Ringo Starr has never been the most prolific songwriter, but he did contribute a few classic tunes to The Beatles’ catalog and also penned some of his own solo hits. That being said, the famed drummer admitted that while he was in the Fab Four, his bandmates didn’t always embrace the original tunes he brought to the group.
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During a recent interview with country singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell that aired on SiriusXM’s The Beatles Channel, Starr recalled, “I started writing songs and I would like tell John [Lennon] and Paul [McCartney] and George [Harrison], ‘I’ve got this song I’ve written.’ And they’d be rolling on the floor laughing because—I didn’t know I was doing it—I would just rewrite someone else’s song.”
T Bone Burnett, the producer of Starr’s new country album, Look Up, also took part in the interview, and he suggested that Ringo had no reason to feel bad about his approach to writing tunes.
“By the way, that’s what everybody else does too,” Burnett maintained.
Among the songs Starr wrote or co-wrote for The Beatles are “Octopus’s Garden,” “Don’t Pass Me By,” and “What Goes On.”
Starr also told Crowell that he got to choose the cover songs he would sing with The Beatles. These included Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” and Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox.”
Starr Also Explained How He Wound Up with His Stage Name
Meanwhile, Starr, whose given name is Richard Starkey, explained to Crowell how he got his got his professional name.
Starr noted that at the time he joined his pre-Beatles band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, everyone in the group was coming up with stage names.
“[W]e all changed our name,” the 84-year-old rock legend recalled. “I mean, even in those days, I wore quite a few rings, which I don’t wear now. And in Liverpool, it’s like you get known. So people would start calling, ‘Hey Rings, what’s going on?’ You know, that started to come about.”
He continued, “So I became Ringo. And Ringo Starkey didn’t sound rocking, and so, just Ringo Starr. Yeah. And that’s what many people know me up to this day, including you.”
Burnett then commented, “Well, I don’t know if you could get a better name than Ringo Starr.”
Starr responded, “I know, far out,” but then pointed out that it “always sounded funny” alongside the other Beatles’ more common names: “John, Paul, George, Ringo.”
The Interview Took Place During Starr’s Recent Nashville Visit
Starr and Burnett’s interview with Crowell took place in Nashville while Ringo was there for his two recent concerts at the Ryman Auditorium. As previously reported, Starr was joined by a variety of guest artists, including Crowell, for two special performances celebrating Look Up’s release.
The shows also featured country-flavored renditions of Beatles songs and tunes from Ringo’s solo hits. The concerts were filmed for a two-hour CBS special called Ringo & Friends at the Ryman that will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ this spring.
Among the many other artists who performed with Starr at the shows were Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Jack White, Jamey Johnson, Brenda Lee, Mickey Guyton, and Billy Strings.
Starr’s Upcoming Performance Plans
Starr will be returning to Nashville on February 21 for his first-ever performance at the Grand Ole Opry.
Starr also will be touring with his All Starr Band in the U.S. this June. The eight-date trek kicks off June 12 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and runs through a June 25 show in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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