Ringo Starr’s Wedding Proved How Good The Beatles’ Relationships Were Before It All Went Bad
Ringo Starr started a serious relationship around the time he joined The Beatles. The drummer said the sweetest words about his wife soon after they started dating, but the marriage came several years later. Still, Ringo’s wedding in 1965 proved how tight The Beatles’ relationships were before things went sour for the band.
Ringo Starr started a serious relationship with Maureen Cox around the time he joined The Beatles
Adding Ringo to the mix near the end of 1962 was a busy time for the fledging Beatles.
From a musical standpoint, adding the talented drummer was the spark they needed to achieve global fame. The Fab Four hit the British charts by the end of the year, released three No. 1 singles and a No. 2 in England in 1963, and conquered North America by early 1964.
Two of the Fab Four’s personal lives were quite busy. Ringo started dating Maureen Cox around the time he joined the band. John Lennon got married a few days after the drummer joined.
Joining The Beatles was like going to school for Ringo. He was the new kid who didn’t know anyone and had to forge new friendships. He succeeded. Cox and Ringo’s wedding in February 1965 proved how close The Beatles’ relationships were when the band was at its peak.
Ringo’s wedding proved how solid The Beatles’ relationships were when the band was going good
To keep the press at bay, Ringo’s wedding to Cox happened on short notice early in the morning in the middle of the week. Alan Clayson writes in Ringo Starr: Straight Man or Joker? that Beatles manager Brian Epstein kept the ceremony, which took place at a registry office, under wraps until the day before.
George Harrison, who served as a witness alongside Ringo’s stepfather, rode his bike to the ceremony. That after staying up most of the night working on songs with John Lennon. George and John found themselves at odds in later years with George feeling his creativity stifled by the domineering John and Paul McCartney.
He was never known to be an early riser, but John and his wife, Cynthia, dutifully showed up for Ringo’s wedding, even though it was on short notice. “First thing I thought was what a sneaky thing to do,” Lennon said, per Clayson. “[But] if it was a public wedding, half of America would have come across.”
Paul’s Tunisian vacation precluded him from attending, but he brought back a silver apple as a wedding gift. Epstein had a lavish breakfast, threw an elegant dinner party, and arranged Ringo and Maureen’s honeymoon in Sussex, England.
Ringo was once brutally honest about his place in The Beatles. He was the least talented songwriter. The drummer felt ashamed when he earned praise for beats he was instructed to play over ones he created himself. He was no second-class citizen among his bandmates, though, and Ringo’s wedding proved The Beatles maintained solid relationships with each other when they were at their peak.
The Fab Four barely lasted into the 1970s
Ringo’s wedding in 1965 was a high point for The Beatles. They topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and were on the cusp of creating seminal albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the coming years.
The good times couldn’t last.
The burgeoning songwriter in George couldn’t get his tunes past gatekeepers Paul and John. George’s fistfight with John and Paul’s condescending verbal barbs while recording The White Album all but ensured The Beatles’ days were numbered.
John, Paul, and George had differing ideas for how to move the band forward in the waning years. That said, John said he saw the end of The Beatles coming when Epstein died in August 1967. The group managed to hold it together for nearly three more years despite the growing ego clashes, in-fighting, and stress of being The Beatles.
Ringo Starr’s wedding proved that The Beatles’ relationships were solid before everything went sour in the late 1960s.
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