Ex-Beatle is still touring at 84: Ringo Starr advises his grandchildren to play in a band

Drummer Ringo Starr played concerts with the Beatles in clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg for years before the now legendary band achieved their breakthrough. The 84-year-old recommends his grandchildren take a similar path to make a career in the music industry.

“I advise them: Find someone at school and just play together,” said Starr to the German Press Agency in London. “That’s why there are four drummers in my family now.”

Competing with other bands was educational

It was particularly instructive that the Beatles appeared in competition with many other groups at the beginning of their career. “It was like a fight. That was cool,” recalled the drummer and singer, who just released his new country album “Look Up.”

“It went back and forth between two bands for twelve hours on the weekend. And that’s how you learn to play properly.” To this day, Ringo regularly plays drums and appears on stage.

The Beatles legend is convinced that many of today’s aspiring musicians lack such formative experiences. “A lot of these people on the TV shows can sing really well, but they often don’t know what happens next,” said Ringo.

If you look at all the number one hits from these shows, after a few months no one talks about them anymore. “There are only very few who really become stars.”

Proud of his time with the Beatles

This year Ringo Starr wants to go on tour again with his All Starr Band and, as always, he will play many Beatles songs. He is proud of his time as part of the “Fab Four”. “We just did it back then. We had no idea it would take off like it did. But we loved that it turned out that way. But alongside all the hype, we also released some wonderful songs. I love that til today.”