Congrats to Richard Starkey Jr. The famed Beatles drummer, more commonly known as Ringo Starr, was all the rage during his first encounter with Malibu Seen in the 1960s, and, today, he still is. Now, with his very own induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he joins an impressive list of fellow inductees.
I first met the mop-top drummer and his merry mates when my dad made suits for The Beatles back in the day. Oh, how I wanted to be a screaming teenager old enough to date The Beatles. Instead, I was a gangly six-year-old with goofy orthopedic shoes and a poufy party dress who was propped on Ringo’s lap while Paul tried to keep me engaged.
It seems like a lifetime since, but I still have fond memories of Mr. Starr and cherish them to this day.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to see Ringo get a coveted place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Ringo had already been inducted with his legendary band, but this time, he was honored as a solo artist. He got by with a little help from his fab friend when he teamed up with Sir Paul McCartney. Seventy-four-year old Ringo was introduced by Sir Paul, who described him as a great friend “who always had my back on every song. You didn’t have to look with Ringo. He was there.” But this was just the warm up. Next, Ringo was joined on stage by Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh on “It Don’t Come Easy.” Hard to top, until Sir Paul came out to play bass. The two living legends were jamming again to “A Little Help From My Friends.”
Ringo was inducted along with the edgy punk band Green Day, underground-icon Lou Reed, rocker Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The “5’’ Royales.
Rock songbird Patti Smith remembered Lou Reed, the man behind hits like “Walk on the Wild Side,” as a poet who touched her soul. “Thank you, Lou,” she said, “for brutally and benevolently injecting poetry into your music.”
Seventy-six-year-old Withers walked away from the music industry in the 1980s and has a catalog of timeless songs, including “Lean On Me” and “Just The Two Of Us.” The great Stevie Wonder performed “Ain’t No Sunshine” with Withers before John Legend stepped in to help sing the “Lean On Me.”
In keeping with tradition, the evening wrapped up with an all-star jam, this time to “I Wanna Be Your Man.”
It was to be sure a rock event for the record books. In case you couldn’t be in Cleveland, you can catch all the action when the event airs May 30 on HBO.
As for me, I am decades older now, but will still be watching with the same excitement as I did as Ringo’s puny pint-sized fan.