical Man was well-received by critics and marked the beginning of a 9-year "partnership" with Mark Hudson, who produced the album and, with his band The Roundheads, formed the core of the backing group for the album. In addition, many "famous guests" joined on various tracks, including George Martin, Paul McCartney, and ― in his final appearance on a Ringo Starr album before his death ― George Harrison. Most of the songs were written by Starr and the band. The Roundheads and Joe Walsh also joined Starr for his appearance on "VH1 Storytellers", which was released as an album under the same name. On the show, he performed greatest hits and new songs, and told anecdotes relating to them. Starr's final release for Mercury was the 1999 Christmas-themed album I Wanna Be Santa Claus.
In 2001, Starr and Harrison were both guest musicians on the Electric Light Orchestra's album Zoom, playing on two tracks each.[citation needed] Later that year, he was shocked to hear about George Harrison's death of cancer on November 29, as he told MTV, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, among many others show that "We will miss George for his sense of humor."
In 2002 Starr was inducted into the Percussive Hall of Fame joining the elite group of percussive inductees, which includes Buddy Rich and William F. Ludwig, Sr. and his son.
On November 29, 2002, Starr performed "Photograph" and a cover of Carl Perkins' "Honey Don't" at the Concert For George held in the Royal Albert Hall, London, on the first anniversary of Harrison's death. According to the official website, "Ringo Starr caught everyone with a tear in their eye with a rendition of 'Photograph', a composition he wrote with George, which seemed to sum up how everyone felt." The song includes the lines, "Every time I see your face / it reminds me of the places we used to go / But all I've got is a photograph / and I realize you're not coming back anymore".
When drummer Carl Palmer was asked by fans in Mexico City about his drum set he used in a tour with Emerson, Lake & Palmer (reportedly valued at $25,000), his answer was that he sold it to Starr.
In 2003, Starr began recording for the independent label Koch Records, releasing Ringo Rama that year and Choose Love in 2005; the former includes his stylish tribute to Harrison, "Never Without You", and the latter features appearances by Billy Preston and Chrissie Hynde.
Starr toured again in mid-2006, with an All-Starr Band featuring Sheila E. on percussion, bassist Hamish Stuart (formerly of the Average White Band and Paul McCartney's touring band), and Edgar Winter. The tour was underway on Ringo's 66th birthday, 7 July 2006, when the All-Starr Band performed in Clearwater, Florida.
Starr appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 20 June 2006. He sang two songs; "What Goes On" from Rubber Soul and "With a Little Help from My Friends" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Starr was featured on the Jerry Lee Lewis 2006 duet album, Last Man Standing; he performed a cover, with Lewis, of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen".
In 2008, the studio album Liverpool 8, produced by Dave Stewart, Mark Hudson and Starr himself, was released. Two years later in 2010, Starr self-produced and released his studio album Y Not. In 2012, he released the follow-up album Ringo 2012. 2015 saw the release of his next studio album Postcards from Paradise. His nineteenth studio album, titled Give More Love, was released in 2017. Again two years later in 2019, Starr released his 20th album, What's My Name. He recorded the album in his home studio, Roccabella West in Los Angeles.
Starr was the narrator of early series of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends in the mid 1980's. He was also the original little conductor on Shining Time Station.
In 2017, Starr was awarded a knighthood for services to music and charity work.
