Editing Ringo Starr (section)

=== The Beatles ===
{{Main|The Beatles}}

==== Replacing Best ====
[[File:Ringo Starr drumming.jpg|thumb|Starr performing with [[the Beatles]] in 1964]]
Starr quit Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in January 1962 and briefly joined Sheridan in Hamburg before returning to the Hurricanes for a third season at Butlins.<ref>{{harvnb|Clayson|2005|p=58}}: A second season with the Hurricanes at Butlins; {{harvnb|Clayson|2005|pp=81–82}}: Starr quit the Hurricanes and briefly joined Sheridan in Hamburg; {{harvnb|Gould|2007|p=126}}: Starr quit the Hurricanes and briefly joined Sheridan in Hamburg.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Starr sat in for an ill Pete Best during two shows on 5 February 1962.{{sfn|Harry|2004|p=110}}}} On 14 August, Starr accepted Lennon's invitation to join the Beatles.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=59}} On 16 August, Beatles manager [[Brian Epstein]] fired their drummer, [[Pete Best]], who recalled: "He said 'I've got some bad news for you. The boys want you out and Ringo in.' He said [Beatles producer] [[George Martin]] wasn't too pleased with my playing [and] the boys thought I didn't fit in."{{sfn|Davies|2009|p=137}} Starr first performed as a member of the Beatles on 18 August 1962, at a [[horticultural society]] dance at [[Port Sunlight]].<ref>{{harvnb|Clayson|2005|p=87}}; {{harvnb|Harry|2004|p=110}}; {{harvnb|Lewisohn|1992|p=75}}.</ref> After his appearance at the [[The Cavern Club|Cavern Club]] the following day, Best fans, upset by his firing, held vigils outside his house and at the club shouting "Pete forever! Ringo never!"{{sfn|Harry|2004|p=110}} Harrison received a black eye from one upset fan, and Epstein, whose car tyres they had flattened in anger, temporarily hired a bodyguard.<ref>{{harvnb|Clayson|2005|pp=88–89}}: Harrison received a black eye; {{harvnb|Davies|2009|p=138}}: Epstein hired a bodyguard; {{harvnb|Harry|2004|p=110}} (tertiary source).</ref>

Starr's first recording session as a member of the Beatles took place on 4 September 1962.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=59}} He stated that Martin had thought that he "was crazy and couldn't play ... because I was trying to play the percussion and the drums at the same time, we were just a four-piece band".{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=126}} For their second recording session with Starr, on 11 September 1962, Martin replaced him with session drummer [[Andy White (drummer)|Andy White]] while recording takes for what would be the [[A-side and B-side|two sides]] of the Beatles' first single, "[[Love Me Do]]", backed with "[[P.S. I Love You (Beatles song)|P.S. I Love You]]".{{sfn|Harry|2004|pp=367–368}} Starr played tambourine on "Love Me Do" and maracas on "P.S. I Love You".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=59}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3270136/love-me-do-1962/|title=Ringo Starr's Sad Tambourine Moment|last=Latson|first=Jennifer|date=11 September 2014|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=3 June 2021|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603191212/https://time.com/3270136/love-me-do-1962/|url-status=live}}</ref> Concerned about his status in the Beatles, he thought: "That's the end, they're doing a Pete Best on me."{{sfn|Davies|2009|p=163}} Martin later clarified: "I simply didn't know what Ringo was like and I wasn't prepared to take any risks."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=96}}{{refn|group=nb|Martin chose 4 September version of "Love Me Do" with Starr on drums for the A-side and 11 September recording of "P.S. I Love You" with Starr on maracas for the B-side.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=59}}}}

By November 1962, Starr had been accepted by Beatles fans, who were now calling for him to sing.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=89, 147}} He began receiving an amount of [[fan mail]] equal to that of the others, which helped to secure his position within the band.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=105}} Starr considered himself fortunate to be on the same "wavelength" as the other Beatles: "I had to be, or I wouldn't have lasted. I had to join them as people as well as a drummer."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=94}} He was given a small percentage of Lennon and McCartney's publishing company, [[Northern Songs]], but derived his primary income during this period from a one-quarter share of Beatles Ltd, a corporation financed by the band's net concert earnings.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=105}} He commented on the nature of his lifestyle after having achieved success with the Beatles: "I lived in nightclubs for three years. It used to be a non-stop party."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=112}} Like his father, Starr became well known for his late-night dancing and he received praise for his skills.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=112}}

