Being in a band offers a sense of security and togetherness that is rarely afforded to solo artists. Putting yourself out there alone is a pretty daunting experience for most normal people, and being part of a band helps to negate those insecurities. So, when the biggest band of them all – The Beatles – parted ways in 1970, it was a particularly difficult period for drummer Ringo Starr.
The other members of the Fab Four moved into their respective solo careers fairly quickly; Harrison even had a head start, releasing Wonderwall Music while he was still a member of The Beatles. Starr had a much more difficult task ahead of himself, however. The drummer was regularly criticised for his technical ability with the band, leading to the prominence of the “Ringo Starr wasn’t even the best drummer in The Beatles” joke that is often incorrectly attributed to John Lennon.
In actuality, of course, Starr is a truly gifted percussionist with an instantly recognisable playing style, who has lent his talents to a deluge of the most iconic rock and pop songs of all time. Nevertheless, criticism of the drummer persisted, only increasing after he made an effort to pen some songs for The Beatles. Nobody could stand up against the intense brilliance of the Lennon-McCartney writing partnership, and perhaps that is why Starr was content with only writing the odd tune here and there for the band.
Despite the fan favourite that ‘Octopus’s Garden’ became, it is clear that Starr was not bestowed with the songwriting gift of his bandmates. As a result, embarking upon a solo career would be a much trickier task to navigate. Thankfully, there did not seem to be any bad blood between the drummer and his former bandmates, as he found work playing on solo records by both John Lennon and George Harrison.
When Starr unveiled his first solo album, 1970’s Sentimental Journey, Paul McCartney stepped in to give him a hand on the record of rock and roll standards, and these collaborations have continued throughout Starr’s career. Nevertheless, touring as a solo performer remained an incredibly daunting prospect, particularly given how safe and secluded drummers often feel sat at the back of the stage. In order to combat the nerves, Starr recruited two more drummers for the first All Starr tour.
“If you look at the first All Starr tour,” he later recalled in 2011, “there were three drummers. Levon on my right. Jim Keltner on my left and I was in the middle; I was so insecure. We had a huge front line and 3 drummers and they all came out for me to try and make it work”. It seemed as though the way in which Starr dealt with those insecurities was to surround himself with as many musicians as possible, “For the first tour it was like Ringo and the All Starr Orchestra there were so many on stage,” he said.
For all of Starr’s worries, the All Starr tour went off without a hitch, and the many subsequent tours that have followed continue to leave audiences thrilled. Much of the drummer’s solo career has been storied by collaborations and cover songs, but nobody can dispute the enduring brilliance of Liverpool’s favourite percussionist.
