Ringo: With a Little Help
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- Create Date：2021-06-01 11:53:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Michael Seth Starr
- ISBN：1617131202
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Summary
Ringo: With a Little Help is the first in-depth biography of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr， who kept the beat for an entire generation and who remains a rock icon since the Beatles took the world by storm over fifty years ago。 This book traces the entire arc of Ringo's remarkable life and career， from his sickly childhood to his life as the world's most famous drummer to his triumphs， addictions， and emotional battles following the breakup of the Beatles。 Born in 1940 as Richard Starkey in the Dingle， one of Liverpool's most gritty， rough-and-tumble neighborhoods， he rose from a hardscrabble childhood marked by serious illnesses， long hospital stays， and little schooling to emerge， against all odds， as a locally renowned drummer。 Taking the stage name Ringo Starr， his big break with the Beatles rocketed him to the pinnacle of worldwide acclaim in a remarkably short time。 He was the last member of the Beatles to join the group but also the most vulnerable， and his post-Beatles career was marked by chart-topping successes， a jet-setting life of excess and alcohol abuse， and， ultimately， his rebirth as one of rock's revered elder statesmen。
Reviews
Maggie Ferro
，
Really enjoyed this。 Found the author would sometimes get into a little too much detail about the other people in Ringo's life and that would take me out of it。 But overall really enjoyed it。 Really enjoyed this。 Found the author would sometimes get into a little too much detail about the other people in Ringo's life and that would take me out of it。 But overall really enjoyed it。 。。。more
Patrick
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ACTIN’ NATURALLYPoor ol’ Ringo can’t get any respect lately。 Of the four lads in the storied band， he seems to wind up on the short end in terms of musical talent， if you pay attention to critics new and old。 Sure， he was in the world’s greatest group， but how many books have been written about him？ Well， at least one book has。 This unauthorized book by a writer with the most improbably coincidental surname does not reveal much new material。 Indeed， I’m up to here with all the sordid details of ACTIN’ NATURALLYPoor ol’ Ringo can’t get any respect lately。 Of the four lads in the storied band， he seems to wind up on the short end in terms of musical talent， if you pay attention to critics new and old。 Sure， he was in the world’s greatest group， but how many books have been written about him？ Well， at least one book has。 This unauthorized book by a writer with the most improbably coincidental surname does not reveal much new material。 Indeed， I’m up to here with all the sordid details of the behind-the-scenes。 What I really wanted to learn is how Ringo came about his drumming style。 What were his influences？ Did he influence others？ For the answer to those questions， you’d be better off turning to the back of the book for the views of four modern rock drummers。 All pay homage to this musician that has lately taken an unfair， uh， drumming。 In the past， luminaries such as Buddy Rich paid little heed， when they paid any at all。 Ringo was a second-rate drummer who couldn’t even do a “mom and pop” drum roll。 As it turns out， he was a left-handed drummer playing on right-handed drum setup。 Huh， what？ How is that？ Paul was left-handed， but he acquired a left-handed bass guitar。 Can’t you move your drums around to suit your preference？ However the drums were set up， Ringo developed a distinctive style。 First and foremost， he kept the beat。 You have one job as a drummer， and that’s to be the noisy timekeeper。 Everything else is called “drum fills。” Ringo was first-rate in what counted the most， and filled the songs admirably as well， particularly in “Rain，” “I Feel Fine” and his signature “A Little Help from My Friends。” The Beatles were more than the sum of their parts。 Ringo was good enough to be sought after by groups all over England。 He was more well-known than the Beatles were when he was invited to join them。 Paul McCartney himself said that when Ringo sat in for the moody Pete Best， “That was the moment， that was the beginning， really， of the Beatles。” In order to truly appreciate Ringo， watch the last ten minutes of “A Hard Day’s Night” as he enthusiastically thrashes the cymbals and bobs his head throughout the performance。 I have never seen another performer having as much fun as Ringo on stage。 。。。more
James Perkins
，
