Words by DJ Morty Coyle and Pictures by A Rood Photography
“Are you calling me a relic?!” Ringo playfully asked in mock outrage after our introduction before our few minutes together. He then informed me that he had already started recording another Country album to follow last year’s well-received “Look Up.” Ringo’s twenty-second record is once again being produced by T-Bone Burnett, who MCed Ringo’s 85th birthday and eighteenth Peace & Love birthday celebration.
Prior to Ringo’s arrival, the performers’ soundcheck wafted through the verdant and sunny Beverly Hills Garden Park, where Ringo’s “Peace and Love” sculpture resides.
Alongside the bustling morning traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard the crowd built in size and energetic momentum for Ringo’s 85th birthday and eighteenth Peace & Love birthday celebration.
The always punctual Ringo arrived with plenty of time before his birthday wish of a worldwide “peace & love” moment at noon to generously pose for everyone’s pictures and videos and to graciously give each reporter and outlet an opportunity for individual questions.
After the rounds, Ringo took his seat with his wife Barbara, their family, friends, and invited guests.
T-Bone took the stage to welcome everyone and to begin the performances. After introducing the “killer musicians” he has worked with for years as the backing band, which include guitarists Colin Linden, John Jorgensen, David Mansfield (who also played violin), double-bassist Dennis Crouch, and drummer and musical director Gregg Bissonette, he brought on Bluegrass sensation Molly Tuttle.
Tuttle (who played with Ringo on four songs including the title track of last year’s “Look Up”) started the show with “Octopus’s Garden” before passing the mic to beloved singer/songwriter Sam Phillips for her fine rendition of “Photograph.”
Next up was Jackson Browne who, after pointing out the humorously obvious pressure of singing these songs to the man who made them famous, introduced vocal duo (and “Look Up” collaborators) Lucius to join him for “Act Naturally.”
Lucius took the leads on crowd favorite “Yellow Submarine” before everyone launched into a slightly modified “Birthday” (“It’s Ringo’s birthday!”).
At this point, besides singing and clapping and playing air drums along with the audience, everyone noticed Ringo holding up his phone as if letting someone listen along. As the song ended, he took the microphone to inform the crowd that he had just phoned his former bandmate, Sir Paul McCartney (who “thought it sounded great!”) as the audiences cheered.
Then after realizing that they had blazed through the set and still had a decent amount of time before noon, T-bone and the band threw together an impromptu version of “With a Little Help from My Friends” with Ringo’s brother-in-law, Eagle (and so much more) Joe Walsh running up on stage to help sing.
Comedian and drummer Fred Armisen then pitched in by getting behind the kit to honor Ringo with a few words and a short appreciative drum groove.
Joe Walsh then came on to relate about the inspiration he took from hearing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” for the first time on the radio as he was washing dishes at his ice cream parlor job in Montclair, New Jersey. He also told the sweet and sentimental story of how he met and fell in love with Ringo’s wife Barbara‘s sister Marjorie, who was also in attendance.
Walsh then wittily remarked that if somebody saw a kid running around, it was probably one of the Starkeys before inviting up Ringo, Barbara, Marjorie, and all the Starkey family, which included his son, drummer, Zak Starkey (recently formerly of The Who) dressed in a chartreuse-yellow onesie.
Ringo expressed his hopes for peace, love, and civility in the world (and above it, as the messages were again also beamed up to the International Space Station orbiting Earth) before everyone counted down for the noon-time expression of his wish.
With fingers aloft and cheers of “peace and love” still in the air the honors continued when Beverly Hills mayor Sharona Nazarian presented long-time resident Ringo with a certificate proclaiming July 7th as “Ringo Starr Day” in Beverly Hills.
Here’s hoping for as much peace and love as we can get and for another wonderful birthday celebration for Ringo (and another new record announcement) again next year.
Other attendees both onstage and in the audience included legendary drummer Jim Keltner, Steve Lukather of Toto, John Densmore from The Doors, Gerry Beckley of America, Matt Sorum of Velvet Revolver/Guns ‘n’ Roses/The Cult, songwriter Diane Warren, the illustrious Linda Perry, and host Chris Carter and producer Luis Lopez of the long-running terrestrial and Sirius radio program “Breakfast with The Beatles”.
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