Recently, Ringo Starr has been the talk of Nashville thanks to his announcement about his upcoming country album and song, “Thankful,” with Allison Krauss. Even though this news seems rather fresh and out of pocket for Starr, this is far from his first rodeo in country music. Matter of fact, Starr has been toiling in the genre ever since The Beatles broke up. So, expect Starr’s newest album to be a product of the country music experience he has under his belt.
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Even though Starr’s country career might seem off-brand for The former Beatle, it simply isn’t. After all, Starr and The Beatles were heavily inspired by country artists such as Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly, and Arthur Alexander. Although, the strong country presence never truly made it to the front lines of their released music. However, that quickly changed when Ringo Starr went solo.
Ringo Starr Takes on Nashville
It was 1970, and George Harrison had just finished recording his album All Things Must Pass with steel guitarist Pete Drake. Starr, who played some drums on the album, met Drake and hit it off swimmingly. In consequence, Drake helped Starr fulfill one of his longtime dreams—To release a country album.
So, a week after Harrison’s record recording wrapped, Ringo Starr flew to Nashville and finished his first country album in three days. Beaucoups of Blues was released in 1970 and included 12 country tracks all written and played by Nashville songwriters and musicians. Matter of fact, some of the musicians who played on the album went on to become massive players in country music. The artists who made it big included Charlie Daniels, Jerry Reed, and Jerry Kennedy. Also, Elvis’ producer, Scotty Moore, produced the record.
A Total Flop
Starr’s debut country album, for lack of a better word, was a flop. Well, a flop compared to all of the other iconic hits and albums he and The Beatles released. Though, in his own right, it didn’t do too horribly. The album reached No. 65 on the charts and peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Additionally, the title track, “Beaucoups of Blues,” reached number 87 in the US. However, to Starr, this was merely a passion project it was not made for chart-topping success or commercial appeal. This album seemingly serves as a symbol of Ringo Starr’s musical liberation as he was no longer just the fourth Beatle.
Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images
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