Ringo Starr’s Apartment Was Like a Playground for His Famous Friends

Ringo Starr moved from Liverpool to London once The Beatles made it big. The capital city was the heart of the English music scene. The Fab Four practically lived at Abbey Road Studios — except when Ringo and George Harrison collaborated on a long-lost song. He later upgraded to a house outside the city, but Ringo’s apartment in London was like a playground for several famous artists.

Ringo Starr grew up in a modest house in Liverpool and and lived there when The Beatles became famous

Before he entered one hall of fame without the other Beatles, Ringo grew up in a working-class section of Liverpool. Once he committed himself to playing drums, it didn’t take him long to find success. 

His first professional band — Rory Storm & the Hurricanes — played in and around Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. (Their pink suits helped them get better rooms in Germany than The Beatles).

Ringo continued to live with his mother and stepfather in his childhood home even after The Beatles started to gain popularity. Still, he couldn’t remain at home forever. 

The former Richard Starkey roomed with George Harrison when he first arrived in London and later moved to a large estate in 1965 when he and his wife were expecting their first baby. But the drummer still owned the lease, and Ringo’s apartment became like a playground for his famous friends once he left.

Ringo’s London apartment became a playground for several famous artists when he moved out

Ringo’s apartment near Montagu Square in London (a walkable distance from Abbey Road Studios to the northwest) transformed into a playhouse for several famous artists when he moved out. The drummer still held the lease, and he wasn’t shy about letting his famous friends use his former residence.

Jimi Hendrix moved into the space in late 1966 ahead of a memorable 1967 that saw him release two albums (Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love) and play the Monterey Pop Festival. Hendrix didn’t last too long in Ringo’s former apartment, though. He whitewashed the walls during a bad acid trip, and Ringo evicted him.

Hendrix’s stay at Ringo’s former residence came after Paul McCartney and Willam S. Burroughs recorded experimental stereo sounds there in 1966 and before John Lennon and Yoko Ono got naked for their Two Virgins cover photo there.

In his Ringo biography With a Little Help, Michael Seth Starr (no relation) writes that the drummer sold the apartment in 1969. 

The drummer lived near John Lennon when he moved out of the apartment

When Ringo left his apartment in London, he moved to Weybridge, about an hour southwest of the city center. He distanced himself from London, but he wasn’t far from John; Lennon lived less than a mile away.

Owning a multi-room house on a large piece of property was a far throw from Ringo’s childhood in a Liverpool row home. It was also a change from life in The Beatles.

Even after they made it big, the Fab Four shared hotel rooms on the road. They even vacationed together at times. Starr writes in his book that Ringo and Paul went on holiday in the Bahamas with their significant others while John and George took a separate trip.

Still, the members of The Beatles always seemed to be near each other in some way, and that includes using Ringo Starr’s apartment as a playground in the 1960s.

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