I’d read biographies of John Lennon and Paul McCartney， but never one of Richard Starkey， aka Ringo Starr， the drummer of the Beatles。 So， I thought this would be interesting。 As you would expect from a biography of a still-living person， it gives a reasonably solid outline of his life from birth to the book’s publication in 2015。 An added， interesting bonus is the epilogue， featuring interviews with four well-known drummers – Phil Collins （Genesis & solo）， Max Weinberg （mostly Bruce Springsteen I’d read biographies of John Lennon and Paul McCartney， but never one of Richard Starkey， aka Ringo Starr， the drummer of the Beatles。 So， I thought this would be interesting。 As you would expect from a biography of a still-living person， it gives a reasonably solid outline of his life from birth to the book’s publication in 2015。 An added， interesting bonus is the epilogue， featuring interviews with four well-known drummers – Phil Collins （Genesis & solo）， Max Weinberg （mostly Bruce Springsteen）， John Densmore （the Doors）， Kenny Aronoff （many famous bands） - and how Ringo has influenced them。 However， there is a note at the start that should be a warning to all readers: published on Ringo’s social media and web pages， he says that he had nothing at all to do with this book。 An unauthorised biography without access to its subject， it relies heavily on media gossip and hearsay for its information。 Author Michael Starr did speak with a number people close to Ringo， such as music colleagues and personal friends。 So， some of the text can be trusted as accurate when there are multiple sources， but with the fog of time， alcohol and drugs， a lot of key people uninvolved， and its reliance on popular mass media， it’s hard to say what’s real and what’s not。 Those omissions could be forgiven if it was well-written。 Unfortunately， it’s not。 While there are some good passages， a lot of the text itself is a mess and needs a heavy edit。 It’s needlessly repetitive， sometimes duplicating entire paragraphs or phrases with slightly different wording。 The author writes with a disjointed style， jumping from one thing to another without proper linking sentences， occasionally contradicting what he’d just said and sometimes just leaving an anecdote hanging without telling what happened after that， even if it was quite dramatic and would have had aftereffects。 Some events are out of date order， which frequently makes it hard to follow the narrative。 He mentions teenage American Beatles fan Marilyn Crescenzo for no apparent reason than she kept a diary about her obsession with Ringo， but her name changes to “Mary” by his last reference to her， he doesn’t indicate how he got access to her diary， and she disappears from the story after Ringo gets married。 Despite some pages of citations at the back， they would be easier to use if the text were properly footnoted。 There is no list of Ringo’s creative output， as any proper artist’s biography should have。 To top all this off， the author sometimes punctuates strangely （e。g。 hyphenating large numbers like “three-thousand”）， and at one point misspells “disc” as “disk”。Ringo comes across as a basically nice guy， a skilled， self-taught drummer who was part of the biggest band in history and allowed his insecurities to drive him to substance abuse， but got his life back on track and is now enjoying his twilight years。 I wanted to like this book， but its presentation is too unprofessional and sloppy。 The author and his editors need to completely revise it before it could be considered good。 。。。more
Flávio Maurício
，
A biografia escrita por Michael Seth Starr （“não somos parentes！”）， infelizmente， trata-se apenas de uma longa reportaqem escarafunchando tudo o que já foi publicado sobre Ringo Starr。 Nem o biografado nem ninguém próximo a ele foi entrevistado exclusivamente para o livro。 As entrevistas feitas pelo autor se limitam aquelas feitas com pessoas periféricas ou cuja proximidade ocorreu em algum lugar do passado。 Portanto， nada de revelações bombásticas ou insights reveladores。 Contudo， a pesquisa é A biografia escrita por Michael Seth Starr （“não somos parentes！”）， infelizmente， trata-se apenas de uma longa reportaqem escarafunchando tudo o que já foi publicado sobre Ringo Starr。 Nem o biografado nem ninguém próximo a ele foi entrevistado exclusivamente para o livro。 As entrevistas feitas pelo autor se limitam aquelas feitas com pessoas periféricas ou cuja proximidade ocorreu em algum lugar do passado。 Portanto， nada de revelações bombásticas ou insights reveladores。 Contudo， a pesquisa é muito bem feita e vale a leitura。Em primeiro lugar， por ser o menos badalado dos quatro Beatles， a maior parte da sua vida pessoal soa como notícias fresquinhas。 Ringo não era exatamente um Don Juan， mas fazia suas farras。 E teve três relacionamentos mais sérios na vida， e dois casamentos。 E esticou o Lost Weekend de Lennon por quase 15 anos。 E nisso podemos encontrar uma surpresa。Quem conhece os problemas de Ringo com o álcool， logo pensa que foi devido ao pouco sucesso de seus discos ou de sua carreira como autor， ou ainda a sua pouca criatividade， que eles mesmo reconhece。 No entanto， ao ler sobre sua vida nos anos 70， chegamos a outra conclusão: seu ostracismo se deveu ao seu alcoolismo， e não o inverso。