Ringo Starr Learned to Play the Drums in a Hospital Band After Being In a Coma
Ringo Starr is one of the best-known drummers in the world. He was an integral part of the magic of the Beatles with Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison. Although the Beatles were only together for a decade, their legends live on in the music they created together. But Starr may not have gotten his start with drums if it hadn’t been for a series of childhood illnesses. While he was stuck in bed, he learned to love percussion and the rest, as they say, is history.
Ringo Starr was very sick as a child
Starr’s first bout with a serious illness came when he was just six years old. That was when he suffered peritonitis after having an appendectomy. This caused the young Starr to spend several days in a coma, according to Far Out Magazine. After that, he would stay in the hospital for a year, causing him to fall behind in his studies.
And the illness didn’t stop there. Starr also contracted tuberculosis in 1953, just before vaccinations were required for children in England. This diagnosis led Starr to a nearly two-year stay in a sanitorium to recover.
Starr even had a major health issue during Beatlemania, when he had to miss part of the band’s 1964 tour. He had to have his tonsils removed. And the band had to bring in temporary drummer Jimmy Nichol for part of the tour, according to The Vintage News. All of this has left Starr with a fear of hospitals.
Ringo Starr learned to play the drums while in the hospital
Because of his many illnesses as a child, Starr spent a lot of time in the hospital. When he was diagnosed with tuberculosis as a child, he was kept in bed for a long while, according to CBC Radio. That was when he first learned how to play the drums. Starr shared that “to keep us [patients] busy,” there was a woman who brought in percussion instruments and taught them how to play them.
“That’s when I fell in love with drums, and I only wanted to be a drummer from then on,” he shared. “But of course, I had to work on the railways, I had to work on the boats, and I had to work in a factory for several years before it all came true.”
Ringo Starr is considered one of the greatest drummers of all time
Starr is widely considered one of the best rock and roll drummers of all time. Not only did he provide the backbeat for one of the most popular bands of the 1960s, but he also created his own unique sound, writes Rolling Stone. He was a left-hand drummer, but he played a right-handed drum kit. He would also get creative, giving listeners a depth of sound they hadn’t heard in rock music.
Beyond the Beatles, Starr has put out a number of solo albums. He still tours the world with his All Starr Band. Although Starr wasn’t as appreciated in his heyday as some of his peers, many drummers today point to him as an influence.
