Ringo Starr Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here is a look at the life of Ringo Starr, musician and member of the Beatles.
Personal
Birth date: July 7, 1940
Birth place: Liverpool, England
Birth name: Richard Starkey Jr.
Father: Richard Starkey Sr., bakery worker
Mother: Elsie (Gleave) Starkey, bakery worker
Marriages: Barbara Bach (April 27, 1981-present); Maureen (Cox) Starkey (1965-1975, divorced)
Children: with Maureen (Cox) Starkey: Lee (daughter), 1970; Jason, 1967; Zak, 1965
Other Facts
Nominated for 27 and winner of nine Grammy Awards. He was also presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of the Beatles.
Nominated for one and winner of one Academy Award (with the Beatles).
The nickname “Ringo” came from his habit of wearing numerous rings.
Suffered from serious illnesses throughout childhood, spending one year in the hospital due to peritonitis and two years in a sanitarium for pleurisy.
Plays the drums left-handed with a right-handed drum set.
Paul McCartney has appeared on several of Starr’s solo albums, including “Vertical Man” (1998) and “Y Not” (2010).
Started his annual “Peace and Love” birthday celebration in 2008 in Chicago. In honor of the day, he asked people around the world to take a moment at noon for peace and love. Gatherings have spread to several cities around the world. In 2016 he said, “My dream, one day, one hour, one minute, everybody in the world will go ‘Peace and Love.'”
Timeline
1957-1962 – Plays drums for several bands in the Liverpool area, including Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
August 18, 1962 – Becomes the drummer for the Beatles, officially replacing Pete Best.
1962 – The Beatles are signed by EMI-Parlophone and release their first record.
1963 – Beatlemania hits England as the group has four No. 1 hits.
January 3, 1964 – The Beatles make their US television debut, in a film clip on “The Jack Paar Show.”
February 9, 1964 – The Beatles appear live on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
April 13, 1965 – The Beatles win two Grammy Awards, one for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for “A Hard Day’s Night,” and one for Best New Artist of 1964.
August 15, 1965 – The Beatles play for a crowd of 55,000 people at Shea Stadium in New York.
October 26, 1965 – Queen Elizabeth II awards the Beatles with Most Excellent Order of the British Empire medals at Buckingham Palace.
August 29, 1966 – The Beatles schedule their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
1968 – Starr acts in the movie “Candy.”
February 29, 1968 – The Beatles win two Grammy Awards for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”: Song of the Year and Best Contemporary Album.
May 14, 1968 – Apple Corps Ltd. is formed to manage the Beatles’ business affairs.
1969 – Starr has a part in the movie “The Magic Christian.”
January 31, 1969 – The Beatles play an impromptu concert on the roof of the Apple Corps building in London, their last live performance together.
April 10, 1970 – Paul McCartney announces that the Beatles have broken up.
March 16, 1971 – The Beatles win a Grammy for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special, for “Let it Be.”
April 15, 1971 – The Beatles win an Academy Award for Original Song Score, for “Let it Be.”
March 3, 1973 – Starr wins the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, along with George Harrison and other artists, for the “Concert for Bangladesh.”
1973 – Starr has two No. 1 hits: “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen.”
1981 – Starr plays a part in the movie “Caveman” with future wife Barbara Bach.
January 20, 1988 – The Beatles are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1988 – Starr spends five weeks in a clinic being treated for alcoholism.
1989 – Forms the All Starr Band, with a rotating group of celebrity musicians.
1991 – Receives an award from BMI for one million broadcasts of the song, “It Don’t Come Easy.”
December 1995 – The Beatles release a new single, “Free as a Bird,” their first new song in 25 years.
February 26, 1997 – “Free as a Bird” wins two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal and Best Music Video-Short Form and “The Beatles Anthology” wins one for Best Music Video.
2008 – Accepts the Diamond Award at the World Music Awards on behalf of the Beatles for more than 100 million records sold.
February 8, 2010 – Receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
January 26, 2014 – Starr receives the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with the Beatles.
April 18, 2015 – Starr is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is the final member of the Beatles to be inducted as a solo artist.
September 16, 2016 – “The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years,” a documentary film directed by Ron Howard, is released in theaters. The film includes rare and exclusive footage of the Beatles touring between 1963-1966. The film goes on to win the Grammy Award for Best Music Film.
December 29, 2017 – The Beatles drummer is awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in her 2018 New Year honors list. Starr is the second member of the Beatles to be knighted, 21 years after McCartney.
March 18, 2021 – Starr releases a new EP, “Zoom In,” featuring contributions from numerous artists including Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Lenny Kravitz and Sheryl Crow.
November 10, 2021 – “Radhe Shaam,” a lost and previously unheard song featuring Starr and Harrison, is played for the first time on BBC Radio Merseyside. The song, written and produced by journalist Suresh Joshi, was recorded in 1968, but the master tape had been in Joshi’s home since then.
December 15, 2021 – Starr appears in the official music video for Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord.” The video, which comes 51 years after the song’s release, features Starr alongside a slew of musicians, actors and comedians who make cameos.
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