Ringo Starr's Journey from Sickly Child to Beatles Legend
About this episode
The episode explores Ringo Starr's challenging childhood and his journey to becoming a legendary drummer for The Beatles.
On July 7th, 1940, one of the most influential drummers in rock and roll history came into the world in Liverpool, England. Richard Starkey, who the world would come to know and love as Ringo Starr, was born during the height of World War Two, entering life amid air raid sirens and wartime uncertainty. What makes Ringo's story so remarkable isn't just that he became the drummer for The Beatles, the most successful and culturally significant band of the twentieth century. It's the incredible journey he took to get there. As a child, young Richard faced health crisis after health crisis. At age six, he fell into a coma for weeks after his appendix burst, causing peritonitis. He spent an entire year in the hospital, falling so far behind in school that he never truly caught up academically. Then at age thirteen, he contracted tuberculosis and spent two more years in a sanatorium. These extended hospital stays meant he received very little formal education. But something magical happened during his recovery from tuberculosis. The hospital staff organized a music therapy program, and someone handed Richard a drum. He fell in love instantly. This sickly kid who had missed years of…
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