Life In The Fast Lane
Ringo Starr Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Life In The Fast Lane' by these artists:
Alissa White-Gluz He was a hard-headed man He was brutally handsome, and she…
Ann Wilson He was a hard-headed man, he was brutally handsome And she…
Eagle He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
Eagles He was a hard-headed man He was brutally handsome, and she…
Eagles (The) He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
Eagles The He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
Garth Brooks He was a hard-headed man He was brutally handsome, And she w…
Geto Boys [Scarface:] Life in the fast lane, no time for the slow So…
Master P [Master P] Yo fool, reach me another clip, you know what…
Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
The Eagles (Rock) He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
The Eagles (The Very Best Of ~) He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
The Eagles (UK) He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
The New Eagles He was a hard-headed man, he was brutally handsome And she…
⇑The Eagles He was a hard-headed man he was brutally handsome And she…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Ringo Starr:
$ 15 Draw One, two Mama, I guess you have stood and cursed The…
01. Liverpool 8 [Verse 1] I was a sailor first, I sailed the sea Then…
02 Give Me Back The Beat Living on the street Tonight's a lonely place to be all…
07 $15 Draw One, two Mama, I guess you have stood and cursed The…
07 Don't Hang Up With my inside outside Looking for a free ride Waiting for…
10. A Man Like Me Now you can count on me, I'll be there you see, On…
12 Weight of The World Maybe your daddy never held you like he should Maybe your…
A Dose Of Rock 'n' Roll You're feeling down You're feeling blue You do know that you…
A Man Like Me Now you can count on me, I'll be there you see, On…
A Salty Dog I've known some ladies That made me happy In so…
Act Naturally They're gonna put me in the movies They're gonna make a…
After All These Years We didn't have the time to think things over, We had…
Alibi You came into my life When I was looking for an…
Álibi By Joe Walsh and Richard Starkey YOU CAME INTO MY LIFE WHE…
All By Myself When I was young I never needed anyone And makin' love was…
All In The Name Of Love Well, the things you say And the things you do, Baby, some…
All The Young Dudes Well Billy rapped all night about his suicide How he'd kick…
American Woman American woman gonna mess your mind American woman, she gonn…
Anthem This is anthem, for peace and love We've gotta keep trying,…
As Far As We Can Go By Russ Ballard YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY, I SEE IT…
Attention By Paul McCartney EV'RYBODY NEEDS ATTENTION, EV'RYBODY WAN…
Baby I Love Your Way Shadows grow so long before my eyes And they're moving acros…
Back of Boogaloo Back off, Boo-ga-loo, I said, Back off, Boo-ga-loo, come on,…
Bad Boy I'm just a bad boy All dressed up in fancy clothes. I'm…
Bang the Drum All Day I don't want to work I want to bang on the…
Be My Baby Hormone in production, Such a waste of time, Let's get dow…
Beaucoups Of Blues I left Louisiana, I had me big plans To go out…
Black Maria Black maria, you scare me so I feel as though my…
Blindman Blindman, with your piece of paper, what you gonna do? Blind…
Blink I used to think the world was just a sad…
Blue Christmas I'll have a blue Christmas without you, I'll be so blue…
Blue Turning Grey Over You Gee, how I miss Your tender kiss, And the wonderful things w…
Boys I'm just a bad boy All dressed up in fancy clothes. I'm…
Brandy By the open fireplace in my favourite dungarees, Played a f…
Bridges Each and every road is filled with choices Have to decide…
Bye Bye Blackbird Pack up all my cares and woes, Here I go, singing…
Call Me Call me, if you want to see me, Call me, if…
Can She Do It Like She Dances I was sitting at the bar, talking to a lady…
Can't Do It Wrong Sometimes I walk and I don't know the way Don't have…
Choose Love Dark clouds in my head dis appear The sky is turning…
Christmas Eve It's Christmas and you're not here, The snow is falling down…
Christmas Time Is Here Again Christmas time is here again Christmas time is here again Ch…
Come On Christmas Christmas Come On Come on, Christmas, Christmas, come on, Come on, Christmas, …
Confirmation Sometimes I'm up Sometimes I'm down Sometimes I'm lost Bu…
Coochy Coochy [Chorus] Waiting for you to come and see me, Waiting for you…
