Ringo Starr

(1940 ----- )

Richard Starkey was born on July 7, 1940 in the front room of his house at 9 Madryn Street in Liverpool's Dingle Area, possibly the roughest area of the city. His parents were Elsie and Richard Starkey Sr. He was an only child. He was called Ritchie.

When Ritchie was only three years old, his parents parted, and except for about three occasions, Ringo has not seen his father since. However, there was nothing like the drama of the Lennon breakup. The couple seemed to have separated peacefully, and they were eventually divorced. Ritchie stayed with his mother at Madryn Street, but they eventually moved to 10 Admiral Grove, virtually just around the corner.

Ritchie went to St. Silas's Junior School at five years of age, but after just one year, he developed appendicitis. The appendix burst and peritonitis set in. He was taken to Myrtle Street Children's Hospital and had two operations. He went into a coma for ten weeks, and was in the hospital for just over twelve months. He came out of the hospital at the age of seven and went back to St. Silas's. At this point, he was unable to even read or write, but with the help of a childhood friend, Marie Maguire, he learned basic literacy skills. Then at eleven years of age, he attended Dingle Vale Secondary Modern School. He did not graduate.

Elsie met a man by the name of Harry Graves when Ritchie was just over eleven years old, and they were married two years later in 1953. Ritchie welcomed the addition to the family. However, that same year, Ritchie developed his second major illness. He got a cold, which turned to pleurisy, which turned to an effusion of one lung. He went back to the Myrtle Street hospital and then to Hezzle Children's Hospital where he remained for two years. When he came out of the hospital at fifteen, he was did not return to school, and he secured a job as a messenger boy for British Railways. Ritchie worked at the Railways for only six weeks. He left because all he wanted a railway uniform to wear, but they only gave him a simple railway cap. Later, he worked as a barman, and applied to be a joiner apprentice.

Ritchie showed no musical interest and did not play an instrument as a boy. When the skiffle craze came to Britain, he helped form a group called Eddie Clayton Skiffle, playing on his first set of drums bought by his father. He later joined Rory Storm's group, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He quit his job to work as a full-time drummer. Rory Storm was a showman who convinced Ritchie that he needed to change his name. Because of Ritchie's fondness for rings, Rory suggested he change his name to Rings which Ritchie later changed to Ringo while condensing his last name to Starr.

Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were Liverpool's top band at the time. They were doing so well, in fact, that when they were offered a chance to go to Hamburg, they could not arrange it. But they did go later, joining The Beatles at the Kaiserkeller, which was where Ringo met The Beatles for the first time. Ringo did a few stand-in engagements with The Beatles, and he generally sat around with them between sets.He returned to Liverpool with Rory, but later came back to Hamburg with Tony Sheridan. During this visit, he considered remaining in Hamburg for good, but he decided to return to Liverpool to work with Rory Storm again. It was then that he received a call from John asking him to join The Beatles. Ringo's decision to accept was based solely on finances. He had received an offer from a band called King Size Taylor and the Dominoes to play for 20 pounds a week. The Beatles offered him 25. He decided on The Beatles.