Cult musician: “We were happy to celebrate” – Ex -Beatle Ringo Starr to 85.

Ringo Starr almost turned his back on his British homeland as a young man before his career really started. “I tried to emigrate to America when I was 19,” said Starr of the German Press Agency in London. The reason was his great enthusiasm for the US Country and Blues singer Lightnin ‘Hopkins. Starr, who was born on July 7, 1940 as Richard Starkey, celebrates his 85th birthday today.

He had already filled out the necessary forms with a friend. “We went to the US message in Liverpool. And they gave us even more forms!” The young musician lost patience. “We just torn the forms tore. So I didn’t go to America.” Three years later, a call from Beatles manager Brian Epstein changed his life forever.

“The best decision I have ever made”

“Suddenly the phone rings and the questions rings whether I want to participate,” said the cult woster in 2024 in the dpa interview. Ringo did not consider long and accepted the offer to succeed the fired Pete Best. “That was the best decision I have ever made.” You can only speculate about how his career would have gone, he would have decided differently.

At that time he already knew his future bandmates from his performances with the band Rory Storm & the Hurricanes in Hamburg. “We came to Hamburg – and advise who was there: the Beatles!”, Runner recalled. Both bands performed regularly in the Kaiserkeller on the Reeperbahn. “We were 20 and liked to celebrate, so we got very close.” Sometimes rigid also played music with the Beatles, leaving a lasting impression.

Building of fans, then Beatlemania

The change annoyed many fans who bought the new beatle at concerts and write him bad letters – almost the forerunner of today’s hate comments at social media. He felt like a stranger in a wrong band, Starr reported later. But the feeling did not last long, because only a year later the Beatlemania broke out, which became a global phenomenon.

The drummer occasionally also took over the lead singing. With his striking, somewhat flat and nasal baritone, he shaped moody and silly numbers such as “Yellow Submarine” (on “Revolver”, 1966), “With a Little Help from My Friends” (“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, 1967) or “Octopus’s Garden” (“Abbey Road”, 1969).

Opinions about his quality as a singer diverge, but even as a drummer, the oldest beatle is still not without controversy. Some consider him overvalued, others for an ingenious clock with a lot of feeling. The fact is: Ringo rigid, who always wears sunglasses and likes to show the Peace or Victory sign, has long been cult and has fans in all generations.

Professionally solo, privately happy with Barbara

The Beatles stayed together only for around ten years – but during this time they shaped music history like no other band. After the separation, Starr began a solo career, the highlight of which was the album “Ringo” (1973) with the hits “Photographer” and “You’re Sixteen” on which the other ex-Beatles participated as guest musicians.

In private, he found his luck with his second wife Barbara Bach, who is almost always at his side and can often be seen in the front row at his concerts. The model and ex-bond girl (“The spy who loved me”) met Ringo while shooting the comedy “Caveman-who came out of the cave” (1981).

“At the airport, she was said goodbye to her at the time when I fell in love with her. Then we made the film together, she made me suffer for a month-and then we came together,” says Starr in the dpa interview. “And every morning I wake up and think:” Oh, we are still together. Nice.””

A career and a life with ups and downs

At the beginning of the year he released his 21st album “Look Up”. It is all the more remarkable that he is still so active at 85 and regularly tours with his all-star band when you consider that the ex-beatle had to cope with a number of professional, private and health sets in his life.

At the end of the 1970s, his career went downhill when several albums flopped commercially. “You just have to live with that,” he says later. He survived a serious car accident and had to cope with the death of his bandmate and friend John Lennon. His alcohol and drug use was out of control in the 1980s. Together with Barbara, the withdrawal cure succeeded.

Broccoli and sunshine

Starr, according to his own statement, has been living healthy for decades, supposedly he eats broccoli for every meal – his recipe for a long life. And maybe the California sun will also contribute to this. The emigration to the USA still worked with great delay. Since the early 90s, the boy from Liverpool has lived mostly in sunny Beverly Hills near Los Angeles.

In Beverly Hills, the “Peace and Love” statue he designed is also a survival-sized hand that shows the classic peer sign and has become a kind of pilgrimage for fans. Ringo Starr comes by every year for his birthday and invites you to the “Peace and Love” event. There is also cake – and sometimes live music. In September the next US tour with the all-STARR BAND is coming up.