Cookin' Well, I'm a-cookin', Just a-cookin', Cookin' in the kitchen …
Cryin' I tried my best to get things over, Did everything that…
Dead Giveaway People like you see it comin' a mile off, Find it…
Dear Santa Dear Santa, I know it's Christmas time again, How I love…
Desperado Desperado Why don't you come to your senses You've been ou…
Devil Woman Everytime I see you walkin' down the street, I say, you're…
Don Well, how come you say you will when you won't? Say…
Don't Be Cruel You know I can be find Sitting home all alone, If you…
Don't Go Where The Road Don't Go When you wake up (I woke up) from a bad…
Don't Hang Up With my inside outside Looking for a free ride Waiting for t…
Don't Hung Up With my inside outside Looking for a free ride Waiting for…
Don't Know A Thing About Love Start swinging! We can take a walk on the moon, Make it…
Don't Pass Me By I listen for your footsteps Coming up the drive Listen for…
Dose of Rock 'N' Roll You're feeling down You're feeling blue You do know that you…
Down and Out Looked at the sky, what did I see? I saw someone…
Dream I've just closed my eyes again Climbed aboard the dream weav…
Drift Away Give me the beat boys Give me the beat boys Day after…
Drowning in the Sea of Love [Chorus] I've been down one time, And I've been down two tim…
Drumming is My Madness Drumming is my madness, Drumming is my business. Drumming i…
Early 1970 Lives on a farm, got plenty of charm, beep, beep. He's…
Ease for Me Nobody loved her, it was easy to see That made it…
Electricity Not so long ago back in Liverpool Playing every show while…
Elizabeth Reigns Elizabeth reigns Over and under Elizabeth reigns Lightning a…
Elizabeth Reigns (features V.. 'Ten-shun, two, three! Help me, captain, help me! …
English Garden I want you to see all of the flowers We'll shoot…
Everybody Wants You You see 'em coming at you every night Strung on pretension,…
Everybody's in a Hurry But Me Everybody's in a hurry but me Everybody's in a hurry but…
Everyday Is she the perfect woman, I'm a difficult man She's everythi…
Everyone Wins [Chorus] Everyone wins If we agree Life is a treasure And lo…
Eye to Eye I've been meaning to tell you I've got this feelin' that…
Fading In And Fading Out Life is fast, life is strange Every breath is filled with…
Fastest Growing Heartache in the West I brought her here from Arkansas, A simple country girl, To …
Fiddle About Uncle Ernie: I'm your wicked Uncle Ernie I'm glad you won't…
Fill in the Blanks Talkin' on the telephone, nothin' to say Empty conversation…
For Love Feel like I'm going under My heart it beats like thunder For…
Free Drinks Monday is here and I'm feeling no pain Easy jet ticket…
Gave It All Up Me and billy were a couple of kids, Nobody knew about…
Girls Talk There are some things you can't cover up With lipstick and…
Give a Little Bit Give a little bit Give a little bit of your…
Give It a Try Everybody has a dream that they hold on to But…
Give Me Back the Beat Living on the street Tonight's a lonely place to be all…
Give More Love She is The King of the Kingdom She tells me I'm…
Glamorous Life She wears a long fur coat of mink Even in…
Going Down I'm going down, I'm going down. I'm going down. I'm coming…
Golden Blunders Golden blunders come in pairs, they're very unaware What th…
Gone Are the Days Gone are the days Gone are the days Sometimes you lose yours…
Good News By Richard Starkey, Mark Hudson, Dean Grakal and Steve Dudas…
Good Night Vienna I took my baby to a party last night Uh Huh…
Goodnight Vienna I took my baby to a party last night Uh Huh…
Gotta Get Up to Get Down I know a man who just works out on twitter Just…
Groovin' Groovin', on a Sunday afternoon Really couldn't get away too…
Gypsies In Flight Leaving again, I don't know where or when we'll meet again. …
Hard Times She asks me 'round to have a bite to eat, When…
Hard To Be True Here in the night is when the memories fly 'Cause when…
Harry Like the songs of long ago Never fast, and not too…
Harry's Song Like the songs of long ago Never fast, and not too…
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I LOVE YOU? COULD I…
Have You Seen My Baby Have you seen my baby on the avenue? You know she's…
Have You Seen My Baby (Hold On) Have you seen my baby On the avenue? You know she's drivin…
Heart on My Sleeve wear my heart on my sleeve, I'm not afraid to say…
Hey Hey, hey, baby, I want to know If you'll be my…
Hey Would You Hold it Down? Well, my brother-in-law and my sister Sue Live in a house,…
