Peace and Love and Many Happy Returns!

Today, Ringo Starr has turned 82 years young. I say “young” even though he’s not just seventeen, you know what I mean. But while the man may be an octogenarian, to me, he remains young at heart and full of amazing energy. I can tell you one thing: If I make it to 82, I’d be happy to have 50% of Ringo’s vitality!

I also like Ringo’s simple message of peace and love. During a time of significant change and deep division in this country and when much of the rest of the planet is pretty messed up as well, we need peace and love more than ever. Yes, you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

As Ringo usually does, today, he’s celebrating his birthday and peace and love message with a little help from his friends. According to a recent statement on Ringo’s website, he and his wife Barbara Starkey will be joined…by family and friends, including current All Starrs Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter, Colin Hay, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette, as well as friends Benmont Tench, Jim Keltner, Richard Marx, Matt Sorum, Ed Begley Jr, Linda Perry, Diane Warren, Roy Jr and Alex Orbison.

They will gather together in Los Angeles for Ringo’s annual Peace & Love Birthday event, and at Noon give the traditional “Peace and Love” exclamation. This year Artemis Music Space Network, through the International Space Station (ISS) will amplify that message not only to the entire planet but up into Earth’s orbit and to the stars. That’s certainly a remarkable effort!

I’d like to acknowledge today’s happy occasion by celebrating Ringo’s music, borrowing from a post I published a year ago. I’m adding a Spotify playlist at the end.

It Don’t Come Easy – non-album single, April 1971

Photograph – Ringo, November 1973

No No Song – Goodnight Vienna, November 1974

Wrack My Brain – Stop and Smell the Roses, October 1981

In My Car – Old Wave, June 1983

Drift Away (featuring Tom Petty, Steven Tyler and Alanis Morissette) – Vertical Man, June 1998

Walk With You (duet with Paul McCartney) – Y Not, January 2010

Postcards From Paradise – Postcards From Paradise, March 2015

We’re on the Road Again – Give More Love, September 2017

Let’s Change the World – Change the World (EP), September 2021

Here’s the aforementioned Spotify playlist, which includes both the above tunes, as well as some additional songs.

And, remember, wherever you are at noon today, Peace and Love!

Sources: Wikipedia; Ringo Starr website; YouTube; Spotify

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Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Kick Off Long-Awaited North American Tour

…We’re on the road again/We’re on the road again/We’re on the road again/We’re gonna play some rock ‘n’ roll, that’s true/Now we’re heading down the highway to play for you...

The above excerpt from We’re On the Road Again, the opener of Ringo Starr’s 2017 studio album Give More Love, was my first thought when getting a recent email reminder for my scheduled upcoming gig by Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band at New York City’s storied Beacon Theatre. This prompted me to check on the status of their tour, which had been derailed twice in 2020 and then again in 2021 due to you know what! It’s now official. Ringo and his revolving cast of prominent bandmates are back on the road, the best news I’ve heard in a long time!

The tour kicked off on May 27 in Canada at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. An announcement on Ringo’s website notes the show marked the fifth time the band launched a tour at that venue after 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2014. The large casino, hotel and entertainment complex is located on the reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation.

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band perform at Casino Rama on Friday, May 27, 2022. PHOTO BY DARREN EAGLES /PHOTO

“It’s loose,” Ringo told the Toronto Sun when describing the atmosphere at Casino Rama and explaining why the band chose the venue yet again to kick off another tour. “For a week we live here and we just go to the same stage. It’s good being in the same vicinity as where we’re rehearsing.”

Following are some clips taken by concert attendees of both the initial May 27 show and the second Rama date of May 28. First up: It Don’t Come Easy, which has always been one of my favorite Ringo tunes. The song, which he co-wrote with George Harrison who also produced it, first appeared as a non-album single in April 1971. It was Ringo’s second solo single. The tune may be titled “it don’t come easy”, but you don’t get the sense performing it posed any bigger challenge to Ringo who is turning 82 in July and seems to be in superb shape!

While Ringo undoubtedly is central to the All Starr Band, the idea behind the live “rock supergroup”, which he founded in 1989, has always been to go beyond Ringo’s songs and showcase tunes by the band’s members. Now in its 15th iteration, the group features longtime members Steve Lukather (of Toto), Colin Hay (formerly of Men At Work), Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart (formerly of Average White Band) and Gregg Bissonette, as well as alumni Edgar Winter whose first tenure was from 2006 to 2011. Speaking of Edgar, here’s Free Ride, a song written by Dan Hartman and originally recorded in 1972 by the Edgar Winter Group. Yeah, baby, this rocks!

