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Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) a.k.a. Billy Shears
Born July 7, 1940.
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If Pete Best was the unluckiest musician in rock and roll then surely Ringo Starr was the luckiest - leaving Rory Storm and the Hurricanes
to join the Beatles on what would prove to be their take-off for Stardom in 1962.
However in the viewpoint of John Lennon , Ringo was already a star in liverpool before they even met. " Whatever that spark is in Ringo, we all know it but we can't put our finger on it". Ringo's forte is more originality than conventional accomplishment.
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Often referred to as the 'straightest' Beatle , Ringo's uncomplicated character survived the onslaught of Beatlemania , Mass Adulation , Drugs , Meditation , etc and he also branched out from being primarily a drummer to singing and acting , later becoming the narrator of 'Thomas The Tank Engine'. Ringo's first solo project was a covering of pre-rock standards which was slated by the critics and didn't sell very well. This was followed up by "Beaucoup Of Blues" a country music collection with session musicians from Nashville.
Ringo then scored two top ten hits with "It Don't Come Easy" written by George Harrison and " Back Off Boogaloo" in 1972. In 1973 Ringo's third solo album anchored his solo career producing two consecutive US chart topping singles," Photograph" , "You're Sixteen" and a hit album.
It also represented most closely a Beatles reunion in that all four Beatles were present on the album , though unfortunately not all at the same time.
The follow up in 1974 "Goodnight Vienna" was also successful and produces the hits "Only You" and No No Song", he was once again supported by the other Beatles who played and provided songs. "Blast From You Past" a greatest hits package was released the following year and continued the trend of strong output. In retrospect "Ringo's Rotogravure", released in 1976 was not a bad album though the release of "Ringo the Fourth" in 1977 began a downward trend fuelled by the excesses of his lifestyle. His 1983 album "Old Wave" failed to find a U.S. distributor leaving his music career in disarray.
By the late 80's Ringo had cleaned up his lifestyle and put together an all star revue called the "All Starr Band" mixing old beatle and solo favourites together with notable songs from other artists in the band.
The band was very popular and 1990 saw the release of a live album from these shows.
In 1992 Ringo contracted with Private Music and recorded a new studio album of strong material " Time Takes Time" . This was easily his best output since the early seventies but perhaps due to his lack of popularity was not the success that it should have been. ( notwithstanding this is a great record ).
"Vertical Man", the follow up released in 1998 was not as strong and a bit disappointing. The next release was a disc culled from his performance on the VH1 Storytellers Series, a strong collection being again a mixture of Beatles and solo tracks.
1999 saw the release of a Christmas record " I Wanna Be Santa Claus" which although patchy contains a number of great songs such as "Come On Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland".
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Year
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Month
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Title
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LP / Single
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1970
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April
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Sentimental Journey
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(LP)
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Sentimental Journey / Night And Day / Whispering Grass / Bye Bye Blackbird / I'm A Fool To Care / Stardust / Blue Turning Grey Over You / Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing / Dream / You Always Hurt The One You Love / Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? / Let The Rest Of The World Go By
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September
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Beaucoups Of Blues
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(LP)
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Beaucoups Of Blues / Love Don't Last Long / Fastest Growing Heartache In The West / Without Her / Woman Of The Night / I'd Be Talking All The Time / $15 Draw/Wine,Women And Loud Happy Songs / I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way / Loser's Lounge / Waiting / Silent Homecoming
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1971
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January
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It Don't Come Easy / Early 1970
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Single
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1972
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March
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Back Off Boogaloo / Blindman
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Single
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1973
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December
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Photograph / Down And Out
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Single
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December
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Ringo!
