Ringo Starr, musician: I never play music alone

Ringo Starr, musician: I never play music alone

From The Interview by BBC World Service

April 26, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

Ringo Starr discusses his music career and the importance of collaboration in this episode of The Interview.

“If you play piano, bass guitar, saxophone, I don’t care - I'll play with you all night. That's how I did it. And I tell all my grandkids - get an event, get a few of your schoolmates together. They're practising and playing by themselves. Get with people!” Regan Morris speaks to musician Ringo Starr about his career. Born in Liverpool, England, during the Second World War in 1940, Ringo, real-name Richard Starkey, found fame as the drummer of the legendary British band The Beatles - widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in music history. After joining John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison in 1962, the four-piece became a global pop music sensation through hits such as ‘She Loves You’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘Penny Lane’, and ‘Hey Jude’. They also released multiple studio albums and starred in five major motion pictures. Although the band split up in 1970, their legacy continues to live on. They remain one of the best-selling musical acts of all time over half a century later. And such was his and the band’s cultural impact, that Ringo, one of two surviving members of The Beatles, received a knighthood at Buckingham Palace for his services to music in 2018. But…

People in this episode

Host: Regan Morris

Guest: Ringo Starr

Topics covered

  • music
  • career
  • The Beatles
  • collaboration
  • influence
  • legacy

Keywords

  • Ringo Starr
  • The Beatles
  • music career
  • collaboration
  • influence
  • knighthood
  • country album

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Beatles

Books & works: She Loves You, Yesterday, Penny Lane, Hey Jude

Places: Liverpool

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