How ’bout some Aussie music. Ask you shall receive. Here’s Colin Hay with Men at Work’s Down Under. One of the band’s best-known tunes, Down Under appeared on Business As Usual, the group’s debut album released in November 1981. Hay’s proposition of the vegemite sandwich still sounds pretty tasty.

Three clips in, you may wonder, and no Beatles? Agree, this borders on a crime. Here’s Octopus’s Garden, one of two songs Ringo not only sang but also wrote for the band. The second one was Don’t Pass Me By. He penned Octopus’s Garden during a boating trip with his family in Sardinia after he had walked out on The Beatles during The White Album sessions in 1968. Of course, we know the rest of the story. When Ringo returned, he found his drum kit covered with flowers, thanks to George, and Octopus’s Garden ended up on Abbey Road, the actual final Beatles album, even though it was released in September 1969, eight months prior to Let It Be.

Let’s do one more: With a Little Help From My Friends combined with a snippet of Give Peace a Chance, the show finale. With a Little Help From My Friends, off Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was among the final songs John Lennon and Paul McCartney truly wrote together. Give Peace a Chance, recorded May 31, 1969 at a “bed-in” Lennon staged with Yoko Ono in a room at Queen Elizabeth’s Hotel in Montreal, was Lennon’s first solo hit.

Here’s the setlist from the May 27 show, as reported by the Toronto Sun:
• Matchbox
• It Don’t Come Easy
• What Goes On
• Free Ride
• Rosanna
• Pick Up the Pieces
• Down Under
• Boys
• I’m The Greatest
• Yellow Submarine
• Cut the Cake
• Overkill
• Africa
• Work to Do
• I Wanna Be Your Man
• Johnny B. Goode
• Who Can It Be Now
• Hold the Line
• Photograph
• Act Naturally
• With a Little Help From My Friends/Give Peace A Chance

“I can’t wait to get back out on the road and play,” Ringo said in the above statement that was issued in February. “This is the longest I’ve been off the road in years – up until 2020 I was touring every year with the All Starrs – and I’ve really missed it. Making music in the studio has been great, and it certainly saved me during the pandemic, but nothing beats playing live with great musicians in front of an audience. I love my fans and they love me and it’s going to be wonderful to be peace and loving and playing for them again.” That’s the spirit!

Tonight, Ringo and His All Starr Band are playing CMAC in Canandaigua, N.Y., before moving on to Boston’s Wang Theater on June 2 and Hanover Theater in Worcester, Mass. on June 3. The full tour schedule is available here.

Sources: Wikipedia; Ringo Starr website; Toronto Sun; Songfacts; YouTube

Happy Birthday and Peace & Love

Today, Ringo Starr has turned 81 years old. It’s so great to see he’s still going strong! I just love the man and not only because he was the drummer of my all-time favorite band The Beatles. Ringo strikes me as a genuinely nice guy with a great sense of humor, who despite his fame comes across as a fairly regular person. A guy you’d love to hang out with. And somebody every band would want to have as a member since it always seems to be about the group, never about him.

Ringo is no technical virtuoso, which I’ve seen him acknowledge in interviews. I think his honesty and humbleness say a lot about him. And yet he’s held in high esteem by other professional drummers for his creative drumming style. That’s especially the case when it comes to certain Beatles songs where you can figure out the tune just by listening to Ringo’s drum part. When you think about it, that’s pretty cool!

But it’s perhaps the concept of Ringo’s All-Starr Band, which best illustrates what he’s all about. Yes, they play some songs from his solo period and his time with The Beatles, but they also perform tunes from the other members. It’s the “all” in the band’s name that matters. I so much hope I’ll finally see Ringo for the first time with the latest incarnation of the All-Starr Band at New York’s Beacon Theatre in June 2022. Meanwhile, let’s celebrate his 81st birthday with a selection of tunes spanning his 50-year-plus solo career.

