“Ringo Starr is the friend you don’t want to kick out of the band,” senior Matt Jackson said to me last week upon hearing about Starr’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There is a common misconception that Ringo is the worst, weakest, and weirdest Beatle, but as he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week, it became very apparent that these accusations are wrong.
Ringo Starr officially joined the Beatles in August 1962 and gave the band the sort of personality they were lacking before. Starr was also one of the first Beatles to have a significant solo hit in the 1970’s. He continues to work alone and has released 19 solo albums to date.
He was inducted by band mate Paul McCartney who also inducted John Lennon in 1994. McCartney’s speech told the story of how Ringo was made a member of the Beatles, going back to when he was with a group called Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. “Ringo was like a professional musician. We were just like, slamming around and doing stuff, but he had a beard – that’s professional. He had the suit. Very professional. … This was like, a grown-up musician,” Paul McCartney said during his speech. Starr sat in during a show for former drummer, Pete Best, and nailed specific parts that other drummers could never seem to hit. “It was just so beautiful. As all the other drummers say, he just is something so special. When he’s playing behind you, you see these other bands, they’re looking around at the drummer, like, is he going to speed up, is he going to slow down? You don’t have to look with Ringo.”
Other 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees included Lou Reed, Green Day, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Stevie Ray Vaughn.