He Is the Greatest: The Case for Ringo Starr
“The luckiest guy in the world”
“Not even the best drummer in the Beatles.”
For the record, none of the Beatles actually said either of those things. But the statements echo a common belief
that Ringo Starr was the replaceable Beatle, an average guy with average talent who got pulled along on the most fabulous ride of the 20th century.
Admittedly, this is an easy argument to make. Compared to his bandmates, Ringo wasn’t a brilliant songwriter, he wasn’t the best singer, he didn’t play multiple instruments, and he was often instructed by the other Beatles on what and how to play. But does that really tell the whole story? Not at all! Far from a tagalong, Ringo was the final piece to the Beatles puzzle, an essential element that that gave them the bump they needed to get to the Toppermost of the Poppermost.
The road to Ringo
A good drummer is often hard to find. But in late-’50s/early-’60s Liverpool, it was nearly impossible. Drums were expensive and awkward to carry without a car. And in a culture of violent Teddy Boys who were always cruisin’ for a bruisin’, a guy lugging a giant drum kit might as well have been wearing a bullseye. Plus, there just weren’t as many drummers around — guitars got the girls, after all.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison were all too familiar with this problem. They hadn’t been able to keep a drummer since the Quarrymen’s Colin Hanton left the band in 1959. For a while, they gave up on the idea altogether, becoming “Japage 3” (John, Paul, George = 3), claiming that “the rhythm is in the guitars.”
But that excuse doesn’t cut it in the professional world, so finding the illusive drummer became a necessity. A variety of guys played the odd gig for the Beatles until Tommy Moore joined the band for their first tour, backing singer Johnny Gentle in 1960. More than 10 years older than the rest, married, and working, Moore eventually quit when the band’s demands became more than he could handle. (Losing his front teeth in a car accident on the Gentle tour didn’t help, either.) Moore was followed by Norman Chapman, who was only a Beatle for a few weeks before being called up to the National Service. Shortly after, the Beatles got the incredible opportunity to play in Hamburg — on the condition that they had a drummer. They auditioned and hired the first person they could find on such short notice: Pete Best, who kept a decent beat and, perhaps more importantly, owned his own kit. For the next two years, the Beatles had a regular drummer, but Pete’s middling skills and shy, brooding personality caused problems from the beginning.
The Beatles may have been struggling, but Ringo Starr was thriving. Ringo was one of the top drummers in Liverpool and was enjoying a steady job with one of the best bands in town, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. By 1960, being a Hurricane was Ringo’s full-time job; in addition to their local gigs, the band played summers at Butlin’s Holiday camp, toured US Air Force bases, and a played a stint in Hamburg, where they shared a bill with the Beatles.
The two bands got to know each other well in Hamburg, and John, Paul, and George felt a close connection with the Hurricanes’ drummer. The four of them, sharing the same sharp wit, gelled, while shy Pete Best, who never really fit in with the others, preferred to be on his own.
In Pete Best, the Beatles had a competent drummer who could keep a fairly steady, if not brilliant, beat. But in his fellow Beatles’ estimation, he didn’t grow at the speed of the others, and he simply wasn’t one of them personality-wise. Tension was brewing for a while, but hit a breaking point when producer George Martin expressed disappointment with Best after the Beatles’ EMI audition. So in 1962, Beatles decided they needed a new drummer, and they wanted Ringo.
After a string of temporary drummers chosen out of necessity or desperation, the Beatles finally got to choose their own drummer. They chose Ringo not only for his talent — which was considerable — but for his personality. “Mean, moody, and magnificent” Pete was a draw for the girls, but his standoffishness was a problem for the other three. Ringo, on the other hand, shared their sharp, witty humor, was always willing to be social, and immediately got himself a Beatle haircut — something Pete Best refused to do. As local promoter Sam Leach noted, “Ringo was the better Beatle.”
So what?
All this is well and good, but did that translate to anything more than a stronger backbeat and a fourth Beatle haircut? It sure did. Ringo was the final key to creating the Beatles’ musical and personal chemistry, and that chemistry shot them to the top. Here’s why:
- With Ringo, the Beatles became an unbreakable foursome. John, Paul, and George viewed Pete as an outsider, but Ringo was a fellow Beatle. Like the others, he was a strong personality and could hold his own in the spotlight with both his bandmates and the fans. Sharing these characteristics allowed them to experience the highs and lows of Beatlemania as a unit, and and that unit quickly became impenetrable. These guys wanted to be together — they shared hotel rooms and willingly spent time together on vacations when they clearly didn’t have to. Had there been interpersonal tension piled on top of the stress of Beatlemania — tension like that experienced during the Pete Best era — the band may have splintered under the pressure before the first US tour was finished. This bond made Ringo irreplaceable; the last permanent member of a band that was not complete until it finally became “John, Paul, George, and Ringo.”
- He played a key role in the Beatles’ image. Ringo’s self-deprecating nature was a contrast to the others’ stinging wit, bringing an element of approachability to the band’s collective personality. He was a natural comic, and unlike the others, not afraid to be the butt of jokes (imagine how John, Paul, George, or even Pete Best, for that matter, might have responded to barbs about physical appearance). Ringo himself was a fan favorite, especially among younger American girls, and later became the breakout star of the Beatles’ films. His performance in A Hard Day’s Night was compared to Charlie Chaplin, and he became a main focus in Help! and Magical Mystery Tour.
- He was an innovator, just like his bandmates. It’s so easy to mistake his specialized skill set for lack of talent, especially in comparison to the others. But not being a musical jack of all trades doesn’t take away from his immense talents where it mattered: on the drums. Just like John, Paul, and George, Ringo was an innovator, a self-taught musician who developed his own unique style. From the way he held his sticks, to the creative methods he invented to achieve unusual effects, Ringo gave the Beatles a distinct drum sound that’s instantly recognizable, and nearly impossible to replicate.
- Ringo elevated his instrument’s status and created a new generation of rock drummers. In an era where drummers could rotate in and out of a band unnoticed and were often replaced by session men in the recording studio, a drummer as famous as Ringo was almost unheard of. His prominence was literal, as Ringo and his drum kit were elevated so audiences could clearly see him behind the front line — a rare setup. This status unwittingly elevated the status of drummers among fans, recording studios, and aspiring musicians. More and more musicians idolized Ringo’s talent and followed in his footsteps.
Of course, there were so many reasons for the Beatles’ wild success, many of which have little to do with Ringo. But even so, Ringo’s natural talents and contribution to the band — and to rock music — should not be discounted. The Beatles would have existed without him, but they wouldn’t have been the same.
So who are the luckiest guys in the world? They just might have been John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.
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Alex Hidell