Ringo Starr is gearing up to release a new full-length solo album that’s a collection of country tunes. Although details about the project haven’t been officially announced, the record reportedly will titled Look Up and will be released in January 2025.
The album is a collaboration with acclaimed producer/songwriter/musician T Bone Burnett, who in a new interview with Minnesota newspaper the Star Tribune revealed that he wrote nine tunes for the record.
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That Starr would record a country album shouldn’t be a surprise. The famed Beatles drummer has been a fan of country music since he was a child, and several songs he sang with the Fab Four were either straight-up country or influenced by the genre. In addition, Starr’s second solo album, Beaucoups of Blues, was an original country album that he recorded with Nashville session musicians in 1970.
Meanwhile, Ringo also has included country tunes on a number of his other solo releases.
In honor of Ringo’s upcoming album, and his passion for twangy tunes, here are four great country or country-inspired songs he’s recorded over the years:
“Act Naturally” – The Beatles (1965)
“Act Naturally” was a song written by Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison with which Buck Owens had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard country chart in 1963. The Beatles recorded a cover of the tune, with Starr singing lead, in 1965.
The Fab Four’s version of the upbeat song appeared on their 1965 album Help! in the U.K. In the U.S., “Act Naturally” first appeared as the B-side of The Beatles’ classic ballad “Yesterday.” While “Yesterday” topped the Billboard Hot 100, “Act Naturally” reached No. 47 on the chart.
It later was included on the track list of the band’s 1966 U.S. album Yesterday and Today.
“Act Naturally” became a vocal showcase for Starr when performing with the Beatles. He sang it on one of the group’s famous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, and at The Beatles’ historic Augst 1965 concert at Shea Stadium in New York City.
In 1989, Owens and Starr released a duet version of “Act Naturally.” It peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard country chart.
“Don’t Pass Me By” – The Beatles (1968)
“Don’t Pass Me By” was the first of only two songs that Starr is credited with solely writing for The Beatles (the second being “Octopus’s Garden”). He apparently began writing the tune as early as 1962, but didn’t finish it until the band’s famous trip to Rishikesh, India, in 1968.
“Don’t Pass Me By” was first released on The Beatles’ self-titled double album, a.k.a. “The White Album.”
In addition to vocals, drums, and percussion, Ringo played tack piano on the song. Paul McCartney was the only other Beatle on the track, contributing grand piano and bass.
A jazz musician named Jack Fallon played fiddle-style violin on “Don’t Pass Me By.” The song was released as a single in Scandinavia, where it became a No. 1 hit.
“Beaucoups of Blues” – Ringo Starr (1970)
Starr got the idea to record his first country album after meeting pedal-steel guitarist and producer Pete Drake during sessions for George Harrison’s 1970 solo album, All Things Must Pass. Ringo was tasked with picking up the Nashville-based Drake at the airport. On the way to the sessions, Drake noticed that Starr had some country records in his vehicle.
Starr wound up asking Drake if he wanted to record an album with him, and Ringo eventually headed to Nashville to work on the project. Beaucoups of Blues took only three days to record, and featured tunes written especially for Ringo by local songwriters.
The album’s lead song and title track was written by Buzz Rabin. The melodic mid-tempo tune featured plaintive vocals by Ringo, along with a shuffling beat, acoustic slide guitar, fiddle, and harmonica. Vocal group The Jordanaires, who frequently collaborated with Elvis Presley, also appeared on the track.
“Beaucoups of Blues” was a minor chart hit in Germany.
“Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)” – Ringo Starr (1973)
Ringo Starr’s third studio album, Ringo, was his most successful solo effort, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in November 1973. The album featured contributions from all of his former Beatles bandmates and a bevy of other well-known musicians.
Ringo includes an old-timey country-influenced tunes “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)” that was written by George Harrison.
Harrison contributed backing vocals and guitar to the celebratory-sounding track. The song also featured four members of The Band—Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson. In addition, David Bromberg played banjo and fiddle on the tune.