Ringo vinha de dois bons discos， Ringo （73） e Goodbye Vienna （74）， respectivamente o 3° e 4° da carreira; havia dirigido um documentário sobre o T。Rex e atuado em um filme elogiado， That’ll be the day， que também contava com Keith Moon。 Apesar da critica positiva， teve preguiça de participar da sequência， Stardust。 Mas o desleixo com que passou a gravar seus discos e escolher seus projetos cinematográficos， pensando mais no quanto iria se divertir， começou a queimar toda a gordura de boa vontade que a mídia e o público tinham com ele。 Pra piorar， vieram os terríveis anos 60， que feriu de morte， com raras exceções， os artistas que começaram suas carreiras nos anos 60。 Rolling Stones， George Harrison， Jethro Tull， Paul McCartney， Pink Floyd， Bob Dylan， Elton John， a maioria passou por um inferno astral no período。 Inclusive no Brasil。 No cinema， Ringo ainda obteve um sucesso com Caveman， onde conheceu sua segunda esposa， Barbara Bach， mas precisou de uma baba durante as filmagens pra não enfiar o pé na jaca。Em 1988， Ringo e a esposa entraram num spa de reabilitação （que funcionou！） e ele recuperou a dignidade e a simpatia da mídia com o lançamento americano da série infantil do trenzinho Thomas， de cuja versão britânica ele havia sido o dublador da primeira temporada （e não continuou porque não quis）。 Quanto à carreira fonográfica， apesar das críticas bastante positivas ao seu retorno em 1992 com Time Takes Time， o álbum não vendeu。 Mas as turnês com a All-Starr Band， iniciadas em 1989， a partir da iniciativa do produtor David Fishof， que praticamente definiu o que o sóbrio Ringo faria até o final da vida。Em segundo lugar， depois ler biografias de Paul e John， e assistir ao documentário sobre George， foi curioso revisitar o período dos Beatles do ponto de vista daquele que sentava atrás da bateria。 Nessa parte， que toma bastante espaço no livro， já se sabe de antemão tudo o que vai acontecer， mas é divertido ver os outros três como figurantes， ainda mais sabendo o que eles estavam aprontando naquela época。No que diz respeito ao relacionamento de Ringo com os três após a separação， fica evidente o apoio que os três sempre deram à carreira do amigo， principalmente George， no início。 Mas John também foi muito generoso。 Ringo foi o último Beatle a ver com John com vida。 Ele e Barbara estiveram no Dakota um mês antes para falar do próximo álbum de Ringo， uma vez que John havia voltado à música。 Ringo conta como ele estava feliz e que separou duas músicas para o amigo: Nobody told me e Life begins at 40。 Lennon deixou agendadas datas em janeiro de 1981 para as gravações。Em terceiro， como costuma ocorrer nessas biografias， o período mais instigante é o pré-fama。 Como a pessoa ainda não é famosa， ela vive em aberto， sem se preocupar em se preservar ou falar e fazer besteira em público。 E os amigos e conhecidos que ficaram pra trás não se importarão em se sentir importante ao dar entrevistas sobre aquele conhecido famoso。Por fim， a parte técnica de Ringo é comentada ao longo do tempo。 Ringo sofre muito com críticas。 Ele se reconhece como uma pessoa pouco criativa e de técnica limitada， mas sabe o seu valor。 Por ser autodidata， acabou criando um estilo próprio e até mesmo técnicas próprias que， devido ao impacto causado pelos Beatles， passou imitado por uma legião de jovens bateristas。 E todos são unânimes em exaltar a capacidade rítmica do Baterista Mais famoso do Mundo， preciso como um metrônomo。 Hoje， Ringo é mais reconhecido por seus pares do que foi nos anos 60， 70 e 80。 No final do livro， há um epílogo com depoimentos de Phil Collins， Max Weinberg， John Densmore e Kenny Aronoff。 。。。more
Randall Coyne
，
A solid biography of Richard Starkey， a sickly child from Liverpool who learned how to play drums。
Gary Myers
，
Although this was written with no direct involvement from Ringo， I found it highly interesting & enjoyable。
Rita St。Albans
，
This is a very good book with a lot of detail。 The only "drawback" might be that it is not an authorized version of Ringo's life， but one has no reason to think it is fictional in any sense of the word。 It appears to have been extremely well researched。 It is well written and easy to read。 I imagine every person who becomes famous for any reason， must deal with the life dictated by certain aspects of being well known。 Every person has differing aspects in their lives with which they must cope， b This is a very good book with a lot of detail。 The only "drawback" might be that it is not an authorized version of Ringo's life， but one has no reason to think it is fictional in any sense of the word。 It appears to have been extremely well researched。 It is well written and easy to read。 I imagine every person who becomes famous for any reason， must deal with the life dictated by certain aspects of being well known。 Every person has differing aspects in their lives with which they must cope， but the most common denominator being that "Fame is a full-time job，" as I once heard Tony Curtis remark to an interviewer。 Many people don't know that fact until they're up to their eyes in adoring fans。 Many people cannot cope with the life that fame brings; almost everyone has their own way of dealing with it。 This is Ringo's story， and is very straightforward in showing his ups and down's throughout the years with The Beatles and afterwards。 A good read which will give you some insight into the life of one famous person you may not know that much about。 I certainly had no idea about many details of his life， especially after the Beatles。 Interesting book for Ringo fans。 。。。more
