Ringo Starr

Profession: Musician
Place/Date of Birth: Liverpool, 07 July 2020
Assiociated with: George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, The Beatles

Ringo in web and hits album deal - June 18 2007
Former Beatle Ringo Starr has signed a deal for a hits album and the release of his Capitol/EMI catalogue as downloads on the internet.

The downloads will include his hit 1970 album Beaucoups Of Blues, and Ringo from 1973, his publicist said in a statement.

The downloads will be available from August 28, along with a compilation album called Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr.

The album and tracks like It Don’t Come Easy and Sentimental Journey will also be released on CD and as a collector’s edition CD/DVD package featuring a film and video clips.

Six Ringo Starr ringtones will also be offered.

A solo album, called Liverpool 8, is planned for a January 2008 release.

The star’s first solo recording contract after the Beatles broke up was with Capitol/EMI, from 1970 to 1975.

His former Fab Four bandmate Paul McCartney released his 21st solo album, Memory Almost Full, on June 5.

The Beatles catalogue remains unavailable for downloading, though EMI has said it is working on a deal to put the songs online.

Ringo ’not a fan’ of Sergeant Pepper - May 22 2007
Ringo Star has apparently revealed that he isn’t a massive fan of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

As the 40th anniversary of the legendary recording approaches, the 66-year-old admitted that he thinks the Beatles recorded superior songs on Revolver in 1966 and the White Album in 1968.

He told the Daily Express: "It served its purpose. But as a musician I preferred Revolver and I preferred The White Album because we were back being musicians. It was like everybody got their madness out in Sergeant Pepper."

His admission comes after his former bandmate Sir Paul McCartney also admitted that he would not have time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the recording - which included hit tracks Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and A Day In The Life - because he is too busy promoting his new album, Memory Almost Full.

Let it Be Naked! - 19/09/03
At last - the version of Let It Be that Paul wanted us to hear is to be released - without all the added Phil Spector input.

Sir Paul made it very clear at the time that he did not like the added effects and orchestrations that producer Phil Spector added on to his song The Long And Winding Road. But John liked what Phil had done.

Let It Be was originally going to be called Get Back, and would show The Beatles recording together as they used to - bringing the four back together after the separatism of The White Album. But it became known as the album that drove them apart - as The Beatles split during the recording. Spector came in to plough through the hours of music on tape - but went over the top in many people minds as to all the added extras.

Ringo said: "Paul was always totally opposed to Phil. I told him on the phone recently ’You’re bloody right again. It sounds great without Phil.’ Which it does."

Let It Be...Naked is to be released by EMI Records on November 17.

Biography

Richard Starkey (Ritchie / Ringo) was born on 7th July 1940. He was the only child of Richard Starkey and Elsie Gleave and they lived in an area of Liverpool known as The Dingle. His dad left home when he was three, and Elsie got work as a barmaid to help support her young son.

Ritchie developed appendicitis when he was six, and this resulted in peritonitis and a ten-week coma. He ended up in hospital for a lot longer and became very behind at school when he eventually did go back. He also lost interest and played truant. His mum married Harry Graves in 1953, which Ritchie was very happy about, but later that year Ritchie developed pleurisy, which resulted in another hospital stay, this time for two years. When he returned home at fifteen, he knew it was too late to make up so much time at school, so decided to get a job.

He worked as a messenger and barman before joining a firm as an apprentice joiner. The skiffle craze hit, and Ritchie got caught up in the bug as much as everybody else did. Music up until then had been pretty dull - so you can imagine what rock and roll did for teenagers! Harry bought his stepson a set of drums in 1957, which he went to London and brought back to Liverpool for him. Ritchie practised and joined a few bands, most often sitting in when other drummers couldn’t make it. He officially joined Rory Storm and The Hurricanes in 1959, and jacked in his job to join them at a summer engagement in Butlins, much to his parents’ dismay.

Ritchie became ’Ringo’ thanks to the rings he liked to wear on his fingers, and Starkey became shortened to ’Starr’ as it sounded better on the billing. Rory Storm and The Hurricanes were booked to appear in Hamburg during 1960, and there was another band there at the same time - The Beatles (with Pete Best). Ringo got on very well with this other Liverpudlian band, and would often watch their set. On both bands return to Liverpool, Ringo often sat in for Pete when The Beatles were gigging.

By 1961 Ringo was getting a bit fed up with The Hurricanes, who didn’t seem to be going anywhere, and was seriously considering a life out in America. He still played drums and went to Hamburg with Tony Sheridan, but was unsure where life was going to take him. Little did he know.

In August 1962 he received two offers of employment - one from King Size Taylor and the Dominos and the other from The Beatles. Ringo eagerly joined The Beatles, only eighteen days away from their scheduled recording session for EMI at Abbey Road Studios. Although Ringo was the natural replacement for Pete, it took a while before he fitted in with the closed circle that was The Beatles. He felt disheartened when a session drummer turned up to record Love Me Do, but it was the recording with Ringo that was released as a single, and a session drummer never appeared again - Ringo was in.

Ringo’s steady beat was the pefect background for The Beatles, and his easy going and friendly nature earned the other Beatles affection and respect. Ringo married his Liverpool sweetheart Maureen Cox on February 11th, 1965 and Zak was born on September that year, followed by Jason (August 1967) and sister Lee (November 1970). Unfortunately Ringo and Maureen divorced in 1975.

Ringo received high acclaim for his acting in A Hard Days Night - especially for his solitary walk along the canal. When The Beatles split in 1970, he also had two solo albums under his belt, and for a time was actually the most successful Beatle out of the all of them! He was also the only one who friendly at first, drumming for John’s Plastic Ono Band and George’s All Things Must Pass. Ringo took up acting and co-formed the design company Ringo Or Robin Ltd. He released a few singles and started Wobble Music Ltd - a music publishing company.

He fell ill in 1979 and had more operations in hospital, but recovered and met Barbara Bach on the set of his movie Caveman, and they subsequently got married. Ringo was the one that eventually led The Beatles back to talking again, although John’s murder in 1980 put paid to any reunion. Ringo and Barbara moved back to Tittenhurst Park, and he narrated Thomas The Tank Engine, which proved a hit with children all round the world. All throughout the eighties Ringo drummed at various events either with another member of The Beatles or on new projects. He created the All Starr band in 1987 and went on tour - covering the US and Japan.

In January 1994 Ringo got together with Paul and George to record John Lennon’s Free As A Bird - the first new Beatles single in 30 years.

Ringo keeps busy, he always has new ventures and projects on the go whether it is acting in films and adverts, music or any number of his various businesses. He lives mainly in Monte Carlo with Barbara.
June 2007

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