Ringo Starr

(1940 -—- )

The Beatles were offered a recording contract with EMI in 1962. For a variety or reasons, they had become dissatisfied with drummer Pete Best. However, it was George Martin who put the final nail in the coffin. He expressed doubts about Pete's drumming ability and suggested the boys find a replacement. John then decided the time had come to let Pete go, and since the group had worked with Ringo before and had liked his drumming style and personality, he was the natural choice for Pete's replacement. However, even though Ringo showed up for the first official gig with his hair combed into the appropriate Beatle style, it took a while for him to feel comfortable in the closely knit Beatle fraternity. Ringo felt himself something of the newcomer and outsider, apparently not without reason. He was not even told of John Lennon's wedding to Cynthia Powell on August 23. Even more disheartening was the appearance of a session drummer, hired by Martin, to play at the September 11^th recording session.

On the day, the Beatles made a second attempt to record "Love Me Do." Session drummer, Andy White, was given the job of playing drums on the track, and Ringo was asked to play a tambourine. On the same day, White also drummed on "P.S. I Love You" while Ringo shook maracas. It was, however, the September 4^th Ringo version of "Love Me Do" that was finally released as the single and, according to George Martin, after the September 11^th date there was never any thought of replacing Ringo again. Ringo had established himself as a Beatle at last, and at one time was the most popular Beatle among American fans.

Ringo was perfect for The Beatles. His drumming was always consistent, a steady back beat that did not overpower the song or the singer. However, his health would cause him problems again as a Beatle. He missed three quarters of the 1964 tour of Scandanavia, Holland, the Far East and Australia to have his tonsils removed.

Ringo married his childhood sweetheart, Maureen Cox on February 11, 1965. They had met back in Liverpool during the Cavern Club days when she had been a student hairdresser. Their love endured the manifestations of Beatlemania, his move to London, the seemingly endless rounds of tours, and the fact that their romance had to be kept secret from the fans. When Ringo had to have his tonsils removed in early December of 1964, Maureen came to London to nurse him. When she discovered that she was pregnant, the marriage was quickly arranged. Zak Starkey was born to his happy and proud parents on September 13, 1965. Ringo, having always longed for siblings himself, wanted to make sure that his baby boy experienced such joys. Zak was followed by Jason Starkey on August 19, 1967 and sister Lee Parkin Starkey on November 11, 1970. To all who knew them, the couple seemed a perfect match. Their divorce in July of 1975 came as a shock to many. In April, 1981, Ringo married Barbara Bach whom he had met during the filming of the movie Caveman. The service was held in London in a register's office with George and Paul as witnesses. Ringo's mother, Elsie, was also present.

Ringo's role in The Beatles was undoubtedly an important one, but he remained in the background to John and Paul. On several albums, he would be given a token song to sing, but Ringo never really had pretensions about being a song writer. Only two original Starr compositions appear in the Beatles' discography. These are "Don't Pass Me By" on The Beatles (White album) and possibly his most famous song "Octopus's Garden" on Abbey Road. Following the Beatles' break up, he began a fairly successful solo career which produced eight albums and thirteen singles. He also toured twice with his All-Star band, first in America and Japan in 1989 and later in America and Europe in 1992. Members of the 1992 band included his son, Zak, Dave Edmunds, Nils Lofgren, Todd Rundgren, Joe Walsh, Tim Cappello, Timothy Schmit, and Burton Cummings.

Apart from his music, Ringo has also done voice-overs for television, movies, and was probably the most famous conductor in the children's television series, Thomas The Tank Engine. It appears as if after a long and rewarding career, Ritchie finally got to wear his railway uniform.