Lisa Bentley
，
Okay。 So， I read Ringo by Michael Seth Starr because I wanted to like Ringo。 He is probably my least favourite Beatle and this is because of some o the negative things he has said and done over the years。 For example， he has made seriously negative comments about Liverpool， then tried to backtrack saying that this is just ‘Scouse humour’ and anyone really from Liverpool would not have taken offence。 As someone who was born， raised and still lives in this great city I beg to differ with his comme Okay。 So， I read Ringo by Michael Seth Starr because I wanted to like Ringo。 He is probably my least favourite Beatle and this is because of some o the negative things he has said and done over the years。 For example， he has made seriously negative comments about Liverpool， then tried to backtrack saying that this is just ‘Scouse humour’ and anyone really from Liverpool would not have taken offence。 As someone who was born， raised and still lives in this great city I beg to differ with his comments。 They were – nay are – offensive and more importantly they are just plain wrong。 Liverpool is amazing。However， I am always willing to admit I was wrong or have my mind changed。 Therefore I picked up the book Ringo – With a Little Help fully expecting to have my mind changed。 Unfortunately， my mind remains the same。 Michael Seth Starr has written a great book，。 It is well researched and whilst you get the impression that his agenda for writing about Ringo is because he is a fan of Ringo， Starr’s appreciation didn’t manage to budge my over riding belief that Ringo isn’t very nice。You also get the feeling that Starr （the author not the drummer） has a bit of a dislike for John Lennon。 I think this general bias also had a bit of an impact on my reading of the book。Whilst Ringo – A Little Help is well researched and well written， Starr did not manage to make me change my mind。 Those who are a fan of The Beatles and of Ringo will enjoy Michael Seth Starr’s attention to detail。Ringo – With a Little Help by Michael Seth Starr is available now。 。。。more
Megan
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This unauthorized biography of the Beatles drummer is interesting。 The Beatles are usually portrayed as the Lennon-McCartney Show。 The musicianship and stability Ringo brought to the group are often downplayed or overlooked， perhaps in large part because he is not a great songwriter。 But he is still clearly an important and talented person， without whom there’d have been no Beatles。 The book is most interesting as it explores Ringo’s childhood and Beatles career。 There is great detail in this ar This unauthorized biography of the Beatles drummer is interesting。 The Beatles are usually portrayed as the Lennon-McCartney Show。 The musicianship and stability Ringo brought to the group are often downplayed or overlooked， perhaps in large part because he is not a great songwriter。 But he is still clearly an important and talented person， without whom there’d have been no Beatles。 The book is most interesting as it explores Ringo’s childhood and Beatles career。 There is great detail in this area。 After the Beatles， details of Ringo’s life dissolve in alcoholism and meandering， uncommitted creative projects。 This part of the book is more vague。 I would have appreciated more about how Ringo overcame his alcoholism。 This is probably more compelling than the book portrays; it is unfortunate Ringo did not respond to overtures to participate with this author。 This biography is not mind-blowing or seminal or anything like that; it is serviceable and enjoyable。 Reading about the cultural phenomenon of the Beatles from a different perspective is enough to make this book worthwhile。 。。。more
Simon Sweetman
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Neither hatchet job nor hagiography - and about as good as a reading of Ringo's life can be without the drummer's cooperation。 That said， there's not much to tell about the last 30 years save for Thomas the Tank， which totally saved Ringo's rep and bank balance。 Neither hatchet job nor hagiography - and about as good as a reading of Ringo's life can be without the drummer's cooperation。 That said， there's not much to tell about the last 30 years save for Thomas the Tank， which totally saved Ringo's rep and bank balance。 。。。more
Stew
