At 85, Ringo Starr Is Still Drumming and Still Surprising

The Beatles legend talks about his new country album, staying sober for 38 years and the secret behind his lengthy marriage

Edna Gundersen,

AARP

Comments

Published April 24, 2026

ringo starr holding a microphone onstage

Ringo Starr, performing here in Nashville in 2025, digs deeper into his love of country music with his new album, "Long Long Road."

Tibrina Hobson/CBS via Getty Images

Ringo Starr’s long and winding road with the Beatles stretched eight years, a mere stroll compared with his marathon solo career, now spanning 56 years. Latest mile marker? His 22nd studio album, Long Long Road.

Starr, 85, co-wrote three of the album’s 10 country and Americana tunes, including “Choose Love,” a 2005 solo track given a twangy overhaul, and “You and I (Wave of Love),” his duet sung with bluegrass artist Molly Tuttle. He also teams with Sheryl Crow, 64, singer-songwriters St. Vincent and Sarah Jarosz, and bluegrass star Billy Strings — but on those tracks the ex-Beatle is always front and center on lead vocals and drums.

Road is Starr’s second country collaboration with T Bone Burnett, 78, who produced and co-wrote 2025’s highly praised, commercially successful Look Up. A few weeks before the release of Long Long Road, Starr shared the stage with Burnett and Jeff Bridges, 76, at a listening session in Los Angeles. (Sean Penn, 65, and John Mellencamp, 74, also attended.)

Burnett said Starr’s drumming “is in my DNA. It’s in my cells. He’s the swingingest drummer in the history of the United Kingdom.”

the cover of the ringo starr album long long road

Ringo Starr on the cover of his new album, "Long Long Road."

Courtesy UME

Starr remains a creative, energetic beat-keeper in the studio and on the road. The 16th iteration of his All-Starr Band will tour from May 28 to June 14. Since the ensemble’s debut in 1989, Starr has lured a wide range of players to his revolving multi-genre cast, including Dr. John, the late Billy Preston, Todd Rundgren, Edgar Winter, Sheila E., Ginger Baker and Colin Hay. (Check out more boomer-friendly acts touring this summer here.)

Admiration for Starr has grown over time and spiked with the release of Peter Jackson’s 2021 eight-hour Beatles documentary series, The Beatles: Get Back. “Ringo is the least emotionally involved in it all, but he’s the glue that holds it together,” the director told Variety. “He’s the heartbeat of the group, and he’s such a great drummer.”

Rolling Stone ranked Starr the 14th greatest drummer of all time, dubbing him “an early gold standard for no-nonsense rock players, serving each song with feel, swing and unswerving reliability.”

Starr talked to AARP about the early days of the Beatles, his love affair with American country music and the secret to his vitality.

Long Long Road feels more personal than Look Up. On the title track, you sing about pushing through periods of feeling low and carrying a heavy load.

On the song “Long Long Road,” which I wrote, I was reflecting on the road I’ve been on — when I was a kid, the neighborhood, how my dad left when I was 3 — things emotionally that are still with me, that I’ve done a lot of work on, but they’re not holding me back.

What era of country music do you connect with?

Country to me is “The wife’s left, the dog’s dead, and I got no money for the jukebox.” That’s when I came into it, the late ’50s and early ’60s. There was a lot of loss in country music.

You seem at home in the genre. Why the long gap between 1970’s Beaucoups of Blues country album and this recent return? Do you regret not diving into country earlier?

I don’t regret it, no. I did what I did, and I got what I got. I can’t say now: Instead of making the Ringo album [from 1973] I should have made country music. I feel this is the space I’m in now. I’ve made left turns, but I’m making all right turns now.

Most Popular

This right turn was not in your itinerary, however.

