One of the biggest highlights of Ringo Starr’s recent CBS special filmed at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville was a star-studded grand-finale performance of the Beatles classic “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Now, a recording of that performance has been released as a digital charity single to aid people affected by the devastating wildfires that swept through the Los Angles area recently.
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All proceeds raised by sales of the song through March 27, 2026, will be donated to the American Red Cross and the Habitat for Humanity ReBUILDLA initiative.
The performance of “With a Little Help from My Friends” saw Ringo joined by Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Jack White, Brenda Lee, Mickey Guyton, Billy Strings, Jamey Johnson, Rodney Crowell, Molly Tuttle, Sarah Jarosz, and Larkin Poe. All of the guest artists also had performed earlier in the show.
Starr’s concert special was filmed on January 14 and 15, while the wildfires still raged in the L.A. area. The decision was made then to release the “With a Little Help from My Friends” performance as a charity single.
“I love LA and have lived there for many years, and while we were recording this in Nashville, many of us had family and friends who were dealing with the wildfires in Los Angeles,” Starr explained in a statement. “It was so great performing this song with these incredible artists and we all wanted to do something to help. I think the song says it all really, ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ and we send it to all those affected by the fires with Peace and Love.”
More About Ringo’s Ryman Shows and the CBS Special
Starr’s concerts at the Ryman celebrated his new country album, Look Up, which was released on January 9. The shows, billed as “Ringo & Friends,” featured performances of select tunes from Look Up, as well as selections from Ringo’s earlier solo releases and tunes he sang with The Beatles.
Starr’s main collaborator on Look Up was award-winning Americana producer, songwriter and musician T Bone Burnett. Burnett produced Look Up and wrote or co-wrote most the songs on the album. Three of the featured guest performers at the Ryman shows—Billy Strings, Tuttle, and Larkin Poe—also appeared on the album.
The special, titled Ringo & Friends at The Ryman, premiered March 10. The two-hour program celebrated Starr’s musical legacy while focusing on his love of country music. Besides the concert performances, the special included interview segments with Ringo, some of the guest artists, and other celebrities, among them Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton.
Ringo & Friends at The Ryman is available for viewing on demand at CBS.com and the Paramount+ streaming service.
About “With a Little Help from My Friends”
“With a Little Help from My Friends” was co-written by The Beatles’ McCartney and John Lennon. It first appeared on the band’s classic 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and has become one of Starr’s signature tunes to perform.
Ringo Starr’s 2025 Tour Plans
Ringo has a variety of 2025 U.S. concerts lined up with his All Starr Band. Starr and the group will kick things off with a June tour leg running from a June 12 show in Bridgeport, Connecticut, through a June 25 performance in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ringo and the All Starrs also will perform at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 13. That event will be followed by a six-date Las Vegas residency at The Venetian theater plotted out from September 17, to September 27.
The All Starr Band lineup currently features features Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men at Work’s Colin Hay, and Average White Band’s Hamish Stuart, as well as multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham, drummer Gregg Bissonette, and keyboardist Buck Johnson.
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