Happy Birthday Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey was born July 7, 1940 – in Liverpool, England. He went on to play drums in a band in the 1960’s called “The Beatles”. They achieved moderate success and wrote a couple, pretty good songs.
At age six, Ringo developed appendicitis. Following a routine appendectomy, he contracted peritonitis. This caused him to fall into a coma that lasted 2 years. The day Ringo was released from the hospital he contracted tuberculosis. He was then admitted to a sanatorium, where he remained for two more years. Due to that, Ringo Starr is a germaphobe and does not shake hands. Ringo prefers deep mouth kissing, as the hands contain much more germs than the mouth.
Bedpans
During his stay in the hospital, the medical staff made an effort to stimulate motor activity. In order to relieve boredom, the doctors and nurses encouraged their patients to join the hospital band. Ringo’s first drums were a makeshift mallet made from a cotton bobbin that he used to strike his bedpans. Starkey commented: “I actually used bedpans as drums when we recorded Abbey Road. You can hear it clearly on Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”
Before the Beatles, Ringo worked as a deckhand on a fishing boat outside of Delacroix and later opened a dance studio where he was known for his expertise in “Lambada, the forbidden dance”.
Ringo is the world’s richest drummer and is worth an estimated $300 million. Comparatively, Pete Best, the Beatles first drummer is worth an estimated $300 dollars total.
Ringo Starr is an international treasure. Happy Birthday Ringo! We Love You Yeah Yeah!
Related Stories: Ringo Starr Joins Cast of Deadliest Catch