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A Fairly Good EffortI did learn quite a few tidbits I hadn't seen before， so it was well worth the read。 Most of the Beatles era stuff is pretty standard and taken from well-known sources， but all in all an interesting trip。 A Fairly Good EffortI did learn quite a few tidbits I hadn't seen before， so it was well worth the read。 Most of the Beatles era stuff is pretty standard and taken from well-known sources， but all in all an interesting trip。 。。。more
Joan
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Ringo has always been my favourite Beatle， although I never was much of a Beatles fan。 This book was very interesting - it showed me so much about Ringo that it has made me like him more; and though I have never much cared for McCartney， I like him even less。
Paul Spence
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It is time that the drummer of the Beatles had his own， properly comprehensive， biography – as there have only been a couple of weak efforts over the years – and so I looked forward to reading this。 However， this book begins almost apologetically and I had to wonder why this was？ Ringo Starr was the drummer in the biggest band in the world， so what need is there to almost make excuses for writing his biography？ I have to admit that this put me on my guard and， having finished reading it， I feel It is time that the drummer of the Beatles had his own， properly comprehensive， biography – as there have only been a couple of weak efforts over the years – and so I looked forward to reading this。 However， this book begins almost apologetically and I had to wonder why this was？ Ringo Starr was the drummer in the biggest band in the world， so what need is there to almost make excuses for writing his biography？ I have to admit that this put me on my guard and， having finished reading it， I feel it is something of a missed opportunity。If any of the Beatles were a ‘working class hero’ then young Richy Starkey was a much more likely candidate than his future band mate John Lennon。 Growing up in the rough Liverpool area of the Dingle， his father walked out when he was three and his mother， Elsie， worked several jobs to try to make ends meet。 If their precarious financial situation was not enough， Richy faced long hospital stays due to various illnesses and an interrupted education， which left him very behind academically; a fact he was all too aware off。 Much of this has been well detailed; indeed Mark Lewisohn’s book， “Tune In，” has covered not only each Beatle’s childhood， but their family history， and much of this section of the book seems to have been cribbed from both Lewisohn’s research and direct quotes from the Beatles own， “Anthology。”Although the author of this book is keen to state that this is not just about the Beatles， but about Ringo’s entire life， and career， so far; more than half the book deals with his life up to 1970。 Of course， this period will be of the greatest interest to most readers， but there is nothing in here about Ringo’s life as a musician which I had not read before。 There is his time in skiffle bands， Rory Storm and the Hurricanes， giving up his apprenticeship to go to Butlins， taking his stage name of， ‘Ringo Starr，’ his time in Hamburg and becoming a Beatle。 Much has been made over the years of Ringo replacing Pete Best and this book does not really cover this in great depth – if you are interested in finding out more， I would highly recommend， “Tune In，” （anyone interested in the Beatles should really read this） or Spencer Leigh’s， “Best of the Beatles。” Indeed， I was also perturbed to notice odd errors in this book and， really， with a band as well documented as the Beatles there is no excuse for such mistakes。 For instance， it is mentioned that after Pete Best was sacked， he remained under Brian Epstein’s ‘managerial thumb，’ drumming for Lee Curtis and the All –Stars。 However， Lee Curtis was managed by his brother， Joe Flannery （“Standing in the Wings: The Beatles， Brian Epstein and Me。”） and not Brian Epstein。What has always been obvious is that， once Ringo joined the Beatles he had found the three brothers that this lonely， only child， had always craved。 Once accepted into the band， he only ever needed the validation of his fellow band members and was a perfect fit – humorous and gentle natured。 We go on the Beatles success， Beatlemania and touring， plus Ringo’s marriage to Maureen Cox。 I did hope that I would learn more about Maureen from this book， but， sadly， she remains a fairly unknown character in the Beatles story。 While we have autobiographies from Pattie Boyd and Cynthia Lennon， and Jane Asher was a success in her own right， Maureen never told her story。 Yet， this woman was the mother of Ringo’s children – Zac， Jason and Lee。 