It Don’t Come Easy – non-album single, April 1971

Photograph – Ringo, November 1973

No No Song – Goodnight Vienna, November 1974

Wrack My Brain – Stop and Smell the Roses, October 1981

In My Car – Old Wave, June 1983

Drift Away (featuring Tom Petty, Steven Tyler and Alanis Morissette) – Vertical Man, June 1998

Walk With You (duet with Paul McCartney) – Y Not, January 2010)

Postcards From Paradise – Postcards From Paradise, March 2015

We’re on the Road Again – Give More Love (September 2017)

Waiting for the Tide to Turn – Zoom In (EP), March 2021

And, remember, wherever you are at noon today, Peace and Love!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube

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

Ringo Starr’s New Album Reflects His Upbeat Personality

After Ringo Starr had announced it on his 77th birthday back in July, his new studio album Give More Love appeared yesterday. Coming only two and a half years after Postcards From Paradise, it is Starr’s 19th studio release.

Would I post about this, if Starr wouldn’t have been part of The Beatles? It’s a fair question to ask. After all, I’ve been a huge fan of The Fab Four for close to 40 years, so I can’t deny a certain bias. But I also think Starr is one of the most likable contemporary music artists I can think of – not to mention he is revered by so many other musicians.

Despite the fame that inevitably comes from being associated with one of the most popular and influential bands of the 20th Century, Starr never comes across as being full of himself. To me he also personifies the idea that members of a band should be partners, not competitors. I suppose all of this makes him a guy with whom other artists want to play.

Perhaps nothing illustrates Starr’s personality better than his All-Starr Band, which has existed in different formations since 1989. According to Wikipedia, the concept was created by producer David Fishof, who also produced the band’s first eight tours from 1989 until 2003. While rock “supergroups” had existed before, the idea of solo artists coming together in a touring band that played songs from each was new.

Given how many high-profile artists have been part of the All-Starr Band over the years, it’s perhaps not a surprise that Give More Love includes an impressive array of guests: Steve Lukather, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Jeff Lynne, Edgar Winter, Paul McCartney, Nathan East, Don Was and Timothy B. Schmit, to name some.

Ten of the tracks are original songs that have all been co-written by Starr. The album also features four bonus tracks, which are newly recorded versions of previously released songs, including Back Off Boogaloo and Photograph, two of Starr’s biggest hits.

The opener We’re On The Road Again, one of four singles that appeared prior to the album, has a nice rock groove to it. The tune was co-written by Lukather, who also plays guitar and keyboards. McCartney contributes bass, and provides background vocals, together with Winter, Walsh and Lukather.

King of the Kingdom has a laid back reggae beat. Starr’s co-writer for this tune was Van Dyke Parks, who is best known for his collaborations with Brian Wilson. Some of the guest musicians include Dave Stewart (formerly Eurythmics) on guitar, Winter on saxophone and East on bass.

Electricity is another more rock-oriented tune. Starr’s co-writer was Glen Ballard, who also contributes keyboards and backing vocals. Walsh, Starr’s brother-in-law, does some terrific guitar work, while Was is on bass. Asked about the song’s lyrics during an interview with People, Starr explained Johnny Guitar refers to the guitarist from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, the band in which Starr played before joining The Beatles. “I loved him. He was such a great asset to the band, and he had a great attitude. He played great, but mad.”

Shake It Up, which was co-written by Gary Nicholson, has a rockabilly groove. Nicholson also plays guitar on the recording. Winter provides piano, while Was contributes the bass.

The last tune I’d like to call out is the album’s title song, another co-write with Nicholson. Give More Love was also the record’s lead single released on Starr’s birthday (July 7). Among the guest musicians are bassist Matt Bissonette, his brother Gregg Bissonette on drums, as well as Schmit on backing vocals.

In mid-October, Starr and the All-Starr Band will kick off a 19-date U.S. tour. Lukather and Gregg Bissonette will be part of the line-up, as will be Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rollie, Richard Page and Warren Ham. The tour kicks off on October 13 with an eight-gig residency in Las Vegas and concludes on November 16 in Newark, N.J.

Asked during the above People interview what keeps him hungry after all this time, Starr said, “The playing is what it’s all about. That’s why I’m touring, that’s why I make records. That’s why I play with a lot of the people who ask me. I just love to play. I’m in a profession and a position where I can just play for as long as I can. As long as I can hold the sticks! That’s what it’s all about.”

