MusicRadar

Richard Starkey, better known to the world as Ringo Starr, drummer for a little dance band from Liverpool, England who called themselves The Beatles, was born 70 years ago today on 7 July 1940.

Yes, you read correctly: Ringo, good ol' irrepressible Ringo, the Beatle everybody could agree on (throughout most of the band's career, he received the most fan mail) is 70. That's a milestone in anybody's life, but in rock 'n' roll terms, it's one of seismic proportions. For even though Starr was the oldest Beatle, from the moment he replaced Pete Best behind the kit in 1962, he was always seen as 'the new guy.'

Many people called him 'the luckiest man on earth,' as if he merely climbed on board a speeding train and went along for the ride. But it took a special kind of drummer - and personality - to complement the immeasurable talents of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Fact is, Ringo, born left-handed but self-taught to play righty, and one of the first players to popularize the matched grip, was the perfect choice for The Beatles: He didn't just play beats; he played songs, approaching his drum patterns as musical compositions, full of quirky, funny, sightly off-kilter hooks that became embedded in the fabric of what is perhaps the greatest and most enduring catalogue of music in modern history.

Oh, yes. He also inspired, on the night of 9 February 1964, sitting high atop his Ludwig kit during The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, more people to pick up the drumsticks than any other drummer. Ever.

The biography of Ringo Starr could fill a book; in fact, many have been written, and surely more will follow. The factoids are out there for anybody who wants to seek them out. But on this, Ringo Starr's 70th birthday, MusicRadar celebrates the musician, the drummer, a peerless one at that, with some of his finest performances.

Because some Beatles footage doesn't adequately focus on Ringo behind the kit - and during the mid-'60s, as the group became a studio-only enterprise, some songs weren't shot at all - we've opened up our video gallery to include YouTube clips that feature some stellar and damn near note-perfect drum covers. All show off the magic, and lasting influence, of Ringo Starr, MBE.

1. I Saw Her Standing There - live in Washington, DC 1964

The Beatles' first real concert in the US was a riotous affair, one that tested the patience of the city's police force and the skills of the band's limited road crew. Realizing they were now conquering the continent they had only dreamed of, The Beatles put on a rip-roarin' rock show. And for those who might still think of Ringo Starr as a laid-back sort, his head bobbing from side to side, these three clips are proof-positive that the man could bring it big-time.

2. She Loves You - live in Washington, DC 1964

Another knockout. Ringo is pounding rivets here, but he adds some tricky flams in the chorus. No mean feat when pandemonium abounds.

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