![]() ![]() That same year, the Beatles took their music to the big screen with the humorous documentary film A Hard Day's Night (1964). He rejoined the tour a few weeks later, relieved to find out he wasn't being permanently replaced. In June of 1964, Starr became ill again, when he was hit by pharyngitis and tonsillitis, and he was temporarily replaced on the road by Jimmie Nicol. And throngs of screaming fans-many of whom were lovestruck teenagers-filled the audiences of their live shows. Their single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had already climbed to the top of the charts before the taping and was followed by a succession of hits. television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Beatlemania was in full force during their first U.S. With their "mop top" hair and matching suits, the Beatles crossed the Atlantic Ocean to launch their own pop invasion of America in 1964. (Photo By Michael Ochs Archives/Stringer/Getty Images) Ringo Starr performs with The Beatles in 1965. Starr made a rare appearance on lead vocals for the song "Boys" on the album. Their first album together, Please Please Me (1963), added fuel to the already growing frenzy that would soon become known as Beatlemania. The Beatles' single "Please Please Me" made the group a pop sensation in England. Starr thought he was going to be fired, but things started to jell with the fans as well as the group itself soon all four were on the same wavelength and the alchemy began. ![]() Not ready to trust Starr yet, he replaced him with another drummer and assigned him to tambourine and maracas. The group's followers eventually came around, and Starr became a beloved member.įirst, musically, he had to get past George Martin, who had signed the Beatles to EMI and was producing their first singles. After their first gig at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, Best's fans were so angry about the switch that they gave Starr a black eye. In 1962, he officially joined the Beatles, replacing Pete Best. In October of 1960, Starr played with Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison on a track backing Hurricanes singer Lu Walters. His drum solos were called "Starr Time." The band grew in popularity, and on a tour in Hamburg, they first met the Beatles, a new group consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best. He got his first real drum kit for Christmas in 1957.Ī few years later, he joined a real band with real instruments, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, and started going by the name Ringo Starr to reflect both the rings he wore and his interest in country and western music. Skiffle was played with household objects instead of musical instruments (which were often out of the financial reach of struggling musicians) and Starkey started playing regularly with a band. He tried a series of different jobs, which were unrewarding professionally, but introduced him to skiffle music via one of his co-workers. By 1955, when he returned from the sanatorium, school wasn’t much of an option anymore as he was too far behind. In 1953 his mother remarried, and his new stepfather encouraged his interest in music. From then on, despite musical talent with other instruments, he was a drummer. One of the ways the staff tried to distract and occupy their patients was to have them form a band, and it was here where young Starkey first discovered percussion, using a wooden mallet to strike the cabinets next to his bed. This put him considerably behind in school, but just as he caught up (with the help of a tutor), he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and spent the next two years in a sanatorium. His mother worked as a cleaning woman and then a barmaid to support them.Īt age six, Starkey had an appendectomy and then contracted peritonitis, forcing him to live at a local children's hospital for 12 months while he recovered. His parents split up when Starkey was only four, and he never saw much of his father after that. He was an only child, and while his mother doted on him, his father lost interest in family life early on. Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in Liverpool, England. Primarily a drummer, Starr also sang and occasionally wrote songs for the group, singing "With a Little Help from My Friends" and writing "Octopus's Garden." ![]() Ringo Starr, known for his easygoing personality, rose to fame in the early 1960s as a member of the legendary rock group the Beatles. ![]()
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