Meet the Beatle: A Guide to Ringo Starr’s Solo Career in 20 Songs
A crash course in the most under-appreciated Beatle


02 Jul 1969 --- Ringo Starr Playing Acoustic Guitar --- Image by © Douglas Kirkland/Corbis
Douglas Kirkland/Corbis
Since the Beatles called it quits in 1970, the three men who stood in front of the stage have had no problem building their legacies — John Lennon wrote the iconic “Imagine” and “Give Peace a Chance,” George Harrison released All Things Must Pass and spent time as a Traveling Wilbury, Paul McCartney headlines Super Bowl halftime shows and Olympic opening ceremonies.
Drummer Ringo Starr, alas, has not been afforded the same luxury: After a string of hit singles in the early Seventies, he’s mostly been out of the musical spotlight, reappearing as a consummate session man (he’s drummed for Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Ben Harper among others) or as a voice actor.
Starr’s 2015 Award for Musical Excellence at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony gave the drummer some well-deserved, and long-overdue, props as both a sideman and a solo artist. In the latter role, he’s released 20 studio albums — including, Postcards From Paradise in 2015 and What’s My Name in 2019 — and several books. Catch up with the career of our cover star with these 20 songs.
[Editor’s Note: a version of this list was originally published in March 2015]