Ringo Starr - The History of Rock Music

Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) was the last major member to join The Beatles but he was the oldest member, born on 7th July 1940. Although viewed as the least talented member of the group and quite often the butt of many of the jokes for the band, Starr developed a huge following and even before he had joined The Beatles was well known on the local music scene where he was a key component in the area. Starr was the most comfortable actor of all the group and it was no surprise that he was the main participant in The Beatles films and acting and TV work was to loom large in his solo career as well.

Starr was an extremely ill child and suffered many bouts of illness which saw him spend a considerable part of his childhood in hospital. This prevented Starr from progressing at school and also led to him developing numerous allergies and conditions which still affect him to this day. Eventually learning to read and write, Starr set about making up for lost time but found that the entertainment business was more aligned to his interests and took up drumming as a way to find fame and fortune.

Nicknamed Ringo because of the large amount of jewelry he wore, Starr started drumming for Rory Storm and The Hurricanes where he was first introduced to The Beatles when they were both performing in Hamburg. A number of occasions, Starr stood in for Beatles drummer Pete Best but at the time, no one knew how significant this was to be and the bands went their own separate ways.

When the Beatles were eventually signed to Parlophone Records, the decision of producer George Martin that Pete Best was not up to job opened the door for Starr to join and the remaining Beatles were keen for him to join up. Although George Martin was initially unimpressed with the work of Starr, hiring a session drummer to appear on the bands first single, Starr eventually won the producer over. Starr also had a hard task in winning many of the fan over as Pete Best was a popular member of the group and was definitely a favorite of the girls. Overtime, Starr would develop his own strong fan base but in the beginning, he had a tough ride from many of the fan of the band.

Starr was not overly bothered by the troubles had in winning the fans over initially and in 1965, Starr married his childhood sweetheart Maureen Cox, with the couple having three children together in the next five years. Zak, born on the 13th of September 1965, Jason, born on the 19th of August 1967 and Lee, born on 17th of November 1970. His son Zak, is also a drummer and has drummed for the reformed Who as well as Oasis for a number of years.

Although primarily known for hi vocals on some of the band lighter moments and his quip which would later become album or song titles, the drumming of Starr is probably one of the most under-rated elements of the band sound, with the influence of his playing still being felt to this day. Acts like The Chemical Brothers have almost made a career out of looping the drum beats of Starr and there is no doubt that he should be recalled like the rest of The Beatles as a key innovator in music.

Starr was the most affable of all the members of the band struggled with the constant bickering of the band and walked out on the group during the session of The Beatles album. Starr was soon to return and although the group held together for a couple of more years, the writing was definitely on the way and the bands split was probably the best for all parties.

1970 saw Starr release two solo albums as he came to terms with the groups demise and whilst the material was never vaunted as the most important of all the members, there is no doubt that Starr provided fun material which greatly appealed to a large number of the groups fans. This was the era when John Lennon was becoming extremely political, which was not for everyone and Starr managed to offer a counter-balance to this situation. Starr was t0 notice a drop in sales and interest in his musical output over the next few decades but embarked on a winning formula with Ringo Starr & His All Star band which saw him return to favor and impress live audiences again. The All Star Band is now in its tenth incarnation and allows Starr to remain performing but without having to carry the burden of carrying an entire show by himself.

In addition to his musical career, Starr has an extensive film career behind but non Beatles will most readily associate Starr with his voice over work on the Thomas The Tank Engine animations which he participated in 1984 and 1986. This also led to further television work in America where Starr voiced one of the characters in the American version of the show. This introduced Starr to a whole new generation of fans and viewer who were not born when his solo material was charting, let alone when The Beatles were around.

Although sometimes seen as the more frivolous element of the group, Ringo Starr has managed to confound many of hiss critics by still performing and entertaining. The breadth and depth being carried out by the front man indicate he was far more talented than he was originally given credit and he is the member of the group who appears to have stuck to the peace and love ethos that the band cultivated at the height of their popularity. It is fair to say that Ringo Starr is never going to the number one Beatle when it comes to musical output but the legacy left by the drummer more than proves he is worthy of his place in the history books.

The History of Ringo Starr

Mick Jagger Marries Bianca Macias in St Tropez

On May 12th, 1971, Mick Jagger and Bianca Macias tie the knot in a Roman Catholic ceremony at St. Anne’s Church in St. Tropez in the south of France. Mick Jagger had been studying Catholicism with the pastor of St. Anne’s, Abbe Lucien Baud so they could have an altar wedding after the civil ceremony. With the sun shining on the Cote d’Azur, it all looked like everything was set for the perfect wedding, but this was The Rolling Stones…

The Beatles Release “Abbey Road”

The Beatles released “Abbey Road” on October 1st, 1969 in the USA and September 26th, 1969 in the UK. “Let It Be” was the final album released by The Beatles although it was actually recorded before “Abbey Road“, making the “Abbey Road” sessions the final sessions The Beatles worked on together as a band.
The fact that The Beatles managed to reconvene after the disastrous “Abbey Road” sessions was deemed to be miraculous. What may have been the saving grace was the decision to get George Martin back in to produce the “Abbey Road” sessions. He managed to broker an uneasy peace between the warring Paul McCartney and John Lennon and helped negotiate a path through the debris to pick out the gems, and unbelievably delivered the most coherent record The Beatles ever produced.

Paul McCartney Meets John Lennon of The Quarry Men

It was Saturday, July 6th, 1956 and John Lennon’s skiffle group, The Quarry Men, were playing Woolton Village Church Garden Fete. In the audience, lured along by his friend at the promise of lots of pretty girls to chat up, was a 15 year old Paul McCartney.

15 year old Paul McCartney obviously impressed John Lennon when they were introduced and he was soon asked to join, later joined by his friend George Harrison. It was the start of something very special.