Americana

The Beatles legend Ringo Starr has released his new album, Long Long Road. The album is the 85 year old’s 22nd studio album and his third foray into country music. It features guest appearances from Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Mully Tuttle and Sarah Jarosz. The album was recorded in Nashville and Los Angles in collaboration with legendary record producer and guitarist, T Bone Burnett.  We look back on Ringo Starr’s career, spanning close to seven decades.  The Beat Behind The Beatles and Beyond Few musicians in modern history have experienced a career as remarkable, unlikely, and enduring as Ringo Starr. For more than six decades, Starr has remained one of the most recognisable figures in popular culture, moving from the back streets of Liverpool to the centre of global fame as drummer of The Beatles. Yet his story is far more nuanced than the familiar image of the affable Beatle flashing a peace sign behind a drum kit. It is a life shaped by hardship, resilience, reinvention, and a surprising willingness to evolve long after many of his contemporaries stopped trying. Although John Lennon and Paul McCartney often dominated headlines and songwriting credits, Starr’s contribution to The Beatles was fundamental. His feel, timing, and instinctive musicianship helped shape some of the most influential recordings ever made. Beyond that, his personality became essential to the group’s chemistry. Starr brought warmth, humour, and a grounded presence to a band increasingly pulled apart by fame, pressure, and artistic ambition. More than fifty years after The Beatles disbanded, Starr continues to tour, record music, collaborate with younger artists, and explore new creative directions. His recent embrace of country music has introduced yet another chapter to a career that has consistently defied expectation. Growing Up In Liverpool Born Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940 in the working class Dingle area of Liverpool, Starr’s early years were marked by severe illness and instability. His parents separated when he was young, and much of his childhood was spent recovering from life threatening health problems. At the age of six he fell into a coma after suffering complications from appendicitis. Later, tuberculosis confined him to a sanatorium for almost two years. Ironically, it was during this prolonged recovery that music entered his life in a meaningful way. Hospital staff encouraged patients to participate in music activities, and Starr was introduced to percussion instruments for the first time. The rhythm and escapism of music offered something transformative. Unlike Lennon, McCartney, and George Harrison, Starr did not come from a particularly academic or artistically ambitious background. He left school with few qualifications and worked a series of manual jobs before becoming involved in Liverpool’s booming skiffle and rock and roll scene during the late 1950s. He joined Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, one of Liverpool’s most popular groups before Beatlemania emerged. It was during this period that he adopted the stage name “Ringo Starr”, inspired partly by the rings he wore and partly by the country and western influences he admired. Joining The Beatles By the early 1960s, Liverpool’s Cavern Club circuit was thriving, and Starr became acquainted with The Beatles through regular performances in Hamburg and around Merseyside. Even before officially joining the band in 1962, he was widely regarded as one of the best drummers on the local scene. When The Beatles decided to replace original drummer Pete Best, Starr was the obvious choice. His arrival completed what would become the most famous line up in music history. Initially, the transition was not universally welcomed. Some fans protested Best’s dismissal, and Starr briefly faced hostility from sections of the audience. However, it quickly became clear that his style suited the band perfectly. His drumming was economical, inventive, and highly musical. Rather than dominating songs with technical excess, he focused on groove, feel, and supporting the arrangement. Tracks such as Ticket to Ride, Rain, Tomorrow Never Knows, and A Day in the Life demonstrated how sophisticated his playing really was. Modern drummers continue to study Starr’s unconventional fills and left handed approach on a right handed kit, which contributed to his distinctive phrasing. Just as importantly, Starr became the emotional centre of The Beatles. Lennon later described the band as feeling incomplete whenever Starr was absent. During the recording of The White Album in 1968, Starr briefly quit the group after feeling undervalued. The remaining Beatles reportedly struggled emotionally and musically during his absence, persuading him to return with flowers covering his drum kit at Abbey Road Studios. Fame Beyond Imagination Beatlemania transformed Starr’s life beyond recognition. By 1964, The Beatles had become a global phenomenon unlike anything the entertainment industry had previously witnessed. Constant touring, screaming crowds, film appearances, and relentless media scrutiny created pressures few people could fully comprehend. Yet Starr often appeared more relaxed than his bandmates. His dry wit and approachable personality made him especially popular with fans and journalists. Films such as A Hard Day’s Night and Help! highlighted his natural comedic timing, with many critics considering him the strongest screen presence among the four Beatles. Behind the scenes, however, life inside The Beatles was becoming increasingly difficult. Exhausting schedules, creative tensions, and changing personal relationships gradually eroded the unity that had defined the group. As Lennon and McCartney pursued increasingly ambitious songwriting directions, Starr adapted alongside them. Although never a prolific songwriter, he contributed occasional compositions and became known for delivering memorable vocal performances on tracks such as With a Little Help from My Friends, Yellow Submarine, and Octopus’s Garden. His voice, unpretentious and sincere, offered contrast within a catalogue increasingly filled with experimentation and complexity. Life After The Beatles When The Beatles officially split in 1970, expectations for the members’ solo careers varied enormously. Starr was often underestimated compared with Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison. Yet he achieved significant commercial success during the early 1970s. Albums such as Ringo and Goodnight Vienna produced major hits including Photograph, It Don’t Come Easy, Back Off Boogaloo, and You’re Sixteen. His 1973 album