Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE, known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles. He occasionally sang lead vocals, usually for one song on an album, including "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Yellow Submarine" and their cover of "Act Naturally". He also wrote the Beatles' songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of others, including "What Goes On" and...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionDrummer
Date of Birth7 July 1940
CityLiverpool, England
The business is so driven by money, everyone's trying to get it right.
A lot of the players I'm with, thank God, we're all still vertical. We've lost so many great players through the years, and we're still standing, as Elton John says.
I play weird. I'm always just behind. We [drummers] only have so much room. We're not guitarists.
Every time, my syncopation is different, because I can never play the same fill twice. I just can't, never have been able to. Even as a Beatle, they'd say, 'Oh, double-track that.' I don't know how you do that, because when I'm in a fill I'm sort of this blackout, just this pure me coming out and I can't pure me the same, twice. So, that's that.
I hate click tracks. I'm to busy in the click track to feel my own heart rhythm, my own soul beat.
I was in George Martin's studio in Amsterdam and he was telling me, 'They come in here and it takes them three days to do a bass line.' Well I'm not from that era.
I have no anonymity.I've not had a drink in nine and a half years. That's my whole story right there.
I am truly grateful. I'm a grateful human being.
I don't particularly like messages, because everybody takes whatever they take from whatever.
I think we should have understanding and love and peace. I mean, peace and love has been my situation. You hear that in the song. I'm trying to promote that now: peace and love and understanding.
I'm like everyone else, on the stage it's good. Not too much fun in the hotel or the airplane or the bus, but you got to do it.
I'm a musician and I'm really blessed, because in my life if I can hold the sticks, I can play.
I never take it as any real pressure. It's like my son. I only gave him one lesson. When I went to give him the second one he said, 'Oh, I can do that dad.' I said, 'Now you're on your own.'
From 13, I wanted to play drums. I wanted to play with good people and I'm still doing it. I still love it so that's why I do it.