Ringo Starr Celebrates His 80th Birthday in a Big Way
When we think of music artists who have made a difference in our lives, few are as influential as The Beatles. So it should come as no surprise that Ringo Starr’s birthday is always met with much fanfare.
On July 7, (Starr’s birthday) the drummer threw a bash that was everything you might expect and more…only it had to be taken to an online format due to the coronavirus.
The celebration of Ringo Starr’s birthday has become somewhat of a tradition. It began in 2008 when a 100 guest birthday gathering was held at the Hard Rock in Chicago. Since then, it has expanded to 27 countries with the focus on a big stage in Hollywood.
"I've got a huge birthday; I am going to be 80," Starr explains, "But I am going to celebrate it a little differently this year from the last 12 years, where we had the peace and love moment at noon."
Instead of the musical performances in front of 100’s of fans, Starr decided to host a virtual charity concert on YouTube called ‘Ringo’s Big Birthday Show’. Performers include Sir Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Ben Harper, Sheila E and Sheryl Crow. The money raised will benefit Black Lives Matter, The David Lynch Foundation, MusiCares and WaterAid.
"I've asked several of my friends to either send me footage from a show they've done and I'm using some of mine from the All-Starrs [his band] last year and I'll be there introducing. We're putting the show on at 5 o'clock (PST). But it's still my birthday and still peace and love," says Starr.
Despite Ringo getting older, he is still as active as he’s ever been. He plays with his band the All-stars who have gone from touring once a year to twice a year. Here’s what the drummer had to say about his personal and professional life.
"With the All-Starrs we do one tour a year, now I'm doing two tours a year. And I have many blessings: family blessings, children blessings.
"I've got eight grandchildren now and a great-grandson. Life has been very kind to me. And we're in a great business because we don't have to retire; we can just go on as long as we can go on. And I plan to go on a lot longer than 80."
Starr also reflected on his life as a Beatle in comparison to life today. "We got so big the price to pay was that we couldn't go to a restaurant,” Starr says. “But now it's eased off. We can go where we like. And thanks to the pandemic we've all got masks on so they don't know me,” he jokes.
Starr had quite a career launching The Beatles and says "The Beatles are still relevant today to the next generation.” It’s great to see Starr pass this much-celebrated milestone as he continues to be active in the world of rock n’ roll.