Honey Don't Well how come you say you will when you won't Say…
Hopeless When I woke up this morning Much to my surprise The sun…
Hungry Eyes I've been meaning to tell you I've got this feelin' that…
Husbands and Wives Two broken hearts lonely looking like Houses where nobody l…
I I want to be your lover baby I want to…
I Don [Chorus:] I don't believe you 'Cause I've been lied to …
I Don't Believe You [Chorus:] I don't believe you 'Cause I've been lied to Girl…
I Feel Free I feel free, I feel free, I feel free I feel…
I Hear You Knocking You went away and left long time ago Now your knocking…
I Keep Forgettin' I keep forgettin' you don't love me no more, I keep…
I Think Therefore I Rock 'n Roll A happy man I did encounter Said to thyself be true One…
I Wanna Be Santa Claus I want to be Santa Claus, I want to get all…
I Wanna Be Your Man I want to be your lover baby I want to…
I Was Walkin' I was walkin', I was talkin' I was talkin' to myself…
I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way You're so different from anyone I've ever known And to try…
I'd Be Talking All the Time If I talked about the good times, There wouldn't be much…
I'll Be Fine Anywhere Sometimes it's a lonely life I lead Sometimes I just don't…
I'll Still Love You By George Harrison WHEN EV'RY SONG IS SUNG, WHEN EV'RY BEL…
I'm A Fool To Care By Ted Daffan I'M A FOOL TO CARE, WHEN YOU TREAT ME…
I'm Home Don't worry about how crazy This whole world can get I'll …
I'm the Greatest When I was a little boy, Way back home in Liverpool, My…
i'm the greatest. When I was a little boy, Way back home in Liverpool, My…
I'm Yours Daylight is falling, Night time is calling, All the lights o…
If It's Love That You Want Well if it's love that you want I got love I…
Iko Iko My grand-ma and your grand-ma were sit-tin' by the fire.…
Imagine Me There When the curtains move In breezes unexpected Don't you worry…
In A Heart Beat They're gonna put me in the movies They're gonna make a…
In A Heartbeat If you're ever feelin' down If your world ain't turnin' 'rou…
In Liverpool I was a sailor first, I sailed the sea Then I…
In My Car Doesn't make a diff'rence, Don't care how far. We can go the…
In The City Somewhere out there on that horizon Out beyond the neon ligh…
Instant Amnesia Instant amnesia Makes you forget Your worries Your troubles …
It Don One, two, One, two, three, four! It don't come easy You kno…
It's No Secret Lately, I've been so crazy, I wanna talk to you, I need…
I`ll still love you By George Harrison WHEN EV'RY SONG IS SUNG, WHEN EV'RY BEL…
King Of Broken Hearts Can you guess what I'm thinking of Where's someone that I…
King Of The Kingdom She is The King of the Kingdom She tells me I'm…
La De Da I live my life, it's only right, 'Cause I can't live…
Lady Gaye Lady Gaye I know you'll never, ever change your way There is…
Las Brisas Cross over the border, We'll take a sailing ship into the…
Laughable Woke up this morning I was feeling good Turned up the…
Lay Down Your Arms Now see what you get When you shoot so low Once you…
Let The Rest Of The World Go By With someone like you A pal so good and true I'd like…
Lipstick Traces Your pretty brown eyes, your wavy hair, I won't go home…
Liverpool 8 [Verse 1] I was a sailor first, I sailed the sea Then…
Logical Song When I was young it seemed That life was so wonderful A…
Loser's Lounge There's a honky tonk in this town, They call the loser's…
Love Don't Last Long By Chuck Howard HER MOTHER WROTE A LETTER, SAID SHE THOUGHT…
Love First Ask Questions Later What could I do when I didn't know When I was…
Love Is Forever takes so long You turn around it's gone Everybody's …
Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing Love is a many splendoured thing It's the April rose that…
Love Me Do Love, love me do You know I love you, I'll always be…
Lucky Man He had white horses And ladies by the score All dressed in…
Man Like Me Now you can count on me, I'll be there you see, On…
Me and You I won't tell you what to do No need to tell…
Memphis in Your Mind A cat has nine lives But man you don't live twice You…
Mindfield What's right, who's wrong, ev'rybody takes sides, My god, y…
Missouri Loves Company Is it a sin To live without To look within? I didn't know Wh…
Monkey See Monkey Do Love has locked us up, peaches, Locked inside this zoo, Your…
and many more tracks by Ringo Starr.
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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