From， “Thanks， Mo！” on the Apple rooftop to Paul’s tribute， “Little Willow，” after her death， she was involved in the Beatles story from their beginnings in Liverpool （indeed， Paul dated her before Ringo） and yet， although events in her life are described – for example， when Ringo and Maureen and Paul and Jane went on holiday and the press criticised them for not being married， there is a quote from Maureen’s father – her feelings are rarely explored and neither does her personality come alive in this book。 Likewise， although there are hints about Ringo’s troubled relationship with his children， especially eldest son， Zac， there is little detail about this。The break-up of the Beatles saw Ringo being the first to leave the group – literally walking out of the studio after being fed up with the tension and， “freaked out by Yoko。” When the others asked him to return， he was touched to find the studio decorated with hundreds of flowers。 However， nothing could hide the hostility for long and there is the infamous incident when Ringo was sent to persuade Paul to delay the release of his first solo album， which resulted in Paul throwing him bodily out of his house。 Again， the author makes an assumption， when he suggests that all was well between them by the time of Mick Jagger’s wedding to Bianca; and he states that Paul and Ringo chartered a plane together to travel the wedding。 Actually， there is footage of guests going to the airport to board a plane which was chartered by Jagger himself and， although Ringo and Maureen are there， as are Paul and Linda – they are not together and no one who watches the film of Paul striding through the airport with a face like thunder， holding his new daughter Mary， could say that he looks anything other than tense。 Apparently， Paul and Ringo did not sit together on the flight ， nor did they speak。 Although they would make up， this is an obvious error and was easy to check – Rolling Stone articles covering the events are available on online for anyone to read。The Seventies were a difficult time for Ringo， as he spiralled into drug and alcohol abuse。 With George and Pattie having marital problems and Pattie’s affair with Eric Clapton， the situation was made worse by George’s affair with Maureen。 Oddly， although Eric and George would be friends again， as would George and Ringo， but both George and Ringo’s marriages ended in divorce。 The mid Seventies saw Ringo in LA， keeping company with John Lennon （separated from Yoko）， Harry Nilsson and Keith Moon。 It was a jet-setting lifestyle and a time which saw various film projects and album releases， non-stop travelling， a stalling career， various relationships and rumours of financial problems。 If the Seventies were bad， the Eighties started even more terribly， with the assassination of John Lennon。 However， Ringo had already met – and fallen in love with – actress Barbara Bach， on the set of “Caveman。” At first， it seemed that this marriage too might end in divorce， with fights and self destructive behaviour。 However， both Ringo and Barbara finally stopped drinking and have a new， healthy lifestyle and a strong and successful union。As he heads towards his mid-seventies， Ringo is a respected and celebrated musician – recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame， by his old friend Paul， and touring with his All-Starr Band。 This book gives a good overview of his life if you have not read it before， but it contains nothing that fans will not already know and is marred by far too many quotes from other sources， rather than original research， and inaccuracies。 I feel it is something of a missed opportunity， which is a shame 。 。。。more
Scott
，
"Gotta pay the dues if you wanna sing the blues， and you know it don't come easy" - RingoBasic but comprehensive - not to mention unauthorized - bio on the self-described "little fellow" of the Fab Four， Michael Starr （no relation） covers a lot of ground here。 From his sickly post-WWII Liverpudlian childhood days to teenage / young adult stints as a drummer in strictly local-level talent bands， Ringo Starr's life was forever changed by the eight tumultuous years （1962-1970） he spent as a member "Gotta pay the dues if you wanna sing the blues， and you know it don't come easy" - RingoBasic but comprehensive - not to mention unauthorized - bio on the self-described "little fellow" of the Fab Four， Michael Starr （no relation） covers a lot of ground here。 From his sickly post-WWII Liverpudlian childhood days to teenage / young adult stints as a drummer in strictly local-level talent bands， Ringo Starr's life was forever changed by the eight tumultuous years （1962-1970） he spent as a member of the Beatles。 After the group's break-up he found success as a solo performer - can any other music act claim that ALL of the core members achieved legitimate success on their own after a disbandment？ - in the 70's and later as an actor， most notably as W。H Audry's Thomas & Friends train series narrator。 There's a divorce from his first wife and then a long-running alcoholism issue， but otherwise Starr is portrayed as a nice， talented and down-to-earth 'bloke。'3。5 stars 。。。more
Nick Van
