Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) born on July 7,1940, whose parents divorced when he was three, was raised by his mother, Elsie, who married 8 years later to his stepfather Harry Graves, a Liverpool house painter, whom Starr liked and who encouraged his interest in music. Ringo's childhood was filled with stays in the hospital for an appendicitis-caused coma at the age of six, and in and out of the hospital with a cold turned-pleurisy. This ultimately made him fall far behind in school. Too old to return to school, after leaving the hospital in 1955, he became a messenger for British Airways.
Ringo got his first drum set as a christmas present while working as an apprentice engineer in 1959. Soon after, he joined the Ed Clayton Skiffle Group. He got his nickname Ringo, (because of the rings that he wore, and his name Starr, because of his drum solos to be billed as "Starr Time"). He then joined the Raving Texans in 1959, a quartet that backed up singer Rory Storm. It was while touring with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in Hamburg, Germany in 1961, that he met John, Paul and George. The Beatles drummer at that time, Pete Best, would be ousted on August 16, 1962, and replaced by Ringo Starr.
Starr, on occasion, would be given the lead vocals, beginning with "Boys" on the Beatles first British album, covers of country tunes like Buck Owens: "Act Naturally", Carl Perkins: "Honey Don't" and "Matchbox". Later on, "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help From My Friends", songs written especially for him by Lennon and McCartney, to accomodate his baritone voice. Starr's backup vocals can be heard on: "Carry That Weight", "All Together Now" and "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill". "Don't Pass Me By", Starr's songwriting credits, featured in 1968 on "The Beatles" (the so-called white album) and "Octopus's Garden" (on Abbey Road). "What Goes On" from the Rubber Soul lp, was co-written by Lennon, McCartney and Starr, from the (Magical Mystery Tour) album: the song "Flying" and "Dig It" from the (Let It Be) album, both being written by Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
Ringo Starr's solo recording career started in 1970 with the release of two albums before the end of the year: "Sentinental Journey", a collection of Tin Pan Alley standards which was produced by George Martin. And "Beaucoups of Blues", which included renowned country music guitarist Pete Drake. In 1971, Ringo Starr appeared on lp's of Lennon's, "John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band" and Harrison's, "All Things Must Pass", and recorded two hit singles: "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Bugaloo", which were both written by Starr/Harrison.
Ringo Starr appeared in Harrison's, "The Concert for Bangladesh" in 1971, and in 1972, Starr sat in on Peter Frampton's, "Wind of Change" lp. In 1973, he recorded the lp "Ringo", produced by Richard Perry, which spawned three top ten singles- "Photograph", "You're Sixteen" and "Oh My My" which featured members of the Beatles like: Lennon contributed: "I'm the Greatest", McCartney: "Six O' Clock" and Harrison: "Sunshine Life for Me". Goodnight Vienna had hit songs like "No No Song" and "Only You (And You Alone)". In late 1975, "Blast from Your Past", a collection of Ringo's hit singles and others was put together, and was to be the last album released on Apple Records.
My StumbleUpon Page