Ringo Starr

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Ringo Starr : biography

7 July 1940 –

In January 2008, the studio album Liverpool 8, produced by Dave Stewart, Mark Hudson and Starr himself, was released. Mark Hudson was the initial producer of the record but was replaced by Stewart after a falling out with Starr. (The album’s production credits read, "Produced by Ringo Starr and Mark Hudson; Re-Produced by Ringo Starr and David Stewart." All of the songs but one were written with members of the Roundheads, although Stewart also has several co-writing credits.) Starr’s attorney Bruce Grakal told journalist Peter Palmiere that the partnership between Hudson and Starr was over and they would never work together again. This happened after Hudson dropped out of the 2006 tour as musical director to do the TV show The One: Making a Music Star. According to Palmiere, Hudson now claims that the split was over Starr’s insistence on using synthesised sounds, for which Stewart is known, whereas Hudson wanted real guitars, pianos, strings etc. On 10 October 2008, Starr posted a video on his website stating that he would not be signing autographs after 20 October 2008. He stated that he is too busy and that anything after that date sent to any address will not be signed.

On 4 April 2009, Starr reunited with McCartney at the David Lynch "Change Begins Within" Benefit Concert at Radio City Music Hall. After separate performances from Starr and other artists, McCartney’s set came last, and towards the end he announced "Billy Shears", whereupon Starr joined him to perform "With a Little Help from My Friends" and, with all performers, "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Cosmically Conscious". In late May 2009, it was announced that Starr will collaborate with Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney to record some new tracks to record an entire album. Starr appeared on-stage at Microsoft’s 1 June 2009 E3 press conference with Yoko Ono, McCartney and Olivia Harrison to promote The Beatles: Rock Band video game. Starr remains the only Beatle not to top the UK singles charts as a solo artist, although he did chart two number one singles in the US. He is also the only Beatle not to top the UK album listings, his highest position being No.7, achieved in the UK with both Sentimental Journey and Ringo; the latter reached No.2 in the US charts, giving Starr his highest album position there. In the USA, Starr’s Apple singles fared rather well. Of all four members of The Beatles – in their respective solo careers – he has the second most consecutive top ten singles in the US with seven in a row: "It Don’t Come Easy" (No.4), "Back Off Boogaloo" (No.9), "Photograph" (No.1), "You’re Sixteen" (No.1), "Oh My My" (No.5), "Only You (And You Alone)" (No.6) and "No No Song" (No.3). McCartney has the most with eight in a row.

In November 2009, Starr once again performed the voice of Thomas the Tank Engine for "The Official BBC Children in Need Medley". This is the first number 1 UK hit Starr has been involved in since the Beatles disbanded in 1970 (not counting guest appearances on other singles by other artists).

2010s

On 12 January 2010, Starr released his fifteenth studio album, Y Not. On 22 January, he appeared during Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief as a celebrity phone operator. On 7 July 2010, Starr celebrated his 70th birthday at Radio City Music Hall, New York with another All-Starr Band concert, topped with friends and family joining him on stage including Yoko Ono and his son Zak, and Paul McCartney as a surprise guest.

On 13 May 2011, Starr appeared on The One Show on BBC One, where he announced that he was working on a new album featuring a song called "In Liverpool". Starr contributed a cover of Buddy Holly’s "Think It Over" for the tribute album Listen to Me: Buddy Holly, which was released on 6 September 2011. On 30 January 2012, he released the album, Ringo 2012. In late 2012, Ringo announced that his All-Starr Band will tour the Pacific Rim during 2013 with select dates in New Zealand, Australia and Japan, for the first time since 1996 in Japan and the first time in New Zealand and Australia.

Discography

  • Sentimental Journey (1970)
  • Beaucoups of Blues (1970)
  • Ringo (1973)
  • Goodnight Vienna (1974)
  • Ringo’s Rotogravure (1976)
  • Ringo the 4th (1977)
  • Bad Boy (1978)
  • Stop and Smell the Roses (1981)
  • Old Wave (1983)
  • Time Takes Time (1992)
  • Vertical Man (1998)
  • I Wanna Be Santa Claus (1999)
  • Ringo Rama (2003)
  • Choose Love (2005)
  • Liverpool 8 (2008)
  • Y Not (2010)
  • Ringo 2012 (2012)

Notes