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A thorough biography， written by a respectful but not fawning fan。 Well researched and well presented， the book gives great depth to its subject， and shows Ringo to be of greater complexity and seriousness than may be commonly supposed。 Highly recommended。
Debi Emerson
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I turned 13 almost 2 months before the Beatles 1st appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in Feb。 1964。 Like most of my generation， I fell in love！！ In the ensuing years， my taste in music changed as did the typed of music they produced。 Over the years， we heard much about John Lennon & Paul McCartney， less about George Harrison， but little about Ringo Starr。 He was my favorite Beatle， & I always wondered how he was doing。 This book satisfies my curiosity！ Very well written and very honest！ George was I turned 13 almost 2 months before the Beatles 1st appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in Feb。 1964。 Like most of my generation， I fell in love！！ In the ensuing years， my taste in music changed as did the typed of music they produced。 Over the years， we heard much about John Lennon & Paul McCartney， less about George Harrison， but little about Ringo Starr。 He was my favorite Beatle， & I always wondered how he was doing。 This book satisfies my curiosity！ Very well written and very honest！ George was known as "the quiet Beatle" & Ringo was "the funny Beatle"。 In many ways， Ringo was the quiet one。 I'm glad I found this book！ 。。。more
Bruce Kirby
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Another take/perspective on the drummer from rock n'roll's most famous band。 Say what you will Ringo was there and deserves fame and fortune。 The author brilliantly weaves a collage of Ringo's life - not the easiest thing to do in a highly readable and entertaining bio。 Bravo Another take/perspective on the drummer from rock n'roll's most famous band。 Say what you will Ringo was there and deserves fame and fortune。 The author brilliantly weaves a collage of Ringo's life - not the easiest thing to do in a highly readable and entertaining bio。 Bravo 。。。more
Sara Goldenberg
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Very well done。 Lots of pictures and interesting information。 Recommended！
Klaudyna Maciąg
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Cieszy fakt， iż nareszcie ktoś dostrzegł， że gdzieś tam z tyłu był jeszcze jeden Beatles。 Beatles， który ma równie barwną biografię， co cała reszta。 Autor pięknie oddaje tutaj cześć Starrowi， ale jednocześnie nie waha się wspomnieć o tym， co złe。 Niczego nie upiększa i wali z grubej rury。 Polecam， fani z pewnością nie będą zawiedzeni。Więcej we wpisie: http://www。kreatywa。net/2016/12/ringo。。。 Cieszy fakt， iż nareszcie ktoś dostrzegł， że gdzieś tam z tyłu był jeszcze jeden Beatles。 Beatles， który ma równie barwną biografię， co cała reszta。 Autor pięknie oddaje tutaj cześć Starrowi， ale jednocześnie nie waha się wspomnieć o tym， co złe。 Niczego nie upiększa i wali z grubej rury。 Polecam， fani z pewnością nie będą zawiedzeni。Więcej we wpisie: http://www。kreatywa。net/2016/12/ringo。。。 。。。more
Jamie Lyon
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I thought this book was well written and very well researched。 While there are numerous books on the other three Beatles， this is one of the only ones I've seen that is focused on Ringo。 I am sorry to see that he has chosen to distance himself from this book as it seems to be very even-handed。 One thing though， it sure could have used a better editor！ I thought this book was well written and very well researched。 While there are numerous books on the other three Beatles， this is one of the only ones I've seen that is focused on Ringo。 I am sorry to see that he has chosen to distance himself from this book as it seems to be very even-handed。 One thing though， it sure could have used a better editor！ 。。。more
Vickie
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For once， a book about a Beatle with lots of never before see photos。 Great family photos。 In depth bio with things I haven't read anywhere else。 A must read for all Beatles fans。 For once， a book about a Beatle with lots of never before see photos。 Great family photos。 In depth bio with things I haven't read anywhere else。 A must read for all Beatles fans。 。。。more
Deborah Boutwell
