Ringo Starr Born: The Beatle Behind the Beat

Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best behind the drum kit on August 16, 1962, completing the lineup that made The Beatles the most commercially successful and culturally influential band in the history of popular music. He was not considered the best drummer in Liverpool. John Lennon was once asked if Ringo was the best drummer in the world. He replied that Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in The Beatles. The quote is almost certainly apocryphal, but it reflects a persistent underestimation. Born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in the Dingle, one of Liverpool's poorest neighborhoods, he suffered from appendicitis and peritonitis as a child, spending a year in hospital at age six. He contracted tuberculosis at thirteen and spent two years in a sanatorium. The long hospitalizations meant he left school with minimal education and entered the workforce at fifteen. He learned drums during his sanatorium stay, joined a skiffle group, and eventually became the drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, one of Liverpool's top bands. He was already known to the Beatles from their shared time playing clubs in Hamburg, Germany. His drumming style was unorthodox. He was left-handed playing a right-handed kit, which created unusual patterns and fills that conventional drummers could not easily replicate. His work on songs like "Rain," "Tomorrow Never Knows," and "A Day in the Life" demonstrated a musicality that transcended technical showmanship. Producers and fellow musicians consistently praised his ability to serve the song rather than showcase himself. He sang lead on several Beatles songs, including "Yellow Submarine," "Octopus's Garden," and "With a Little Help from My Friends." After the band's breakup, he released solo albums and had hits with "Photograph" and "It Don't Come Easy." He has toured consistently with his All-Starr Band since 1989, featuring rotating lineups of classic rock musicians. He was knighted in 2018 for services to music. He is the last surviving member of the Beatles alongside Paul McCartney. His contribution to the band's sound, dismissed for decades, has been increasingly recognized by musicians and critics as essential to what made the Beatles the Beatles.