Ringo Starr

By Ken Hall

Ringo Starr (real name Richard Starkey) got the urge to create computer art in the late '90s, while on tour with his group, Ringo Starr and the All-Star Band. "I was sitting in a hotel room, with nothing better to do," the former Beatles' drummer said, "so I got out the computer and found a program ­ a painting program ­ and that's how it all started."
At first, he experimented with designs, then did little artistic creations using the mouse. "But it's very hard to draw with the mouse," he said. "So I got a little electronic drawing pad and took it a step further." By his own admission, he's no technophile, but everything he's done on the computer is the result of trial and error. He's entirely self-taught.

When he inserted the word "Zak" (the name of his first-born son) onto the brim of a man's hat in one work, he found he couldn't figure out how to delete it. So there it stayed. "That's part of the joy," he said with a chuckle. "You get stuff that you really hadn't planned. Most of it is thought out ahead of time, but suddenly you'll get a crazy accident. And I quite enjoy that."

His creations are simply titled. "On the computer, you have to give what you're creating a name," he said. "So whatever I keystroke in is what I use as the title. If it has a hat on, it will probably be titled 'Hat Man.'" In Ringo's world, 'pop art' is always changing ­ like 'pop artists.' "It's a natural rhythm of things," he said, "like pop music and even Popeye the sailor man!"

Ringo actually began painting ­ acrylic on canvas ­ around 1990. "It started in Monte Carlo," he said. "Everybody keeps talking about the great light there ­ and it's true, it's golden. I went into an art shop and bought canvases and lots of paints and a big easel and started slapping the paint on the canvas. I had a lot of fun getting lost in the process."
In June of last year, the first-ever public exhibition of Ringo's computer art went on display at Pop International Galleries, in New York City's Soho district. The show was coordinated by Neal Glaser of ArtCelebs (which publishes Ringo's work). Fourteen images were on exhibit, all hand signed by Ringo, and limited to just 100 impressions each. The show concluded July 3rd.

Glaser first became aware of Ringo's artwork in 1995 when he saw a Discover card with one of Ringo's paintings on it. The work ­ "Abstract Face" ­ intrigued Glaser. "I found it to be original and fun," he said. "I immediately tried putting together a show of his work, but was told there was no interest at the time. I was persistent, though, and it paid off. The show in New York was wonderful."

'Abstract Face' aptly describes what Ringo creates. Almost everything is a depiction of a face, close-up, perhaps with a hat or some other adornment but not always. His work is lighthearted and whimsical, much like the artist himself. He is the third Beatle to take up art. John studied art before becoming a Beatle and his many drawings have been published and exhibited. Paul is a painter. Like Ringo, he got started later in life. George did not paint or draw.

Richard Starkey (today his friends and business associates call him "Rich") was born in Liverpool, England, on July 7, 1940. That makes him the oldest Beatle, three months older than John. His father, also named Richard, was a Liverpool dock worker. He later worked in a bakery, where he met Ringo's mother, Elsie. His parents split up in 1943 and Elsie married Harry Graves, who Ringo called his "step ladder."

Ringo's childhood was filled with illness. At age 6 he came down with appendicitis and was in a coma for two months. At 13, he developed a cold that turned into pleurisy. He missed so much school that, by age 15, he could barely read and write. Recently, he had to undergo surgery on one of his shoulders, to repair the damage done from years of drumming.

Like his future bandmates, young Ringo was caught up in England's Skiffle craze of the 1950s, a sort of British answer to American rock 'n' roll. He started his own Skiffle group with Eddie Miles in 1957 called "The Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group." In 1959, he joined "The Raving Texans," a quartet featuring Rory Storm on vocals. It was during this time that he got the nickname "Ringo," because of the rings he wore and because it sounded "cowboyish," like the band.

Ringo met the other Beatles in Hamburg, Germany, in October 1960, while he was there performing with "Rory Storm and the Hurricanes." He liked the Beatles' sound and jumped at the chance to join the group when the drummer at the time, Pete Best, was let go for missing too many club dates. Rory Storm wasn't wild about relinquishing his bandmate to a competitor, and Pete Best fans were upset, too. Some carried signs that said "Pete Best forever! Ringo never!"

But it was sheer destiny that brought Ringo, Paul, John and George together to form what became ­ not arguably, but in fact ­ the greatest rock 'n' roll band of all time. In 1962, George Martin, the Beatles' producer, brought in a session drummer for the hit song "Love Me Do," written by Paul when he was just 14. Ringo was furious that Martin would not think him up to the task, but he'd just joined the band and Martin was dubious of his talents. In an ironic twist, Ringo's latest CD will feature a version of "Love Me Do" on which he does the drumming and the vocals. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler will play John Lennon's iconic harmonica solo.

Ringo married his longtime girlfriend, Maureen Cox, in Feb. 11, 1965. They had three children, Zak (born Sept. 13, 1963), Jason (born Aug. 19, 1967) and Lee (born Nov. 17, 1970). The couple divorced July 17, 1975. Maureen later remarried and died from leukemia on Dec. 10, 1994. On April 27, 1981, Ringo married the actress Barbara Bach. They have no children together.

Ringo Starr's artwork is published by Celebrity Art of Pennsylvania. To view more of his work, or to purchase a signed and numbered giclee in a limited-edition of 100 impressions, you may click on RingoStarrArt.com, or artcelebs.com.

Former Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr (real name Richard Starkey) creates art at the computer. He has also painted acrylic on canvas.

Is it Time

Hat Man

Night Boy

Zak

Oky Doky

The Beatles in 1965.

Ringo in front of Yer Baby.