It wasn't only John who came up with witty puns and plays on words. Ringo had a few of his own that found their way into Beatledom. The most famous is probably "A Hard Day's Night," a phrase Ringo made up after a hard day in the recording studio. Another is "Tomorrow Never Knows." The songs that Ringo sang are some of the most enduring, and endearing songs of all, especially "Yellow Submarine." He even took his turn at songwriting in the late sixties. No, Ringo's contributions ranged far from just drumming.
Richard Starkey was born on July 7, 1940. He was a month overdue. Right after he was born, the Liverpool Blitz started.
The baby was named Richard, or Ritchie, after his father, Ritchie Sr. Ritchie Sr. moved out, but continued to support his son and wife, Elsie. The money he sent was not enough, however, so Elsie worked as a barmaid in a pub.
Though he had a perpetually mournful expression, Ritchie was always cheerful and optimistic. He spent much of his time at his grandfather's while Elsie worked. He only wished for brothers and sisters.
Ritchie's school career was doomed from the start. His appendix burst when he was six, and though the doctors saved his life, he was in a coma for several weeks. He had started to recover when he fell out of bed, further lengthening his hospital stay. He ended up missing the entire school year. He still could not read or write at the age of eight, and he had a weak stomach from which he never fully recovered.
Elsie married Harry Graves, a housepainter, in 1953. Ritchie had started secondary school, but he didn't do well because of all the lessons he'd missed out on. He caught a cold which affected one of his lungs. He spent the next two years at a children's sanitorium. When he finally recovered, he was thin and pale, with streaks of premature grey in his hair. He was fifteen. Despite the load of bad luck, Ritchie became his old self again: cheerful and glad for what he had.
He could barely read or write, but found work as a joiner's apprentice. He and a fellow apprentice formed a skiffle group in 1956, when the "skiffle craze" hit Britain, and everyone was forming a group and begging their mothers for guitars. Ritchie didn't want a guitar, however. Instead, he wished for drums, because he'd always liked beating on pots and pans. His first set cost ten pounds.
In 1959, a brand new set of drums granted him instant membership to the best amateur group in Liverpool, the Raving Texans, later Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Dependable drummers were harder to come by than guitarists.
The other members of the group called him Ringo because of the cheap rings he had taken to wearing. "Starkey" became "Starr" so his drum solos could be called "Starr Time."
Ringo got to know the Beatles in Hamburg, Germany, when both groups played at clubs there. The Beatles liked him; unlike John Lennon's sharp, cynical wit, Ringo's was droll and completely harmless. Ringo even filled in for Pete Best on occasion, when he failed to show up for gigs. The Beatles were beginning to be dissatisfied with Pete.
In August of 1962, John got in touch with Ringo and informed him that Pete was out of the band and they wanted Ringo in. All he had to do was shave his beard and comb his hair forward. As it turned out, they had auditioned for a record company, Parlophone, who had like everything except their drummer. They had, therefore, set out to find a new one.
This produced a problem among the fans. Many of the Beatles' fans then were devoted to Pete because of his good looks. Petitions, heckling, and even riots followed. George Harrison received a black eye at one point.
When the Beatles, along with new drummer Ringo, returned to cut their first record with Parlophone, George Martin, the producer, had provided a drummer of his own, a session drummer named Andy White. Ringo was handed a tambourine and Andy White sat at the drums.
Ringo looked so mournful and dejected that George Martin decided to record two different versions of "Love Me Do," so Ringo could have a turn.
George Martin was satisfied with Ringo as drummer, so Ringo's place in the Beatles was assured.
Sickness plagued Ringo once or twice during the Beatles' career, most notably during a world tour when Ringo had to miss several dates to have his tonsils removed. Drummer Jimmy Nicol filled in.
Ringo was also having an active home life. On February 11, 1965, he married his long time sweetheart, Maureen Cox. They had three children: Zak was born September 13, 1965, Jason was born August 19, 1967, and their daughter Lee was born on November 11, 1970. Ringo seemed very happy with Maureen, and it was a surprise to everyone when they divorced in 1975.
After the Beatles broke up, Ringo embarked on many business ventures, as well as putting out several solo albums. He drummed for various solo albums of all three former Beatles. In 1994 and 1995, he drummed in "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love," the Beatles' first two singles in thirty years.
Ringo also starred in and produced several movies. He was working on the movie Caveman in 1980 when he met and fell in love with Barbara Bach, an American model and actress who was his co-star. They married on April 27, 1981.
During the eighties, Ringo had problems with alcoholism. He tackled the problem and has now been rehabilitated for several years.
In 1985, Ringo celebrated the birth of his only grandchild, Tatia Jayne, the daughter of Zak Starr and his wife Sarah.
In 1988, Ringo played the part of the conductor in the children's television show "Shining Time Station." He was nominated for an Emmy.
1994 was a hard year for Ringo. First his dear stepfather, Harry Graves, died of pneumonia on August 27. Then his ex-wife, Maureen, died on December 30 of complication resulting from a bone marrow transplant.
In 1995, Lee was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She made a successful recovery after doctors operated, however.
Through it all, Ringo remains cheerful and optimistic, as he has always been.
Here is a list of Ringo's albums: