Music Monday: July 7, 2025

Posted in Music Monday by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Today we celebrate birthday #85 for Sir Richard Starkey, better known by his professional name, Ringo Starr. He was born on July 7, 1940 in the place he & his three bandmates put on the map-Liverpool, England.

He joined The Beatles in 1962 & proved to be the missing piece that elevated the group from a quartet to a super band. During their eight years together, they released a string of revolutionary albums that altered the course of music history & pop culture in a decade that moved faster than any other before or since. Starr was known as “The Funny One” to the public and the peacemaker in the band. Today he continues to spread the message of peace & love, especially every year on his birthday when he asks the public to pause at noon in their time zone to think exclusively about those two things.

Top: The Beatles circa 1965 (L-R): John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Bottom: The band four years later in 1969 (L-R): Lennon, Harrison, McCartney and Starr. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Starr continued making music and collaborating with other artists including all three of his old bandmates along with Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, Merry Clayton, Brian Wilson and many others.

In 1989 the former Beatle formed Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, a revolving group of musicians who previously included such esteemed members as Clarence Clemons, Nils Lofgren, Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Todd Rundgren, to name a few. The current band just announced several U.S. concert dates for this fall.

Starr also tried his hand at acting and while that might not have been the most successful chapter of his career (not counting his wonderful turn as The Conductor in the “Thomas & Friends” children’s series), that foray did lead to his second marriage to actress & model Barbara Bach in 1981. They met on the set of the movie released the same year, “Caveman”.

Prior to that he was married to Maureen (nee Cox) Starkey from 1965-1975. Together they had three children: sons Zak (b 1965) and Jason (b 1967) and daughter Lee Parkin Starkey (b 1970). Starr is also stepfather to Bach’s two children, Francesca Gregorini (b 1968) and Gianni Gregorini (b 1972).

Happy birthday, Ringo! Peace & love to you always. Thank you for everything.

Top: Starr in 1964. Second: The musician circa 1969. Third: In concert in Wantagh, NY in 2012 (photo by me). Bottom: A recent picture of Starr from his website. (Images found online. Original sources unknown except where noted.)

The Beatles: “I Wanna Be Your Man” (1964 (U.S. release), written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney).

The Beatles: “With A Little Help From My Friends” (1967, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney).

The Beatles: “Don’t Pass Me By” (1968, written by Richard Starkey).

Ringo Starr: “It Don’t Come Easy” (1971, written by Richard Starkey).

Ringo Starr: “Photograph” (1973, written by George Harrison and Richard Starkey).

Stay safe & well.

27Nov2023

Music Monday: November 27, 2023

Posted in Music, Music Monday by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hi, everyone. Welcome to another triple edition (plus a bonus track) of Music Monday.

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Note: This will be the final Music Monday for 2023. Starting December 1st, the Christmas Countdown begins and will end on the last Monday of the year, which is Christmas Day. I would love to hear about some of your favorite holiday songs so please email me or comment below with your top choices. Music Mondays will resume on January 1, 2024. And now to the music.

Happy 60th anniversary to With The Beatles, the band’s second studio album. It was released on November 22, 1963 and included six cover songs. Today’s first feature was The Fab Four’s salute to Motown. I love that one of my favorite bands saluted one of my favorite genres (and theirs, too) with one of my favorite songs. The harmony between the group really shines through on this track.

Exactly five years later came the release of The Beatles, more commonly known by its nickname, The White Album. It was the band’s ninth studio album and the only double record of their career. It was also the first time the band had another famous musician join them in the studio. Eric Clapton played lead guitar on today’s second feature which is one of my all time favorites by George Harrison.

Nearly five years after that, Ringo Starr had the #1 song in the country. The tune hit the top spot on the chart on November 24, 1973 for one week, only two months after it was released. Co-written with his old Beatles chum Harrison, the track was the lead single from Starr’s third solo album-aptly titled Ringo-released the same month. It peaked at the #2 position on the Billboard album chart, but never hit the top spot because another chap from England-Elton John-was in that spot for the last eight weeks of that year with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Starr’s album went on to produce another #1 record two months later when the second single-his cover of “You’re Sixteen”-topped the charts for one week in January 1974. But it was the lead track that took a very sentimental turn for Starr who performed it in tribute to Harrison at “The Concert For George” in 2002. Harrison died 22 years ago on November 29, 2001. But thanks to some recordings he did in the 1990’s with Starr and McCartney together with a pre-recorded assist from Lennon, the world received an early Christmas gift: “the last Beatles song”. The track has a really sweet sentiment and the video takes us on a great walk down memory lane of the four lads from Liverpool we met on a Sunday night one February almost 60 years ago.

Picture 1: The Beatles’ 1963 album. Picture 2: The four pictures that came inside The White Album (L-R: George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney). Picture 3: Ringo and George in the early days of The Beatles era, circa 1963. Picture 4: George and Ringo circa 1990. Bottom: Ringo’s self-titled 1973 album. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

The Beatles: “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” (1963, written by William Robinson Jr.).

The Beatles: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (1968, written George Harrison).

Ringo Starr: “Photograph” (1973, written by George Harrison and Richard Starkey).

Bonus: The Beatles: “Now And Then” (2023, written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey).

Stay safe and well.

8Dec2019

25 Days Of Christmas Music 2019: Day 8

Posted in Christmas, Holidays, Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Welcome back to the countdown!!!

I found another gorgeous vintage image on Pinterest, and the fact that it is in black & white makes me love it even more.

Found on Pinterest & TuckDB Postcards (original source unknown).

I miss this man so much, and it has been that way for 39 years. I wonder what he would be doing now if he were still here. Would he still be touring like his old band mate, Paul? Or would he be thinking about a global “Peace & Love” moment every year on his birthday like his other band mate, Ringo? Or would he be retired living the life of a house husband like he did in the mid 1970’s? My guess is a combination of all three. But he would be here. And that would have made all the difference. Incredibly big sigh.

Rather than focusing on the loss, I want to remember him and celebrate all that was gained from his incredible life. And that is evident in his music. He is still a staple on classic rock radio, but this time of year this song is everywhere. Many artists have covered it, but nothing compares to the original. Or to the man himself. Happy Christmas, John Lennon. I miss you. But I’m not the only one.

Courtesy of Apple Records & Iain Macmillan.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band the Harlem Community Choir: “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” (1971, lyrics written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono in 1971).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing some things that I love with you 🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, happy listening!!!

3Dec2018

25 Days Of Christmas Music 2018: Day 3

Posted in Christmas, Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hello, Everybody!!! Welcome back to the countdown.

Found on Pinterest (original source unknown).

Another day. Another song. Another legend.

Picture it: Sunday, February 9, 1964. Four lads from Liverpool were introduced to America thanks to their earth shattering performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” This man was the final piece of the Beatles puzzle. The last one to join, but the one who set the foundation of the group with every beat of his drums. As great as the other three were, would “Yellow Submarine” or “With A Little Help From My Friends” have sounded the same if they were sung by John, Paul or George? No. Sir Richard Starkey made them all his own. He began as a poor boy, too, who eventually played his drums for a king. Just like the little boy in today’s song.

Ringo Starr (original source unknown).

Ringo Starr: “The Little Drummer Boy“.