Ringo Starr, ordinary lad
I’ve never been one of those folks who seek out and soak up obsessive details about rock musicians—the minutiae of their lives and loves and drug habits and the like, although I realize it’s somewhat of a cottage industry. But I was doing some research the other day on the Beatles (probably just procrastinating, one of my favorite activities) and I found myself impressed by what a hard life Beatle drummer Ringo Starr (Starkey then) had at the outset.
You’d never have pegged him to succeed at anything. Abject poverty. Absent drunken father (he later acquired a good stepfather, though). Starr was grievously ill twice in childhood—the first time with post-appendectomy peritonitis that put him in a coma, the second with tuberculosis which he contracted at 13, a scourge one would have thought had practically disappeared from the developed world at that time. But I guess Starkey’s world as a youngster wasn’t all that developed.
As a result, he missed a lot of school, and ended up an early school dropout. He was placed in a TB sanitorium at the age of 13 and stayed for two years, and after he had emerged he never attended school again. But a turning point had already occurred while in the facility, although it may not have been recognized as such at the time:
During his stay the medical staff made an effort to stimulate motor activity and relieve boredom by encouraging their patients to join the hospital band, leading to his first exposure to a percussion instrument: a makeshift mallet made from a cotton bobbin that he used to strike the cabinets next to his bed. Soon afterwards, he grew increasingly interested in drumming, receiving a copy of the Alyn Ainsworth song “Bedtime for Drums” as a convalescence gift…Starkey commented: “I was in the hospital band … That’s where I really started playing. I never wanted anything else from there on … My grandparents gave me a mandolin and a banjo, but I didn’t want them. My grandfather gave me a harmonica … we had a piano ”“ nothing. Only the drums.”
Who can explain such an obsession in a youngster previously unfocused, who remained unfocused in all but that one area?:
After the extended hospital stay following Starkey’s recovery from tuberculosis, he did not return to school, preferring instead to stay at home and listen to music while playing along by beating biscuit tins with sticks…
After his return home from the sanatorium in late 1955, Starkey entered the workforce but was lacking in motivation and discipline; his initial attempts at gainful employment proved unsuccessful…
Fortunately for Starkey/Starr, the Beatles, and rock, he was successful at something—the drumming, and not just with biscuit tins and sticks. He not only acquired the skills (George Martin said, “He always helped us to hit the right tempo for a song, and gave it that support ”“ that rock-solid back-beat ”“ that made the recording of all the Beatles’ songs that much easier”), but he had the personality and the casually witty outlook shared by the rest of the Beatles and so apparent in their first film “A Hard Day’s Night.” The movie was a revelation to us fans who had liked their music but had no idea how funny they were. As Starr himself said, “Our appeal … is that we’re ordinary lads.” I’d say they come across as ordinary lads—even nice lads, which is not always true of rock stars—with extraordinary gifts and overwhelming charm.
[NOTE: It was after the breakup of the Beatles and the death of John Lennon that Starr really went off the deep end, although he finally managed to arrest the slide.]
I read an article about how Ringo was the perfect drummer for the Beatles. I didn’t understand much of it ( I wouldn’t know “back-beat” from “brow-beat”) but apparently he was a better drummer than people who like that “bangity-bang-bang” stuff will give him credit for being.
I got to meet Ringo and Paul when i covered the Christies auction of Linda’s posessions for charity…
Oh and its a friend of a friend that i know that traded his shirt with John with the ny on it and cut shoulders… and took the photo… i never got to meet john or george, though i have met Yoko…
Alan W:
Yes, I think that’s the opinion I’ve read several times, although I know nothing about drumming. But on the Beatles recordings I hear a powerful—and powerfully even—driving beat. Isn’t that the essence of rock?
Mike Portnoy has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the best drummers in rock-and-roll, having played with many groups, including Dream Theater, which he founded, as well as more recently Transatlantic, Flying Colors and several others.
He is definitely one of the most technically proficient players and plays some of the most challenging music ever composed for a rock-and-roll arrangement, and could probably literally play more with just one foot than Ringo could play with his whole body, but he is also a huge fan of Ringo and has participated in Beatles tribute concerts (the group calling themselves Yellow Matter Custard… their recordings of the later Beatles songs that the Fab Four never recorded live are superb).
I have a DVD of a Transatlantic concert where Mike Portnoy had a little Ringo bobble-head prominently placed on his drum kit, which I think is a tribute to how good Ringo is if someone as good as Portnoy idolizes him, even though Ringo’s skills from a purely technical point of view are greatly overshadowed by many percussionists.
But Ringo was perfect for the Beatles, and I’ve always held him and his skills in high regard.
Anyone who thinks Ringo wasn’t an exceptionally competent drummer needs to ask themselves how the best pop group of all time could have attained that status with just a mediocre drummer.
Because he was self-taught he did some things “wrong.” But innovations are more likely to come from autodidacts. A drummer friend explained (words inexact) “Oh he’s terrible, but he’s still perfect sometimes.”
Tonight I have insomnia, am neither sleepy nor completely awake, and find myself troubled by thoughts of a conversation between Yoko Ono and Artfldgr.
I never believed in fate, but …
I’m not qualified to speak of Ringo’s talent as a drummer. But it was the success of the Beatles that prevented his slide into obscurity and quite probably drug addiction. Even then, he almost blew it.
Ringo certainly had something – the Beatles weren’t going anywhere before he replaced Pete Best. I’ve heard that he could not do a snare drum roll – so I guess a roll isn’t all that important. 🙂
on another note, the bs election crapola is hiding a lot of stuff other countries are doing.
Nuclear missiles along NATO border?
I just watched A Hard Day’s Night a week ago and was struck by how witty and charming the Beatles were. I couldn’t help but notice how sparse Ringo’s kit was. Bass drum, tom-tom, snare, and a couple of cymbals. Compare that to Neal Peart’s kit. But Ringo was as solid and steady a drummer as they come.
Ringo’s influence on Rock drumming is immense. I’m not talking technical expertise here. Instead it’s the way he held his sticks. Called a self explanatory ‘matched grip’ (both sticks held the same in each hand). This all but eliminated the ‘traditional grip’ used by ALL drummers up til then. The matched grip made it possible to play louder, a necessity in front of screaming fans.
Also, Ringo is left handed but plays right handed on a right handed drum kit. A lot of the fills he plays he still leads with his left hand making some of them in effect backwards and difficult to exactly copy.
Regarding his small sized kit compared to a Neil Peart. The hardware on the drums in the 60’s was severely lacking in sturdiness compared to modern hardware (stands) making stacking drums and cymbals on top of each other a risky endeavor at best.
Badco
Badco:
That’s interesting about the “matched grip.” He did have a strong beat in addition to a steady, driving one.
Did you ever see this article about a fascinating study of time perception in drummers? You might be interested in it.
Ringo is, of course, the source for the very title “A Hard Days Night” — which he uttered as the Sun came up — to John & Co.
Lennon jumped all over it — right on the spot.
When queried whether he was a ‘Mod’ or a ‘Rocker’ — Ringo replied: “I’m a mocker.”
That broke her up into titters.
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His great ambition — at first — was to slam together some recording bucks into a chain of hair dressing salons.
He dropped that dream sometime in 1964 as each gig threw off more cash than a salon could generate in thirty-years.
Hi. Thanks for the great article! I mentioned it in my latest blog post: http://www.tracisworld.com/2016/07/fighting-odds-top-examples_92.html