Ringo Starr recently unveiled plans to release a full-length country album titled Look Up on January 10, 2025. Coinciding with the album announcement came the news that the famed Beatles drummer will be playing two special concerts at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on January 14-15 to celebrate the record’s release.
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Starr and award-winning producer and songwriter T Bone Burnett, Ringo’s main collaborator on Look Up, recently took part in an online interview on the TalkShopLive live-streaming selling platform to promote and sell advance copies of the album. During the Q&A, Starr and Burnett both revealed some cool details about the Nashville concerts.
While chatting with host Steve Harkins, Starr mentioned that the concerts will include country-influenced versions of some of the classic songs he sang with The Beatles.
“I’m excited that we’re gonna get, like, ‘A Little Help from My Friends’ [and ‘Yellow Submarine’] all in the country style,” Ringo said.
T Bone Burnett Shares More Details About the Ryman Concerts
Later in the Q&A, Burnett delved a bit deeper about what fans can expect at the concerts.
Burnett noted that acclaimed contemporary bluegrass artists Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, who both are featured on multiple tracks on Look Up, will be performing at the shows. He also reported that former White Stripes frontman Jack White will be taking part in the concerts too.
“And then there will be some other surprise guests,” Burnett added.
He also talked about what songs will be performed at the concerts. They’ll include versions of Beatles tunes sung by Starr, such as “What Goes On” and the aforementioned “A Little Help from My Friends.” The performances also will showcase material from Ringo’s 1970 country album, Beaucoups of Blues, and, of course, Look Up.
“[A]lmost everything Ringo did with The Beatles was country until, really, ‘A Little Help from My Friends, which we’re gonna turn country,” T Bone explained. “So we’re gonna do … songs from his Beaucoups of Blues [album], from his history, and do some duets with Billy and Molly and Jack. And then, you know, Billy will do a song, Molly will do a song, Jack will do a song, other people will do songs. So it’s gonna be an entertaining evening, I think.”
Burnett also revealed that the January 14 concert will be special because it falls on both his and Tuttle’s birthday.
More About Look Up
As previously reported, Look Up features 11 tracks, nine of which were written or co-written by Burnett. Starr co-wrote one of the songs, “Thankful,” in collaboration with his longtime studio engineer Bruce Sugar. Theat tune features guest vocals from Alison Krauss. Other guest artists on the album include Lucius and Larkin Poe.
During the TalkShopLive interview, Starr also revealed that his brother-in-law, Joe Walsh, contributed backing vocals to a song called “Rosetta.”
“Joe has to be on it because he’s family now,” Starr quipped. “He married [my wife] Barbara’s sister.”
A song titled “Time on My Hands” has been released as an advance digital track from the album.
You can pre-order Look Up now.
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