Ringo Starr: A Life in Music

Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in Liverpool, England. He was an only child, and while his mother doted on him, his father lost interest in family life early on. His parents split up when Starkey was only four, and he never saw much of his father after that. His mother worked as a cleaning woman and then a barmaid to support them. At age six, Starkey had an appendectomy and then contracted peritonitis, forcing him to live at a local children's hospital for 12 months while he recovered. This put him considerably behind in school, but just as he caught up (with the help of a tutor), he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and spent the next two years in a sanatorium. One of the ways the staff tried to distract and occupy their patients was to have them form a band, and it was here where young Starkey first discovered percussion, using a wooden mallet to strike the cabinets next to his bed. From then on, despite musical talent with other instruments, he was a drummer. A few years later, he joined a real band with real instruments, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, and started going by the name Ringo Starr to reflect both the rings he wore and his interest in country and western music. His drum solos were called «Starr Time.» The band grew in popularity, and on a tour in Hamburg, they first met the Beatles, a new group consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best. In October of 1960, Starr played with Lennon, McCartney...