==== Worldwide success ====
[[File:Ringo Starr NY 1964.png|thumb|upright|Starr at New York City's [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] on 7 February 1964]]
During 1963, the Beatles enjoyed increasing popularity in Britain. In January, their second single, "[[Please Please Me (song)|Please Please Me]]", followed "Love Me Do" into the UK charts and a successful television appearance on ''[[Thank Your Lucky Stars (TV series)|Thank Your Lucky Stars]]'' earned favourable reviews, leading to a boost in sales and radio play.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=88}} By the end of the year, the phenomenon known as [[Beatlemania]] had spread throughout the country, and by February 1964 the Beatles had become an international success when they performed in [[New York City]] on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' to a record 73&nbsp;million viewers.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=93, 136–137}} Starr commented: "In the States I know I went over well. It knocked me out to see and hear the kids waving for me. I'd made it as a personality ... Our appeal ... is that we're ordinary lads."<ref>{{harvnb|Clayson|2005|p=119}}: "we're ordinary lads"; {{harvnb|Clayson|2005|p=123}}: "I'd made it as a personality."</ref> He was a source of inspiration for several songs written at the time, including [[Penny Valentine]]'s "[[I Want to Kiss Ringo Goodbye]]" and [[Rolf Harris]]'s "[[Ringo for President]]".{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=122}} [[Cher]] released her first single, "[[Ringo, I Love You]]" in 1964 under the pseudonym Bonnie Joe Mason.
[[File:Ringo Starr circa 1965.jpg|left|thumb|242x242px|Starr (far left) in 1965]]
In 1964, "I love Ringo" lapel pins were the bestselling Beatles merchandise.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=122}} The prominent placing of the [[Ludwig Drums|Ludwig]] logo on the bass drum of his American import drum kit gave the company such a burst of publicity that it became the dominant drum manufacturer in North America for the next twenty years.<ref>{{cite news
 | last= O'Reilly
 | first= Terry
 | title= Bookmarks 2016
 | url= http://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/summer-series-bookmarks-2016-1.3612090
 | access-date= 27 August 2016
| work= Under the Influence
 | publisher= CBC News
 | archive-date= 11 January 2017
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170111221312/http://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/summer-series-bookmarks-2016-1.3612090
 | url-status= live
 }}</ref> During live performances, the Beatles continued the "Starr Time" routine that had been popular among his fans: Lennon would place a microphone in front of Starr's kit in preparation for his spotlight moment and audiences would erupt in screams.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=123}} When the Beatles made their film debut in ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'', Starr garnered praise from critics, who considered his delivery of deadpan one-liners and his non-speaking scenes highlights.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=124–125}} The extended non-speaking sequences had to be arranged by director [[Richard Lester]] because of Starr's lack of sleep the previous night; Starr commented: "Because I'd been drinking all night I was incapable of saying a line."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=125}} Epstein attributed Starr's acclaim to "the little man's quaintness".{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=124}} After the release of the Beatles' second feature film, ''[[Help! (film)|Help!]]'' (1965), Starr won a ''[[Melody Maker]]'' poll against his fellow Beatles for his performance as the central character in the film.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=148}}

