Ringo Star was born on July 7th, 1940 as Richard Starky. Out of the Beatles, he was the least popular and the one to contribute least to their success. He was also the most diversified in the media and the most active musician after they quintet split in 1972.
Prior to joining the Beatles, Ringo played in a Liverpool based band named Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He drummed for them from 1959 to 1962 and then left that band to play with the Beatles. He was taken on because he was easy going and was better than the typical drummer
Ringo was the drummer for the Beatles during their ten year run. Because he was strictly a drummer, he was confined to only beats and very little song writing. He did however write a couple of Beatles songs and was able to sing on at least one song per album. He also contributed to writing lyrics and helped organized songs.
Like all the other Beatles, Ringo did not want his career to be solely defined by what he did with the group. After the group split in 1972, Ringo released his solo album “Photograph”, which topped the billboard charts.
Ringo also did a handful of things outside of music as well. He began acting and directing films. In 1972, Ringo played a part in the “Magic Christian” and in “200 Motels”. He also directed “Born to Boogie”, a concert film about the band T. Rex. Through is famed music career, Ringo was able to capitalize on his relationship with celebrities and diversify his career.
Over the next decade, Ringo starred in a handful of films, children shows and made various television appearances. He also became an entrepreneur by investing money in cable TV, restaurants and advertisements.
Currently Starr still tours and is an active performer and musician. A lot of people have negative comments on Ring’s contributions to the Beatles. World famous drummer of the Late Night with Conan O’Brian, Max Weinberg has listed Ringo as a major influence. Many famous musicians consider him underrated.
Although he was never technically great, he did reform the role that the drummer would take on. Prior to Ringo, many drummers laid very basic beats down but as Ringo introduced complex fills and rhythms. He respected among many musicians and has played with some of the most talented musicians in the world.