There was no big plan to make Look Up or Long Long Road. I was making a pop-rock EP. That’s all I did through the pandemic. I ran into T Bone at this party that Olivia Harrison [George Harrison’s widow] was throwing at the Sunset Marquis hotel. I said, “I’m making an EP. If you have a track, send it to me.” T Bone sent me a beautiful country song. I didn’t even think about him being country. I asked him, How many songs have you got? And he goes, Nine. That gave me the courage to ask him to produce a record with me.

What does T Bone bring to the table?

A lot of songs. And he likes me.

T Bone says he hears Texas in your drumming. As a teen, you were in a band called the Raving Texans, and you made an attempt to go to Houston to hear country blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins. You clearly have an affinity for the state.

I do. When I was 18, I went to the American [Consulate] in Liverpool to get papers to go to Houston. My friend John and I filled them in and took them back. The worst thing they could do to an 18-year-old was give us more papers with more questions to answer. We ripped them up in front of the guy and threw them at him. We didn’t quite make it.

Critics and musicians praise your drumming as solid, timeless and distinctive, but early on in the Beatles, you didn’t always command the same respect given to John, Paul and George. At what point did you feel you received proper credit for your talent and contribution?

I think I received the credit when we hit New York and did The Ed Sullivan Show. I demanded a rostrum, and they gave me an eight-foot rostrum. OK, it’s great up here! I could see the audience. It wasn’t like I was in the back on the floor. You know, they used to say, “John, Paul George and Ringo.” Now it’s John, Paul, George, Ringo. I think the “and” has left us.

You grew up in the Dingle, a tough, inner-city Liverpool area. How did that environment shape you?

There was a lot of violence. The other side of the story is there were a lot of Merchant Navy lads in our neighborhood, and they would bring great records home from America. Every other family had a son in the Navy. I started out by playing skiffle with Eddie Miles. I played any time I could, but I still had to work in the factory. I was 20 and playing with Rory Storm when I decided to leave the factory.

Then you faced a critical crossroads: stay with Rory or join a less popular band, the Beatles.

We went to Germany at the same time as the Beatles. Then we did our third tour of Butlin’s holiday camp in Wales, and I got a call from Brian Epstein, who asked me to join the Beatles. When? “Tonight.” I said, “I’ll be there Saturday.” People said, “Ringo, you haven’t left Rory?” At that moment, we were the biggest band in Liverpool. The Beatles hadn’t shown much yet. But they made up for it.

Do you ever reflect on how the Beatles might have evolved if the band had stayed intact?

No, but I have this dream that we would have got back together. We would have done something special together.

All the hatchets would have been buried?

Yeah. But it wasn’t hatchets, it was chisels.

You were seen as the peacekeeper who never had a serious feud with any of your bandmates.

I had one down time [during the White Album sessions] where I was feeling out of the foursome. Those three were really close. I went to John’s apartment. I said, “You know, man, you three are so close, and I’m not a part of it anymore.” And he goes, “I thought it was you three!” I went to Paul’s and said, “I’ve got this feeling that you three are so close and I’m not part of it anymore.” And he said, “I thought it was you three!” I said, “Nah, I’m out.”

I left, got my wife Maureen, two of my children, and we went on holiday. The boys sent me messages: Come on back. We love you. When I got back, George had decorated the whole studio in flowers. We were back at it. Of course, it didn’t last too much longer.

After nearly seven decades of interviews, books and documentaries, are there any Beatles secrets left?

I can’t tell you that, can I? Really, there’s nothing I need to say that hasn’t been posted already.

You and Barbara Bach are celebrating your 45th wedding anniversary this year. What’s a typical date night?

We watch something great on telly. That’s one. We’re just together. That’s the deal. It’s not that we haven’t had a bad day or I haven’t created hell. Overall, it’s been pretty smooth. I love the woman. That helps.

Mental outlook plays a lot. Going with the moment also is important.

Do you have any vices?

Well, I’m not going to tell you, am I? No, I’m not dealing with that. Let me lie down to answer these kinds of questions.

%{postComment}%