During an interview with ''[[Playboy]]'' in 1964, Lennon explained that Starr had filled in with the Beatles when Best was ill; Starr replied: "[Best] took little pills to make him ill".{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=128}} Soon after, Best filed a [[libel]] suit against him that lasted four years before the court reached an undisclosed settlement in Best's favour.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=127–128}} In June, the Beatles were scheduled to begin their [[The Beatles' 1964 world tour|world tour]] of Denmark, the Netherlands, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Before the start of the tour,{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=160–161}} Starr was stricken with a high-grade fever, [[pharyngitis]] and [[tonsillitis]], and briefly stayed in a local hospital, followed by several days of recuperation at home.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=128–130}} He was temporarily replaced for five concerts by 24-year-old session drummer [[Jimmie Nicol]].{{sfn|Babiuk|2002|p=132}} Starr was discharged from the hospital and rejoined the band in Melbourne on 15 June.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=160–163}}{{refn|group=nb|Epstein then accompanied Nicol to the Melbourne airport where he gave him a cheque and a gold Eterna-Matic wrist watch inscribed: "From the Beatles and Brian Epstein to Jimmy – with appreciation and gratitude."{{sfn|Harry|2004|p=255}} Starr had his tonsils removed later that year during a Christmas holiday.{{sfn|Harry|2004|p=111}}}} He later said that he feared he would be permanently replaced during his illness.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rhythm|first=Johnny|title=The Beatles' Many Drummers|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/The-Beatles-Many-Drummers-3776938.php|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=9 August 2012|access-date=2 January 2013|archive-date=17 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817041745/http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/The-Beatles-Many-Drummers-3776938.php|url-status=live}}</ref> In August, the Beatles were introduced to American songwriter [[Bob Dylan]], who offered the group [[cannabis]] cigarettes. Starr was the first to try one but the others were hesitant.<ref>{{harvnb|Gould|2007|p=252}}: Meeting Dylan in August; {{harvnb|Clayson|2005|p=137}} Starr was the first Beatle to smoke cannabis.</ref>

On 11 February 1965, Starr married [[Maureen Starkey Tigrett|Maureen Cox]], whom he had met in 1962.{{sfn|Harry|2004|pp=333–334}} By this time the stress and pressure of Beatlemania had reached a peak for him. He received a telephoned death threat before a show in Montreal, and resorted to positioning his cymbals vertically in an attempt to defend against would-be assassins. The constant pressure affected the Beatles' performances; Starr commented: "We were turning into such bad musicians ... there was no groove to it."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=139–140}} He was also feeling increasingly isolated from the musical activities of his bandmates, who were moving past the traditional boundaries of rock music into territory that often did not require his accompaniment; during recording sessions he spent hours playing cards with their road manager [[Neil Aspinall]] and road manager [[Mal Evans]] while the other Beatles perfected tracks without him.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=147}} In a letter published in ''Melody Maker'', a fan asked the Beatles to let Starr sing more; he replied: "[I am] quite happy with my one little track on each album".{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=147}}

==== Studio years ====
In August 1966, the Beatles released ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'', their seventh UK LP.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=350}} It included the song "[[Yellow Submarine (song)|Yellow Submarine]]", their only British number-one single with Starr as the lead singer.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=159}} Later that month, owing to the increasing pressures of touring, the Beatles gave their final concert, a 30-minute performance at San Francisco{{'s}} [[Candlestick Park]].<ref>{{harvnb|Clayson|2005|p=152}}; {{harvnb|Lewisohn|1992|pp=210, 230}}.</ref> Starr commented: "We gave up touring at the right time. Four years of Beatlemania were enough for anyone."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=152}} By December he had moved to a larger estate called Sunny Heights, {{cvt|3|acres}} in size, at [[St George's Hill]] in [[Weybridge]], [[Surrey]], near to Lennon.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=142–144}} Although he had equipped the house with many luxury items, including numerous televisions, light machines, film projectors, stereo equipment, a [[billiard table]], [[go-kart]] track and a bar named the Flying Cow, he did not include a drum kit; he explained: "When we don't record, I don't play."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=143–144}}

For the Beatles' seminal 1967 album, ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', Starr sang lead vocals on the [[Lennon–McCartney]] composition "[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]".{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=159–161, 179}} Although the Beatles had enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success with ''Sgt. Pepper'', the long hours they spent recording the LP contributed to Starr's increased feeling of alienation within the band; he commented: "[It] wasn't our best album. That was the peak for everyone else, but for me it was a bit like being a session musician ... They more or less direct me in the style I can play."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=160–161}}{{refn|group=nb|Starr offered no suggestions for inclusion on the album's historic front cover.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=160}}}} His inability to compose new material led to his input being minimised during recording sessions; he often found himself relegated to adding minor percussion effects to songs by McCartney, Lennon and Harrison.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=161–162}} During his downtime, Starr worked on his guitar playing, and said: "I jump into chords that no one seems to get into. Most of the stuff I write is twelve-bar".{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=161}}

