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The Beatles · S4 E5
Ringo Starr
August 1962. Pete Best is sacked. Richard Starkey, a drummer from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, gets a phone call. The final piece of the Beatles falls into place
August 16, 1962. Brian Epstein tells Pete Best the band no longer wants him, and two days later, Ringo Starr plays his first gig as a Beatle.
The Beatles, Yellow Submarine (1966). Ringo Starr singing lead on a song written specifically for his voice: warm, friendly, slightly goofy, and impossible not to love. The man who replaced Pete Best turned out to be the final piece the Beatles needed.
Yellow Submarine, The Beatles (1966)
John and Paul wrote 'Yellow Submarine' with Ringo's voice and personality in mind: it needed to sit in his limited range and match his warm, unguarded character. The recording session turned into organized chaos: John blew bubbles through a straw in a bucket of water, Mal Evans clanked chains around the studio, and the entire Abbey Road staff joined in singing the chorus. George Martin treated the whole thing like a radio play, layering sound effects and crowd noise until the song felt like a bedtime story come to life. It hit number one in the UK as a double A-side with 'Eleanor Rigby.'
Sources
Lewisohn, Mark. "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions." Hamlyn, 1988/2018.
Martin, George. "All You Need Is Ears." St. Martin's Press, 1979.
The Worst Phone Call in Pop Music
Brian Epstein delivered the news alone at NEMS. John, Paul, and George didn't come. They had asked Epstein to handle it, and none of them ever fully explained why they couldn't face Pete themselves. Best walked out of the record shop and into a life that would forever be defined by the band he almost stayed in.
Sources
Best, Pete. "Beatle! The Pete Best Story." Plexus, 1985.
Lewisohn, Mark. "Tune In." Crown Archetype, 2013.
TAP TO REVEAL: How did Liverpool fans react when Pete Best was replaced?
“I'd always wanted Ringo in the group. Every time we'd got him to sit in with us, it just felt right. He was the best drummer on the scene.”
— George Harrison, The Beatles Anthology, 2000
10 Admiral Grove, The Dingle, Liverpool
Ringo Starr grew up in one of Liverpool's toughest neighborhoods. He spent years of his childhood in hospital with peritonitis and tuberculosis, and it was during those long stays that he first picked up a pair of drumsticks.
Octopus's Garden, The Beatles (1969)
Ringo wrote 'Octopus's Garden' during a boat trip in Sardinia, where the captain told him about octopuses collecting stones and shiny objects to build gardens on the sea floor. George Harrison sat with Ringo at Abbey Road, playing chord shapes and helping him construct the song. It's the second and last song Ringo wrote for the Beatles, and its childlike joy is pure Ringo: a man who spent his childhood in hospital beds dreaming of somewhere beautiful and safe.
Octopus's Garden, The Beatles (1969)
Read the lyrics while you listen. Ringo's songwriting is simple on purpose. No wordplay, no metaphors, just a man who wants to be 'warm below the storm' in a little garden under the sea. Sometimes the least complicated Beatle wrote the most honest songs.
Before joining the Beatles, which band was Ringo Starr the drummer for?
The lineup is complete. John, Paul, George, and Ringo walk into Abbey Road on September 4, 1962, and record a song called 'Love Me Do.'
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