Ringo Starr to Throw Virtual Charity Concert For Upcoming Big Birthday

You just gotta love Ringo Starr. He may not be the most sophisticated drummer or songwriter, but he’s just an awesome guy! As reported by Rolling Stone earlier today, Ringo is planning a virtual charity concert for his 80th birthday on July 7. The one-hour event will be broadcast on YouTube starting at 8:00 pm ET, and feature Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark, Jr., Sheila E and Ben Harper, among others. Appropriately called Ringo’s Big Birthday Show, the event will benefit Black Lives Matter Global Network, The David Lynch Foundation, MusiCares and WaterAid.

“…for 12 years, we have celebrated it by at noon going ‘peace and love’, wherever you are,” said Ringo during a more than 30-minute video interview with Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt. “We’re still doing it, but this year is going to be a little different…there’s no big get-together, there’s no brunch for 100, and there’s no gangs of people outside.” Below is a clip of the entire interview. If you dig Ringo, I can highly recommend it. BTW, I do agree with Hiatt, he doesn’t look like 80!

As further reported by Rolling Stone, the event will also debut a special version of Give More Love, the title track of Ringo’s 2017 studio album, featuring guests like Jackson Browne, Jeff Bridges, Elvis Costello and Willie Nelson. Ringo will also launch a series of tribute performances on his YouTube channel, including artists like Steve Earle, Peter Frampton and Judy Collins. Last but not least, he is asking fans to “say, think, or post #peaceandlove at noon their local time on July 7th.” 

Here’s the official video of the above noted Give More Love. Co-written by Ringo and Gary Nicholson, the tune is the title track of Ringo’s 19th studio release, which appeared in September 2017. His most recent album What’s My Name came out in October 2019. I previously wrote about it here.

Sources: Wikipedia; Rolling Stone; YouTube

11 thoughts on “Ringo Starr to Throw Virtual Charity Concert For Upcoming Big Birthday”

    1. Completely agree. He’s one of the most likable music artists I know – not full of himself and a great sense of humor.

      I also think the concept of the All Starr Band nicely reflects Ringo’s character. They don’t only play his songs, but they also perform the songs of the band’s members.

      I recall a great quote from another music artist – currently blanking on who said it. “Every bands needs a Ringo.”

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  4. I had seen this on Facebook and shared it there. I’ve never been keen on seeing him as a solo artist (especially that swingy dance he does) but I definitely want to see this. I am only a couple degrees of separation from him anyway as the guy who owns the rock camp was his tour manager once upon a time. Hopefully, I can join the all-star band when they start touring again. 🙂

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  5. It’s impossible not to like Ringo. You are right he doesn’t look 80 at all…not even close.
    If you think about it…he probably influenced more drummers than any drummer because he is a rock solid drummer, a human metronome and hey…he was a Beatle.

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    1. While Ringo himself has said he’s not particularly sophisticated from a technical standpoint, he’s definitely revered by many other drummers. One reason I recall is because in many cases you can figure the song just by listening to Ringo’s isolated drum part.

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      1. He played for the song. He wasn’t a Keith Moon or Bonham but he played strictly for the song. His tom tom work on Sgt Peppers is as good as it gets.
        Can you imagine Moon or Bonham in the Beatles? It would not work.

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