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(LP)
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I'm The Greatest /Have You Seen MyBaby / Photograph / Sunshine Life For Me / You're Sixteen / Oh My My/Step Lightly / Six O'Clock / Devil Woman / You And Me (Babe)
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1974
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February
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You're Sixteen / Devil Woman
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Single
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December
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Goodnight Vienna
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(LP)
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Goodnight Vienna / Occapella / Oo - Wee / Husbands And Wives / Snookeroo / All By Myself / Call Me / No No Song / Only You / Easy For Me / Goodnight Vienna
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November
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Only You / Call Me
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Single
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1975
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February
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Snookeroo / Oo - Wee
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Single
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September
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Blast From Your Past
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(LP)
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You're Sixteen / No No Song / I't Don't Come Easy / Photograph / Back Off Boogaloo / Only You / Beaucoups Of Blues / Oh My My / Early 1970 / I'm The Greatest
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1976
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January
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Oh My My / No No song
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Single
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September
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Ringo's Rotogravure
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(LP)
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A Dose Of Rock And Roll / Hey Baby / Pure Gold / Cryin' / You Don't Know Me At All / Cookin' / I'll Still Love You / This Be Called A Song / Las Brisas / Lady Gaye
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September
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A Dose Of Rock & Roll / Cryin'
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Single
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December
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Hey Baby / Lady Gaye
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Single
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1977
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January
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You Don't Know Me At All / Cryin'
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Single
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September
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Ringo The 4th
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(LP)
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Drowning In The Sea Of Love / Tango All Night / Wings / Gave It All Up / Out On The Streets / Can She Do It Like She Dances / Sneaking Sally Through The Alley / It's No Secret / Gypsies In Flight / Simple Love Song
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September
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Wings / Just A Dream
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Single
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1978
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January
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Drowning In The Sea Of Love / Just A Dream
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Single
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April
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Bad Boy
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(LP)
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Who Needs A Heart / Bad Boy / Lipstick Traces / Heart On My Sleeve / Where Did Our Love Go / Hard Times / Tonight / Monkey See Monkey Do / Old Time Relovin / A Man Like Me
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April
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Heart On My Sleeve / Who Needs A Heart
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Single
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June
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Lipstick Traces / Old Time Relovin
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Single
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1981
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November
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Stop And Smell The Roses
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(LP)
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Private Property / Wrack My Brain / Drumming Is My Madness / Attention / Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses / Dead Giveaway / You Belong To Me / Sure To Fall / Nice Way / Back Off Boogaloo
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November
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Private Property / Stop And Take The Time To Smell The Roses
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Single
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1982
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January
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Wrack My Brain / Drumming Is My Madness
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Single
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1983
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June
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Old Wave
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(LP)
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In My Car / Hopeless / Alibi / Be My Baby / She's About A Mover / I Keep Forgettin' / Picture show Life / As Far As We Can Go / Everybody's In A Hurry But Me / Going Down
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June
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In My Car / As Far As We Can Go
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Single
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1990
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Ringo Starr And His All - Starr Band
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(LP)
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I't Don't Come Easy / No No Song / Iko Iko / The Weight / Shine Silently / Honey Don't / You're Sixteen / Quarter To Three / Raining In My Heart / Will It Go Round In Circles / Life In The Fast Lane / Photograph
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1992
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April
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Weight Of The World / After All These Years / Don't Be Cruel
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Single
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May
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Time Takes Time
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(LP)
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Weight Of The World / Don't Know A Thing About Love / Don't Go Where The Road Don't Go / Golden Blunders / All In The Name Of Love / After All These Years / I Don't Believe You / Runaways / In A Heartbeat / What Goes Around
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November
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Don't Go Where The Road Don't Go / Don't Know A Thing....
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Single
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1998
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June
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Vertical Man
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(LP)
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One / What In The World / Mindfield / King Of Broken Hearts / Love Me Do / Vertical Man / Drift Away / I Was Walkin / La De Da / Without Understanding / I'll Be Fine Anywhere / Puppet / i'm Yours
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June
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La De Da / Everyday
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Single
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October
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VHI Storytellers
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(LP)
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With A Little Help From My Friends / It Don't Come Easy / I Was Walkin / Don't Pass Me By / Back Off Boogaloo / King Of Broken Hearts / Octopus's Garden / Photograph / La De Da / What In The World / Love Me Do / With A Little Help from My Friends / I've Got Blisters / The End
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1999
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October
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I Wanna Be Santa Claus
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(LP)
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Come On Christmas,Christmas Come On / Winter Wonderland / I Wanna Be Santa Claus / The Little Drummer Boy / Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer / Christmas Eve / The Christmas Dance / Christmas Is Here Again / Blue Christmas / Dear Santa / White Christmas / Pax Um Biscum ( Peace Be With You )
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2001
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July 24
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Ringo Starr : Anthology So Far
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(LP) 3CD
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(1) It Don't Come Easy / The No No Song / Iko Iko / The Weight / Shine Silently /Honey Don't / Quarter To Three / Raining In My Heart / Will It Go Round In Circles / Life In The Fast Lane / Desperado / Norwegian Wood / Walking Nerve / Boris The Spider / You're Sixteen / Photograph (2) The Really Serious Introduction / I'm The Greatest / Don't Go Where The Road Don't Go / I Can't Tell you Why / Girls Talk / People Got To Be Free / Groovin' / Act Naturally / Takin' Care Of Business / You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet / In The City / Bang The Drum All Day / Black Maria / American Woman / Weight Of The World / Back Off Boogaloo (3) Yellow Submarine / Show Me The Way / Sunshine Of Your Love / I Hear You Knocking / Shooting Star / Boys / Baby I Love Your Way / A Salty dog / I Feel Free / Alright Now / I Wanna Be Your MAn / A Whiter Shade Of Pale / Hungry Eyes / All By Myself / With A Little Help from My Friends
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2003
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March 25
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Ringorama Contains Bonus DVD
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LP
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Eye To Eye / Missouri Loves Company / Instant Amnesia / Memphis In Your Mind / Never Without You / Imagine Me There
I Think Therefore I Rock 'N' Roll / Trippin On My Own Tears
Write One For Me / What Love Wants To Be / Love First, Ask Questions Later / Elizabeth Reigns / English Garden
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