"Got to pay your dues,
If you want to sing the blues,
And you know it don't come easy..."

Ringo Starr achieved a level of stardom in the 60s that few artists will ever know, as one-fourth of the most successful band the world has ever know. And when The Beatles disbanded, he could have easily retired from the business and lived quite comfortably on his past accolades. But rather than walk away from performing, Ringo continued with a successful solo career, racking up hits, building upon his acting resume, and continuing to do what he loves most, perform for his adoring fans. And to date, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Ringo was already a well-established drummer on the English scene when The Beatles decided to give Pete Best the boot. His rock-solid drumming, coupled with good looks and witty personality, was the missing piece to the puzzle and shortly after joining the Fab Four, the music world was forever changed. His simple yet creative approach to the music inspired and influenced generations of future rock drummers. And fans even embraced his quirky, slightly off-key vocals on such songs as “Yellow Submarine,” “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “Octopus’s Garden.”

As the 70s rolled in, The Beatles were going their separate ways – and like his cohorts, Ringo quickly moved towards a solo career. By the end of 1970, he had released two solo albums. Sentimental Journeys featured Starr covering numerous non-rock standards, a record his claimed he made “for his mum.” He also dabbled in country music for the album, Beaucoup of Blues. But his real success as a solo artist began in 1973, with the release of Ringo, a record that featured all of his former bandmates. The album, produced by Richard Perry, spawned two #1 singles, “Photograph,” which was written by George Harrison, and “You’re Sixteen,” written by the famed Disney composers, The Sherman Brothers, and featuring the doo-wop background vocals provided by John Lennon and Harry Nilsson. Another track, “Oh My My,” also became a Top-10 hit.

He turned to Richard Perry again for his follow-up album, Goodnight Vienna, which produced two hits – an anti-drug ditty called “The No No Song” and a remake of the classic Platters hit, “Only You.” He also took some time to take on a couple of acting roles, in That’ll Be The Day and the offbeat Frank Zappa film, 200 Motels, playing “Larry the Dwarf.”

In 1976, Ringo released Ringo’s Rotogravure, which included a Top-30 single, “A Dose of Rock and Roll” but failed to achieve the success of his previous releases. He also lent his voice to the animated film, Scouse The Mouse. Numerous health problems at the time slowed him down a bit at the end of the decade, but not for long.

By 1981, he had married actress Barbara Bach, whom he had met while filming Caveman, which went on to become a cult favorite. He also released a new album, Stop and Smell the Roses, which included the Top-40 hit, Wrack My Brain.” He continued acting and performing through much of the 80s, narrating the children’s program Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and in 1989, formed the All-Starr Band. Primarily a touring act, featuring such rock and roll alumni as Todd Rundgren, Joe Walsh and Dr. John, the band was a big hit with the fans, touring internationally and releasing three live CDs.

Ringo continued to work with the surviving Beatles, George and Paul, into the 90s, and the trio appeared together on the 1995 documentary, The Beatles Anthology. By adding their vocals to an old John Lennon demo, they effectively created the first new Beatles offering in two decades. The song, “Free as a Bird” won a Grammy Award and became the 34th Top-10 single for the Fab Four.

Ringo released a new solo album, Liverpool 8 in 2008, co-produced by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics and Mark Hudson, of The Hudson Brothers fame. He still tours extensively with the All-Starr band, which has gone through many incarnations over the years and now includes Edgar Winter, Billy Squire and Gary Wright. And after a career spanning over four decades,  Ringo is still proving that he has no intention of slowing down, much to the delight of the generations of fans he has acquired over the years.