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I let the authors name "Starr" trick my mind into thinking this was going to be written by a relative。。。but of course Ringo's real name is not "Starr"。 Anyway， a very well written version of Ringo's life， from his birth to the pub date。 Lots of information is given about the time frame different stories are set in， makes it easy to put everything in a place and time。While most of the stories can be found on-line through YouTube interviews and stories， it was good to read everything in order， as I let the authors name "Starr" trick my mind into thinking this was going to be written by a relative。。。but of course Ringo's real name is not "Starr"。 Anyway， a very well written version of Ringo's life， from his birth to the pub date。 Lots of information is given about the time frame different stories are set in， makes it easy to put everything in a place and time。While most of the stories can be found on-line through YouTube interviews and stories， it was good to read everything in order， as it happened。If you don't know any of the Beatles' stories， you might be disillusioned by all the sex and drugs that is a part of their story。 It was hard to think of "Mr Conductor" doing a children's show and getting drunk and doing drugs afterwards。 Ringo seems to be the one Beatles that kept all the others connected after their split up。 He's just a really good guy。。。。still is。 。。。more
Ann
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Pretty slow read， not much going on， Ringo did not authorize it so I can'ttake it too seriously。 Pretty slow read， not much going on， Ringo did not authorize it so I can'ttake it too seriously。 。。。more
Jill
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If you are looking for an in-depth detailed tell all of Ringo’s relationships， thoughts， and experiences， this is not the book for you。 It reads like a group of friends sitting around after the funeral reminiscing about the good， bad， and the ugly of the dearly departed。 With the telling there are lapses in facts or different memories of what really happened。 It is a comfortable story about a unique individual who will always have a place in musical history。 Peter Berkrot read the unabridged boo If you are looking for an in-depth detailed tell all of Ringo’s relationships， thoughts， and experiences， this is not the book for you。 It reads like a group of friends sitting around after the funeral reminiscing about the good， bad， and the ugly of the dearly departed。 With the telling there are lapses in facts or different memories of what really happened。 It is a comfortable story about a unique individual who will always have a place in musical history。 Peter Berkrot read the unabridged book on compact disk version。 He spoke clearly and it was easy to understand him。 The sound quality is consistent throughout。 He gave a five star delivery。 The book itself only rates a four start for some lapses in fact checking。 。。。more
Thomas Darisse
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good biography of Ringo。 Kind of fell apart at the end， like most bios of still living people。
Terry
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Since I sort of grew up with the Beatles， I thought I knew a lot， but this unauthorized biography told me otherwise。 Fascinating still to learn about Ringo and the Fab Four in front of and behind the scenes。 This life in particular， is an amazing story。
Padma
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Some interesting facts about Ringo as separate from the Beatles。 could use a good editor。 Chronology sometimes confusing。I listened to this book on CD and disliked the narrator， Peter Bekrot。
Carol Storm
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Pretty good biography of Ringo Starr， but no major revelations here。 The one thing that does come across is the aimlessness of Ringo's post-Beatle years， until he finally got clean and sober。 The most poignant image in the book is a picture of Ringo on stage with the Beach Boys in 1984 -- at a huge concert with over 100，000 people。 Ringo said later he had no memory of that day。 Pretty good biography of Ringo Starr， but no major revelations here。 The one thing that does come across is the aimlessness of Ringo's post-Beatle years， until he finally got clean and sober。 The most poignant image in the book is a picture of Ringo on stage with the Beach Boys in 1984 -- at a huge concert with over 100，000 people。 Ringo said later he had no memory of that day。 。。。more
Aaron Badgley
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This is not the first biography on Ringo， there have been a couple of other ones released previously。 There is a lot of good things about this book， and it contains some interesting tidbits （did all four Beatles really reunite while Ringo filmed his TV special？）。 However， I wish more time had been spent on the last 20 years of Ringo's career， especially his recent solo output， which he wrote and produced。 Anyway， well worth a read。 This is not the first biography on Ringo， there have been a couple of other ones released previously。 There is a lot of good things about this book， and it contains some interesting tidbits （did all four Beatles really reunite while Ringo filmed his TV special？）。 However， I wish more time had been spent on the last 20 years of Ringo's career， especially his recent solo output， which he wrote and produced。 Anyway， well worth a read。 。。。more
PennsyLady （Bev）
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