The live performance that Ringo Starr gets “tingles thinking about”
Thanks to a sketch by comedian Jasper Carrott in 1983, a generation grew up believing that John Lennon once said, “Ringo wasn’t even the best drummer in The Beatles”. In reality, Ringo Starr was well revered among his peers as a talented drummer with a unique style. Granted, his songwriting contributions and multi-instrumental command couldn’t measure up to that of Paul McCartney, but whose could?
Starr first joined The Beatles in August 1962 as a replacement for Pete Best. Allegedly, George Martin requested a more seasoned drummer for the studio. When Brian Epstein relayed this request, Lennon, McCartney and George Harrison pounced on the opportunity to oust Best. “We were pretty sick of Pete Best,” Lennon once said per Anthology, “Because he was a lousy drummer, you know? He never improved, and we were always going to dump him when we could find a decent drummer.”
Opinions are somewhat divided over how good a percussionist Best was at the time. Best’s cult following in Merseyside would argue that personal differences were the primary factor. Either way, Starr clicked with the Fab Four and proved to be a crucial part of the puzzle, both musically and socially.
As one of The Beatles, Starr travelled the world throughout the 1960s, meeting 20th-century icons, from Muhammad Ali and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. Along the way, he has had the opportunity to collaborate and share the stage with some of his favourite performers, including Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh, Colin Hay, Nils Lofgren, Billy Preston and many more.
Since The Beatles’ breakup in 1970, Starr has maintained a steady onstage presence, bouncing back after several years of performance limited to the studio. Since 1989, he has toured as Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, inviting as many guest stars as he can tempt to share the stage.
When he’s not touring, the remarkably youthful octogenarian enjoys watching some of his favourite artists in action. In 2018, Starr and his brother-in-law Joe Walsh spoke to Howard Stern just a couple of days after watching Bob Dyaln perform live at New York’s Beacon Theater. “He was great,” Starr praised. “I’ve seen Bob 100 times, and you get what you get, and you still love it.”
Naturally, Starr has been to a fair few gigs in his time, many of which he will have a fuzzy memory of. “One was Bonnie and Delaney [Bramlett],” Ringo said, picking out one of the best concerts he can remember. “And I saw Bob in the ’60s when he first came, and he played the Albert Hall … A lot of people in sweaters stood up screaming at him, ‘Traitor! Traitor!’ because he’d gone a bit rock.”
In the late 1960s, Starr and his fellow Beatles became entranced by some of the talent that emerged during the psychedelic era. He remembers being particularly impressed by the virtuosity of guitarists Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Starr recalled being with Clapton the night he first saw Hendrix play at a club in London. “He was great,” the drummer reflected.
Finally, discussing perhaps the most impressive live performance he ever saw, Starr recalled watching Eric Clapton in Los Angeles. During the show, the former Cream guitarist invited Carlos Santana to the stage. “It’s just one of those beautiful musical moments,” he reflected. “They’re both soloing and jamming, and Carlos was just on, and Eric just took his hands off the guitar and gave it to him. I thought, ‘That’s big!’ I get tingles thinking about that night.”
Starr and Clapton have performed together on many occasions through the years. The guitarist even joined The Beatles in Abbey Road Studios to play the lead parts on George Harrison’s ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’.
In the video below, Starr and Clapton perform the song alongside McCartney and Dhani Harrison at Concert For George in 2002.