Ringo Starr : biography

1990s

The first All-Starr tour led to the release of Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band (1990), a compilation of live performances from the tour. In the same year, Starr recorded a version of the song "I Call Your Name" for a television special marking the 10th anniversary of John Lennon’s death and the 50th anniversary of his birth. The track, produced by Jeff Lynne, features a supergroup composed of Lynne, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh and Jim Keltner.

In 1991, he made a cameo appearance on the animated program, The Simpsons, episode "Brush with Greatness" and contributed an original song, "You Never Know", to the soundtrack of the John Hughes film Curly Sue. In 1992, Starr released his first studio album in nine years, Time Takes Time, which was produced by Phil Ramone, Don Was, Jeff Lynne and Peter Asher and featured guest appearances by various stars including Brian Wilson and Harry Nilsson.

In 1997, Starr guested on two songs from McCartney’s album Flaming Pie. McCartney had written a song about Starr’s ex-wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett ("Little Willow") and asked Starr if he’d play on another ("Beautiful Night"). The day after the "Beautiful Night" session, the two recorded a jam session, which developed into another Flaming Pie song, "Really Love You," notable for being the first song ever credited to McCartney/Starkey and officially released on an album. In 1998, he released two albums on the Mercury label. The studio album Vertical Man marked the beginning of a nine-year "partnership" with Mark Hudson, who produced the album and, with his band the Roundheads, formed the core of the backing group for the album. In addition, many "famous guests" joined on various tracks, including Martin, McCartney, and—in his final appearance on a Starr album before his death—Harrison. Most of the songs were written by Starr and the band. Joe Walsh and the Roundheads joined Starr for his appearance on VH1 Storytellers, which was released as an album under the same name. On the show, he performed greatest hits and new songs, and told anecdotes relating to them.

2000s

alt=Starr is on stage with two guitarists and two microphones. He is wearing sunglasses and a black and silver t-shirt, and both of his arms are raised. His right arm forms a V-shaped peace symbol.

In 2002, Starr was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame joining an elite group including Buddy Rich and William F. Ludwig, Sr. and Jr. On 29 November 2002 (the first anniversary of Harrison’s death), Starr performed "Photograph" and a cover of Carl Perkins’ "Honey Don’t" at the Concert for George held in the Royal Albert Hall, London. According to , "Ringo Starr caught everyone with a tear in their eye with a rendition of ‘Photograph’, a composition he wrote with George, which seemed to sum up how everyone felt." The song includes the lines, "Every time I see your face / it reminds me of the places we used to go / But all I’ve got is a photograph / and I realise you’re not coming back any more". In 2003, Starr formed Pumkinhead Records with All-Starr Band member Mark Hudson. The label was not prolific, but their first signing was Liam Lynch, who produced a 2003 LP entitled Fake Songs.

In 2003 and 2004, Starr served as an honorary Santa Tracker and voice-over personality for the London stop in Father Christmas’s annual Christmas Eve journey, as depicted in the annual NORAD tracks Santa program. According to NORAD officials, he was "a Starr in the east" who helped guide North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa-tracking tradition.

Honorary Santa Tracker]]

In September 2005, Liverpool’s City Council announced plans to bulldoze Starr’s birthplace, 9 Madryn Street, stating that it had "no historical significance". The LCC later announced that the building would be taken apart brick by brick and preserved. In 2006, Starr was featured on the Jerry Lee Lewis duet album, Last Man Standing. With Lewis, he performed a cover of Chuck Berry’s "Sweet Little Sixteen".Artists First CD AFT 20001-2, track 9, 2006 Also that year it was announced he would be the star in a Pow! Entertainment animated film and comic book produced by comics creator Stan Lee. In the 24 December 2007 issue of Time (European edition), Starr was profiled in a three-page article focusing on his happiness in life and his music. The article mentioned the Liverpool 8 album, but only briefly. It also stated that Starr and Dave Stewart were collaborating on writing a musical, to be called The Hole in the Fence, and discussed Starr’s then-upcoming performance in Liverpool on 11 January 2008.