Happy Birthday musician Ringo Starr

Born: July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Married to:
Barbara Bach (27 April 1981 – present)
Maureen Starkey (11 February 1965 – 17 July 1975) (divorced) (3 children)

Drummer with The Beatles (1962-1970).

Leader of “Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band”.

Had three children with Maureen Starkey: Sons Zak Starkey (a featured drummer with The Who) and Jason (born August 19, 1967) and daughter Lee (born November 17, 1970).

QUOTES:

[on his early drumming years with The Beatles] I started to be an engineer but I banged me thumb on the first day. I became a drummer because it was the only thing I could do. But whenever I hear another drummer I know I’m no good. [John Lennon] taught me the song I sing. I can only play on the off beat because John can’t keep up on the rhythm guitar. I’m no good on the technical things but I’m good with all the motions, swinging my head, like. That’s because I love to dance but you can’t do that on the drums. I figure we’re good for another four years. I don’t want to invest me money in stocks or anything. I just want to have it and draw 20 or 30 quid a week. The main thing is, I don’t ever want to go back to work.

[on meeting Elvis Presley in 1965] The saddest part is that, years and years later, we found out that he tried to have us banished from America, because he was very big with the FBI. That’s very sad to me, that he felt so threatened that he thought, like a lot of people, that we were bad for American youth. This is Mr. Hips, the man, and he felt we were a danger. I think that the danger was mainly to him and his career.

I’d like to end up sort of unforgettable.

I don’t like talking. It’s how I’m built. Some people gab all day and some play it smogo. I don’t mind talking or smiling, it’s just I don’t do it very much. I haven’t got a smiling face or a talking mouth.

[on is marriage to Maureen Cox [aka Maureen Starkey] She’s just sort of ordinary, she’s from Liverpool. And the genuine fans wrote in saying, you know, “If you are going with her, good luck and I hope you’re happy”.