Sources: Wikipedia, People, Ringo Starr website, YouTube

 

Ringo Rocks With A Little Help From His Friends

Last Friday, the second single from Ringo Starr’s forthcoming 19th solo album Give More Love appeared. Co-written by him and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, We’re On the Road Again is quite a vigorous rocker. The tune also features Paul McCartney on bass and backing vocals, as well as the Eagles’ Joe Walsh (backing vocals) and blues rocker Edgar Winter (backing vocals).

On July 7, his 77th birthday, Starr announced the new album and released the title track as its first single. The record, which includes ten original songs and four bonus tracks of re-recordings of previous Starr tunes, also features many other top-notch guests, such as Peter Frampton, Dave Stewart (formerly of the Eurythmics), ELO’s Jeff Lynne, the Eagles’ Timothy B. Schmit and Nathan East.

Starr will also go on a fall tour with his All-Starr Band. The line-up includes Todd Rundgren (guitar), Gregg Rolie (keyboards), Lukather (guitar), Richard Page (bass), Warren Ham (saxophone) and Gregg Bissonette (drums). The tour starts on October 13th with an eight-show residence at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and concludes on November 16 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J.

At 77 years, Starr seems to be an excellent shape and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The members of The All-Starr Band and the guests on the new album aren’t exactly teenagers either. We’re On the Road Again sounds like an ideal set opener. Here’s a clip of the tune. Rock on Ringo!

Sources: Wikipedia, Rolling Stone, Ringo Starr website, YouTube

 

Happy Birthday, Ringo Starr

Today, Ringo Starr celebrated his 77th birthday and announced his upcoming 19th studio album. As the Los Angeles Times reported, Starr and hundreds of fans and fellow musicians gathered at Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood for a “Peace and Love” birthday celebration. The annual event has been conducted since 2008, when Starr was asked about his birthday wish and replied “more peace and love.” Ever since he has asked his fans all over the world to stop at noon their local time and say the words “peace and love” to spread the message.

“The great thing is that it’s continuing to grow,” Starr said in the above LA Times story. “When this started in Chicago in 2008, there were maybe 60 or 100 people…My dream — my fantasy — is that one day in the future everyone on the planet will stop at noon and say, ‘Peace and love.’”

Starr was born as Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England. Of course, he is best known as the drummer of The Beatles, replacing Pete Best in August 1962. Prior to that he had played in Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, which had become one of Liverpool’s leading bands in early 1960. Starr met The Beatles for the first time at Kaiserkeller in Hamburg, Germany on October 1, 1960. Just like The Beatles, The Hurricanes had accepted a residency in the Northern German city.

Only two weeks later after the initial encounter, Starr joined John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison to back up Hurricanes singer Lou Walters during a recording of the George Gershwin tune Summertime. During that time period in Hamburg, Starr also filled in for Best on a few occasions. In August 1962, Lennon asked Starr whether he wanted to join The Beatles. Apparently, George Martin wasn’t very impressed with Best’s drumming. Five months later, The Fab Four recorded their debut studio album Please Please Me, which was released in March 1963.

After the official break-up of The Beatles in early 1970, Starr launched a solo career, which to date has included 18 studio albums. No. 19 is called Give More Love and scheduled for September 15th. Rolling Stone just reported that Paul McCartney appears in two songs on the record: We’re On the Road Again and Show Me the Way. Other guests include Joe Walsh, Edgar Winter, Steve Lukather, Peter Frampton, Richard Marx, Dave Stewart, Don Was and Timothy B. Schmit. The record’s title song, a nice mid-tempo tune, has already been released, and the album is available for pre-order.

In mid-October, Starr and his All-Starr Band will kick off a 19-gig U.S. tour in support of the album. The All-Starr Band, a live rock supergroup, has existed in different configurations since 1989. The upcoming line-up will include Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rollie, Richard Page, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette.

Following is a selection of songs to celebrate Starr’s birthday:

Octupus’s Garden (The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969)

It Don’t Come Easy (non-album single, 1971)

Photograph (Ringo, 1973)

Wrack My Brain (Stop and Smell the Roses, 1981; written by George Harrison)

Walk With You (Y Not, 2010; duet with Paul McCartney)

Postcards From Paradise (Postcards From Paradise, 2015)

Sources: Wikipedia; Los Angeles Times; Rolling Stone; Ringo Starr website; YouTube