Ringo Starr Made the Most Obvious Statement About His Life When He Received a College Degree
It’s not much of a stretch to say Ringo Starr helped make The Beatles what they became. John Lennon believed he and Paul McCartney could have still been The Beatles without Ringo and George Harrison. That seems like a classic case of John running his mouth. With the right set of ears, you can listen to almost any Fab Four song and hear Ringo’s drumming talent bursting through the speakers. Thanks to hindsight, we can see Ringo made the most obvious statement when he received a college degree from the Berklee College of Music.
Ringo Starr said his life is like ‘a strange fairy tale’ when he accepted a college degree
Ringo never received the credit he deserved while he was with The Beatles. In a band that often presented itself as a cohesive foursome, the drummer’s bandmates took up most of the spotlight when it came to the music.
Much of Ringo’s recognition came after the band broke up. Hindsight reveals just how much he changed drumming forever with The Beatles. His musical contributions weren’t lost on the Berklee College of Music, which awarded Ringo an honorary doctorate in 2022.
While addressing a small audience at his commencement, Ringo recalled how a hospital stay sparked his passion for drumming. “I just wanted to be a drummer from that moment on,” he said (via YouTube). “It was my big dream, and it’s still unfolding … It’s a great life I lead.” Ringo also made the most obvious comment when about his rise to stardom:
“In a way, it’s like some strange fairy tale.”
Ringo Starr
Uh, yeah, Ringo. We’d say so.
Ringo’s obvious statement about his fairy tale life has been clear for years
We’re not here to call out Ringo’s work with The Beatles. Far be it for us to pooh-pooh Berklee handing him an honorary degree (well-deserved, by the way). All we’re saying is that we know his story well, and Ringo made the most obvious comment about his fairy-tale life.
Of course it’s a fairy tale.
His childhood illnesses might have felt like torture at the time. Still, his lengthy teenage hospital stay revealed his true passion.
Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, his first professional band, found enough success to play in Hamburg, Germany, alongside The Beatles. The drummer was smart enough to jump to the Fab Four when they asked him to join. Before any of that happened, Ringo was savvy enough to ignore his family’s advice as he took up music full-time.
Ringo didn’t earn credit for his precise and innovative playing with The Beatles but never let the lack of recognition affect his drumming. He just had to wait for the accolades. That includes a spot in a hall of fame the other Beatles will never join and a second induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.
Ringo went from a hardscrabble childhood in a working-class section of Liverpool to international fame because of his drumming. His playing eventually garnered near-universal praise and several artistic accolades. Just saying “Ringo” to a classic rock fan immediately conjures thoughts of professional playing across a decades-long career cloaked in a happy-go-lucky wrapper.
Ringo said his life is a fairy tale, and it might be the most obvious statement we’ve ever heard.
The drummer had several other highlights over the years
The dual RNR HOF inductions (once with The Beatles and again as a solo artist) and Berklee doctorate were hardly the only accolades of Ringo’s fairy tale life.
The French government made Ringo a Commander of France’s Order of Arts and Letters in a 2013 ceremony in Monaco, writes Michael Seth Starr in With a Little Help. Being named a commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is France’s highest cultural honor, and a rare one, too. Ringo is the only member of The Beatles to earn it.
Ringo was knighted in 2018 (the English were a bit slow on the uptake, it seems). And to hammer home the fairy tale life? The drummer met his wife, former model Barbara Bach, on a movie set in Mexico in 1980.
The rise to fame, eventual praise for his playing, and the resulting accolades led to Ringo Starr making the most obvious statement about his life — that it’s been a fairy tale. We know, Ringo. We’ve been watching.
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