Ringo Starr

Richard Starkey, Jr. was born July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England. His parents were Elise and Richard Starkey Sr. His parents, though, would divorce in 1943. At 6 years of age, Ringo suffered from abdominal pains, which led to an inflamed peritoneum and several operations. He stayed in the hospital for several months, thus slowing him in school (Like the other three Beatles, he was often truant). He was 13 when he caught a cold which turned into chronic pleursy. He stayed in the hospital for 2 years. While in the hospital, his mother married Henry Graves, who bought Richard his first drumset.

As a teenager, Richard eventually joined a band known as Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, at which time he legally changed his name to Ringo Starr. His group was one of the most popular groups at the time, but he would occasionally substitute for the Beatles, whose status grew until they got a label. Ringo eventually joined this group after their drummer, Pete Best, was fired. After enduring much adversity at first, Ringo eventually found favor with Beatles fans. Ringo married Maureen Cox in 1965. Their first child, Zak, was born later that year. Ringo, meanwhile, was trying to emerge from the Lennon-McCartney shadow. He is credited with singing Beatles hits such as "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Yellow Submarine", and "With A Little Help From My Friends". Ringo and Maureen's second son, Jason was born in July 1967. Around this time, Ringo started writing music. His contributions to the Beatles were "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden".

After the break-up, Ringo had one of the most successful solo careers. His third child, and only daughter was born in November 1970, but he and Maureen divorced in 1975. The album Ringo showed that he was still on friendly terms with the other three Beatles, in that they all appeared on it, albeit different songs. In 1979, Ringo's health was once again an issue, as Ringo was near death with intestinal problems. In 1981, Ringo married Barbara Bach.

Lately, he has been once again demonstrating his acting abilities, appearing on Shining Time Station. Most importantly, though, Ringo's new album, Vertical Man, is scheduled for a June 16 release.