The Funny

Ringo Starr joined the band in 1962, being the last member to be incorporated. Unlike the other Beatles, he played on other bands before joining them.  His parents, Elsie and Richard Starkey, split up when he was three years old. His mother remarried and was his stepfather, Harry Graves, who introduced him into the world of music. As a child, Ringo was a sickly boy, he was sick very often and missed a lot of school due to that. After a long hospitalization, he never got back to school. 

 


He joined several bands, before joining the Beatles, after the band’s manager asked them to get rid of former drummer Pete Best. With the Beatles, Ringo Starr met success and fame. In the movies, he was usually portrayed as a funny and comical character and his presence was crucial for the development of the story. He didn’t write too many songs, but in every album he sang at least one song. Anyway, the rest of the band’s attitude towards him made him quit the band a few times, being the most famous the time when he left in the middle of the recording sessions of “The Beatles”. 

Unlike the other Beatles he didn’t use to write songs for their albums, but in the later albums, some songs written by Starr were included in the track list, for example, “Octopus’s Garden”. As a drummer, he is listed as one of the best drummers in rock history and quoted as an influence for many modern drummers. 

After the break-up Starr collaborated with Harrison and other musicians, in what was called the “all star band”.  He also did some solo work, and he still performs in public as a solo artist.