Drum stars on Ringo

Ringo Starr

As Ringo Starr celebrates his birthday, we pay homage to the man who put the beat in The Beatles and remains arguably the most influential drummer of all time.

With his instantly recognisable sound, cheeky character and effusive style behind the kit, he was the rhythmical glue that held The Beatles together. Some of the biggest sticksmen tell us why they love Mr Starr…

Michael Miley

"Ringo Starr was my first and foremost influence. He was the drummer of the greatest songwriting team ever. John Lennon saying that Ringo wasn't even the best drummers in the Beatles, that was just a cheeky comment. Without Ringo you don't get those lyrical drum fills.

"Who benefitted from that? Don Henley from The Eagles, Nigel Olsson with Elton John, Nick Mason, all of those lyrical guys. None of that would exist without Ringo. If I ever met Ringo I would probably pass out and need to be revived."

Mike Portnoy

“Ringo is where it all began for me. From the day I was born, he was my introduction to drumming and music in general.

“There wouldn’t be drums as we know them if Ringo Starr hadn’t done it first. It goes beyond the fact that he was the drummer in the greatest band of all time; part of their innovation stems from his drumming. The backbeat on ‘Penny Lane’, the double-tracked drums on ‘Lady Madonna’ – nobody was doing the kinds of things that Ringo was doing in the ’60s. He was the first, and everything that followed did so in his footsteps.”

Phil Rudd

"Ringo was incredible. If you watch the Ringo thing where he's playing with Carl Perkins and Eric Clapton, that is f**king rockin'. Ringo is the man, he just puts it down and it's fat, fat, always fat and always right in the pocket. That's what Ringo is, he is the man."

Vinnie Colaiuta

“It was the first time that I’d really seen drums on TV and, after watching Ringo, I was desperate to get my own kit.”

Matt Sorum

"When I saw him as a kid, he was the guy who made me want to be a drummer. I've gotten to know him over the last few years. I went to see him at the Greek Theatre, and I got a backstage pass. Inside was a note asking me to join him on stage.

"So I went up. Greg Bissonette was on drums, and I was up there with Micky Dolenz, Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, Todd Rundgren, all of these great guys, and we sang ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ – I was right next to Ringo. It was incredible! [Laughs] It was the next level. I love what Ringo is doing. He writes songs, he sings them…”

Jack Lawrence Brown

“I think [Ringo] is a genius. He plays drums in a way that doesn’t disturb everything else that’s happening but there’s so much character to it."

Clem Burke

“My dad was a drummer, and I still remember going up into the attic to pull out his old set of big band drums from the ’40s.

"I really wish I still had those. My main inspiration was probably seeing Ringo with The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was the same for many people my age.”

Peter Erskine

“We had The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, their 1964 appearances and the song I Want To Hold Your Hand helping to lift America out of its post-Kennedy assassination funk. There’s some magic for you.”

Mike Mangini

“Ringo was the first influence on me, so I don’t think that I could have a better opinion. He’s got a confidence that is so amazing. You really have to appreciate how he played rock ‘n’ roll on stage with a smile on his face in situations where he only had a microphone or two. He knows who he is and he’s confident – that’s my evaluation of him. He’s solid, a solid influence.”

Mark Schulman

“I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan when I was three. I saw Ringo and all of those screaming girls and I was like, 'I’m in! That’s it!'”

Jeff Campitelli

“When I was seven my dad took me and my brother to see The Beatles. I remember it vividly. My dad was playing at a hotel in Detroit and he saw all these screaming girls, so he asked the manager what was going on. The Beatles were staying.

"‘My kids love The Beatles,’ he said. And dad, being an outgoing guy, said, ‘Any chance of getting me six tickets?’ It had been sold out for six months, but the manager said come back later. So after his gig the manager comes up with six tickets for 36 dollars! Unbelievable!”

John Tempesta

“When I was a kid I saw A Hard Day’s Night on TV and I was struck by Ringo - ‘That guy is so cool, I want to be that guy!’”

Gregg Bissonette

“When I was seven my dad took me and my brother to see The Beatles. I remember it vividly. My dad was playing at a hotel in Detroit and he saw all these screaming girls, so he asked the manager what was going on. The Beatles were staying.

"‘My kids love The Beatles,’ he said. And dad, being an outgoing guy, said, ‘Any chance of getting me six tickets?’ It had been sold out for six months, but the manager said come back later. So after his gig the manager comes up with six tickets for 36 dollars! Unbelievable!”

Sean Kinney

“Ringo never gets enough props, but my theory is no matter what your chop skills are, unless you're a band like that, I've laways been more into the songs and structures.

"You've got to know when not to play and when to over play, these things are important in creating an all over great tune, and the Beatles were great at that. I love just a good melody and something I want to sing along to. So many [great Ringo beats] but let's say ‘Rain’ [is my favourite].”

Keith LeBlanc

“The doctors wanted to give me [anti-hyperactive drug] Ritalin, but instead I got a snare drum and some drum lessons. When I saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show it was all over for me, ha ha! I made a drumset and started playing along with records.”

Mark O'Connell

“Abbey Road, I remember listening to that as a little kid and then dampening all my drums with a towel, I loved how Ringo did that on that album. I thought it was anyway, so I tried it and then a bunch of years later I saw some footage of them doing Abbey Road songs and he did have towels on his drums, so I was pretty stoked when I saw that, and I'd picked that up.”

Want more?

In the Summer issue of Rhythm, we look at the genius of The Beatles drummer, reassess his playing and consider his considerable legacy to the drum world. We also show you how to play 10 of Ringo’s best beats! Pick up an issue here!

We've got more great Ringo stuff right here on MusicRadar too!

Check out Ringo’s Ed Sullivan kit… or see what MusicRadar reckons are Ringo’s 10 best beats!