7 Days of Starr Day 7- Ringo Reflects

 "Ringo is Ringo, that's all there is to it. And he's every bloody bit as warm, unassuming, funny, and kind as he seems. He was quite simply the heart of the Beatles."- John Lennon

From his early music, his days with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, from the little group called The Beatles, and beyond Ringo Starr reflects and thrives on his past support, group and love. Here you'll find in Ringo's own and in others words from previous interviews, programs, etc. about his love for music and his memories.

Question: "Sorry to interrupt you while you are eating, but what do you think you will be doing in five years time, when all this is over?"
Ringo Starr: "Still eating."

If you haven't been following 7 Days of Starr I recommend you check out the following;

1. Ringo's Early Childhood
2. Ringo's Early Music
3. Maureen Cox
4. Barbara Bach
5. Drums
6. The All-Starr's

"I've never really done anything to create what has happened. It creates itself. I'm here because it happened. But I didn't do anything to make it happen apart from saying 'Yes'"- Ringo Starr

"They looked out for me and I looked out for them, and we all supported each other," Starr said of the four Beatles. "It was really beautiful to be part of that. And besides that, we made some great records."-From Rolling Stone 9 February, 2010 (Read more: here )

 To start off Starr's walk down memory lane it's only right to reflect the band that shook and still continues to shake and change the world, The Beatles.

It was 18 August, 1962 that Ringo Starr had formally joined The Beatles with group members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. The group would go on to perform together until 10 April, 1970 when Paul McCartney had publicly announced that The Beatles had broke up and he was leaving. Thorough the eight years they were together they released thirteen studio albums; Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Days Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles (White Album), Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, and Let It Be, and had topped the charts since their release of "Love Me Do" in 1963. From damp cellars to Beatlemania to Meditation Camp in India to crossing Abbey Road for the billionth time The Beatles had defined the word "Music" again and again and again but where would they be without Ringo? John Lennon even said in an interview with Playboy 1980 that with Ringo's talent he would of been heard whether he joined The Beatles or not;

"I don't know what he would have ended up as, but whatever that spark is in Ringo that we all know but can't put our finger on -- whether it is acting, drumming or singing I don't know -- there is something in him that is projectable and he would have surfaced with or without the Beatles. Ringo is a damn good drummer."

 Paul and George had even stated that The Beatles are like a four sided figure (Paul) or in a joke approach with How Many Beatles does it take to fix a light (George)? Ringo was that other leg of that four sided figure and The Beatles that fixed the light.

"We were honest with each other and we were honest about the music. The music was positive. It was positive in love. They did write - we all wrote - about other things, but the basic Beatles message was Love.”-Ringo Starr

Although in the beginning John, Paul, and George were skeptical about Ringo who was drumming with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Ringo will admit he looked tougher than the rest, first of all he was older (Only a few months older than John but two years older than Paul and three older than George), he wore his Teddy Boy clothing with a grey streak on the side of his hair. After they had gotten to know Ringo they realized that the nastier one (as George said) turned out to be the nicest one followed by the comment;

"Playing without Ringo is like driving a car on three wheels."- George Harrison

 Paul McCartney will still admit that Ringo is one, if not his favorite drummer, George said in an interview in 1974 that Ringo could play twenty-four hours a day and still be great. 

This past February David Letterman had reunited the two Beatles for a Grammy Salute to the worlds best band (The Night That Changed America) where musicians and good friends such as Jeff Lynne, Dave Grohl, Dhani Harrison, and many more performed Beatles classics to honor the groups success and love they had provided and still provide. The Salute closed with Ringo and Paul performing together with the closing statement;

"Well, we were in a band" as he describes his memories with The Beatles, "and whenever we play, John and George are always with us."

"Tonight we're remembering our beautiful friends. John and George. Let's hear it for John and George"- Paul McCartney at The Night That Changed America.

 The following video is Ringo reflecting on The Beatles first trip to the US;

For more Beatles reflects and about The Grammy Salute check out The Night That Changed America website here.

"I want to deal with what's in front of me now to the best of my abilities, and sometimes that's not very good. But a lot of the days it is really great."

To celebrate the Hollywood Walk of Fame's anniversary, which started on 8 February, 1960 Ringo Starr was honored with a Star on the Walk's 50th birthday becoming the 2,401st member. Not only is he a member of the Hollywood Walk of Fame but along with The Beatles, Starr was appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1965 (read about their honor here). He has awards from many Grammy's, Diamond Award, Lifetime achievement award, and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame With A Little Help from his Friends (The Beatles).

"More than any other drummer, Ringo Starr changed my life."- Max Weinberg

 With a starting role in The Beatles A Hard Days Night film in 1964 Ringo continued to become the acting Beatle with parts not only in Beatles films but he landed a role in Candy (1968), working besides Peter Sellers in The Magic Christian (1969), in 1971 he was in Blindman, 200 Motels, and The Point  followed by Thatl'll Be The Day (1973), Son of Dracula (1974), Caveman in 1981 where he met his second wife, Barbara Bach. In 1985 he appeared in Alice in Wonderland, followed by other roles in movies,  as the Conductor in the children's show Thomas and Friends, and others like appearances on The Simpsons and the Powerpuff Girls. Christ Carter, host of Breakfast with The Beatles on KLOS-FM said;

"He was used perfectly in the movies. In A Hard Days Night, he had his own scene and his own theme; in Help! It's all about the ring and Ringo; he sings the title song for Yellow Submarine. So if you think about it, he was really used to great effect, and I don't think the other guys minded it in the least."- Variety.com 

The following video is the many sounds of Ringo Starr throughout his work with Thomas the Train Engine; 

 It was no shock that Ringo would be the one to get into cameras and film making, while The Beatles began earning money they'd have the leisure of spending it on whatever they'd like, while the others were buying their objects Ringo would invest in cameras. When The Beatles opened their own business, Apple, Ringo had suggested they start Apple Films;

"'I want this to be the way of Apple Films.' If you had a great idea we'd supply the cameras and the money and you'd bring the product back. But most people forgot to bring anything back, they just ran away with the cameras."

Ringo's acting career ended in the 1980s,

" I was too busy doing other stuff. And I realized that there's enough actors; I'm a musician."

This past year Ringo had released an e-book with his own photography starting as early as 1963 called Photograph.

"I'm not the creative one. I know that. If Rory Storm hadn't come along... and then The Beatles... I would have continued running around in teddy boy gangs. Today, well... I'd probably be a laborer. I'm glad I'm not, of course. It'll be nice to be part of history... some sort of history anyway. What I'd like to be is in school history books and be read by kids." -Ringo Starr, 1968

Since 1989 Ringo has been touring with various other musicians called The All-Starrs, read about the groups here.

"The special thing about it is you get to play with really good musicians that you would never get to play with."- Joe Walsh, The Eagles, Variety

Ringo's has had the opportunity to perform with many musicians from E-Street Band members to Toto's Steve Lukather, and many more and each group that comes along to tour his love and passion for music never seems to leave.


Today we come together to wish Ringo Starr a very Happy seventy-fourth Birthday. No matter where you are at noon, let's all wish for Peace and Love as Ringo had asked for his birthday gift last year.

"I'd like to end up sort of unforgettable."- Ringo Starr

But who could forget about Ringo Starr?