On This Day in 1962: The Beatles Replaced Their “Lousy Drummer” With Ringo Starr

It was a simple decision that would go on to have one of the greatest ripple effects in music history. If it weren’t for the decision, who knows what The Beatles’ career might have looked like. Would they still have been the most popular band of all time? Would their music sound entirely different? All of these questions are obviously up to speculation. Though, if the original Beatles drummer, Pete Best, was never let go; then the world would have never known Ringo Starr.

In 1962 after The Beatles reached worldwide fame, Brian Epstein and the band decided to let go of Best after just two years. Best first met John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison in 1958 when they were still known as The Quarrymen. Though, it wasn’t until 1960 that Best officially joined the group before their infamous tour around Germany. Despite their high school relationship, Best didn’t make the cut and The Beatles would go on to release “Please Please Me” shortly after.

The “Why” Behind Epstein and The Beatles Decision

The reason behind the decision is quite simple—Best wasn’t good enough. Lennon said “By then we were pretty sick of Pete Best too because he was a lousy drummer,” per Far Out. According to the same article, Lennon also stated, “We’d trained him to keep a stick going up and down. He couldn’t do much else.”

Needless to say, Best just couldn’t hack it. If the band were to hold onto to best their musical nuance would have been highly diminished and their creativity hindered. That being so, it makes sense why the group decided to part ways with the drummer. They were searching for someone with more ability, thus, Starr entered the scene and seemingly provided them just that.

Best’s Side of The Story

In a 1982 interview on The David Letterman Show, Best replayed what Epstein said, “The boys want you out and they want Ringo Starr in,” per his interview with Lettermen. That’s about the extent of what Best had to say about the life-changing day. What he did build upon was the fact that The Beatles, never truly acknowledged his departure.

Best would go on to open for The Beatles with his new band, Lee Curtis and the All-Stars. However, when he’d brush shoulders with his former group, The Beatles never acknowledged his departure. For Best, this was a shell-shocking decision and changed the course of his life. Though for The Beatles, it might have just been what they needed to get off the ground. Regardless, entertainment is a cutthroat business, and this is sadly a tale as old as time.

Photo by Shutterstock