Happy Birthday Ringo Starr!

Happy 74th to Ringo Starr. He has kept that back beat for along time, providing the pulse to our lives along the way. It's down to him and Paul McCartney now to keep the legacy of the Beatles alive. Paul does his thing and Ringo his, but there are always Beatles songs included in both their sets. How could it be otherwise?

Here Ringo performs a very heartfelt tribute to George Harrison, his dear friend and band mate for so many years, who had just passed away from cancer at the all too young age of 55. It was actually George who brought Ringo into the band just in time for their first record, "Love Me Do", in the fall of 1962. The irony was that Ringo never got to play on that record. I believe they used a session drummer named Allan White.

Ringo has always gotten short shrift for his accomplishments with the Beatles. But he's the one responsible for all the malapropisms such as "A Hard Day's Night", "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Eight Day's A Week", and the title for the album "Rubber Soul", along with quite a few others. A very witty man, Ringo is.

His wife, Barbara Bach; along with Olivia, the widow of the late George Harrison; have both been the driving force behind a project in Romania which has been going on since the days after the fall of the communists. They have sponsored orphanages for the children of rape; most of whom had AIDS. Some of those children are now alive and disease free due to the work of these two remarkable women and the support of their husbands.

Ringo Starr is still performing his summer concerts with the ever changing "All Star Band". If you've never been to one of those concerts you're missing out. Happy Birthday Ringo- with a little help from your friends...

They Say It's Your Birthday

Today is Ringo Starr's 70th birthday. And he has a message for all his fans. Peace. That's right, he is still carrying the torch for Peace and Love. At noon today he is asking everyone, everywhere to point their fingers skyward as a gesture to Peace. Seems futile and silly to some, but count me in! In a quote from an interview in New York yesterday, Mr. Starr had this to say about today's event, which is a much needed continuation of John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance" campaign of almost 40 years ago!

"Yes, I want to spread the word that at noon, wherever you are — in New York, in L.A., in Paris, in London — I just pray that you’ll put your fingers up and say, “Peace and Love.” I did it two years ago, it was the first time, and I did it out of Chicago because I was on tour. This year, we’re playing Radio City, so we’re doing it in New York. In Japan there were little get-togethers and it went worldwide, so that was great."

Ringo was born Richard Starkey during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. His first 5 years of life were spent living with war. The irony of that is inescapable. Most of his early years were spent in the hospital. These two factors probably helped to make him the gentle soul that he is, and undoubtedly contribute to his wish for World Peace.

He was playing drums with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes when he was asked to join the Beatles in late 1962, just as they were about to record their first record, "Love Me Do", on Parlophone Records. He replaced Pete Best. The rest is history.

Ringo is still out there with his All "Starr" Band and touring. Sue and I saw him several years ago and everyone left that concert smiling, with a little help from their friends.

Here's a little video that Mr. Starr did after the death of his friend and former bandmate George Harrison a few years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PjnOdHq-T8

Hope you enjoy the video and don't forget to raise your fingers at noon today, wherever you are. Give Peace a Chance!