Epstein's death in August 1967 left the Beatles without management; Starr remarked: "[It was] a strange time for us, when it's someone who we've relied on in the business, where we never got involved."{{sfn|Clayson|2005|p=166}} Soon afterwards, the band began an ill-fated film project, ''[[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|Magical Mystery Tour]]''. Starr's growing interest in photography led to his billing as the movie's Director of Photography, and his participation in the film's editing was matched only by that of McCartney.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=166–168}} In February 1968, Starr became the first Beatle to sing on another artist's show without the others. He sang the [[Buck Owens]] hit "[[Act Naturally]]", and performed a duet with [[Cilla Black]], "Do You Like Me Just a Little Bit?" on her [[BBC One]] television programme, ''Cilla''.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=175–176}}

In November 1968, [[Apple Records]] released ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'', commonly known as the "White Album".{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=510}} The album was partly inspired by the band's recent interactions with the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]].{{sfn|Harry|2000|pp=705–706}} While attending the Maharishi's intermediate course at his [[ashram]] in [[Rishikesh]], India, they enjoyed one of [[The Beatles in India|their most prolific writing periods]], composing most of the album there.{{sfn|Harry|2000|pp=108–109}} It was here that Starr completed his first recorded Beatles song, "[[Don't Pass Me By]]",<ref>{{harvnb|Everett|2001|pp=206–207: "Don't Pass Me By"}}; {{harvnb|Harry|2004|p=187: "Don't Pass Me By"}}</ref> but he left after 10 days and later compared his time there to a stay at [[Butlin's]].{{sfn|Gould|2007|pp=463–468}} The long-lasting health problems that began in his childhood had an impact on his time in India, causing him to experience allergies and sensitivities to the local food; when the band travelled there, he resorted to taking his own food with him.<ref>{{harvnb|Clayson|2005|p=171}}: (secondary source); {{harvnb|The Beatles|2000|p=284}}: (primary source).</ref>

Relations within the Beatles deteriorated during the recording of the White Album,{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=283–304}} and there were occasions where only one or two members were involved in the recording of a track.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=182–184}} Starr had become tired of McCartney's increasingly overbearing approach, Lennon's [[passive-aggressive behaviour]], and the near-constant presence of Lennon's wife [[Yoko Ono]].{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=182–184}} After one particularly difficult session which included McCartney harshly criticising his drumming, Starr briefly quit the Beatles and went on holiday to [[Sardinia]], where he and his family stayed on a boat loaned to them by actor [[Peter Sellers]].<ref>{{harvnb|Clayson|2005|pp=183–184}}; {{harvnb|Harry|2004|pp=259–260}}.</ref> During a lunch there, the chef served octopus and Starr refused to eat it; an ensuing conversation with the ship's captain about the animal inspired Starr's song "[[Octopus's Garden]]" from the Beatles' album ''[[Abbey Road]]'', which he wrote using a guitar during the trip.<ref>{{harvnb|Everett|2001|pp=254–255: "Octopus's Garden"}}; {{harvnb|Harry|2004|pp=259–260: "Octopus's Garden"}}</ref> Two weeks later,{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=295–296}} he returned to the studio to find that Harrison had covered his drum kit in flowers as a welcome-back gesture.{{sfn|The Beatles|2000|p=312}}

Despite a temporary return to friendly interactions during the completion of the White Album, production of the Beatles' fourth feature film ''[[Let It Be (1970 film)|Let It Be]]'' and its [[Let It Be (album)|accompanying album]] further strained band relationships.{{sfn|Clayson|2005|pp=189–192}} On 20 August 1969, the Beatles gathered for the final time at [[Abbey Road Studios]] for a mixing session for "[[I Want You (She's So Heavy)|I Want You]]".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|p=331}} At a business meeting exactly one month later, Lennon told the others that he was leaving the band, effective immediately.{{sfn|Norman|2008|pages=622–624}} However, [[Break-up of the Beatles|the band's break-up]] would not become public knowledge until McCartney's announcement on 10 April 1970 that he was also leaving.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=341, 349}}