1. Starr released his first solo album, “Sentimental Journey,” in 1970, two months before the release of the Beatles’ final album, “Let It Be.”
2. Starr has been Legoed. Actually, all the Beatles have. Lego, the Danish toy manufacturer, has announced a “Yellow Submarine” building kit, complete with minfigures of the band members and the Jeremy character from the animated 1968 film. The set will be available Nov. 1.
3. The first edition of the All Starr Band, in 1989, is populated by musical giants: Joe Walsh from the Eagles; Nils Lofgren and Clarence Clemons from the E Street Band; Dr. John, Billy Preston, Rick Danko and Levon Helm from the Band; and Jim Keltner from Jefferson Airplane. Guest spots at various tour stops were filled by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Paul Shaffer, John Candy, Max Weinberg and Starr’s son, Zak Starkey.
4. Starr is one of 21 performers with multiple entries in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted with the Beatles in 1988, and a solo artist in 2015.
5. Starr often is underrated as a Beatle and as a drummer. In his new documentary, “Eight Days a Week,” Ron Howard puts that debate to rest. He quotes Paul McCartney: “I still remember that moment, the first time Ringo played with us,” McCartney says. “He kicks in, and it was an oh-my-God moment. … I remember looking, and we’re all looking at each other like, ‘Yeah! This is it.’ ”
Last month in The Guardian, Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) chimed in: “I’ve always been fascinated by the Ringo Starr debate. Was he a great drummer? Of course he was a great drummer: you hear three and a half seconds of his playing and you immediately know it’s him.”
Carolyn Lamberson
