Oh my my, the
Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame gets it right this time! Finally, Ringo
Starr gets the respect he's due, although it didn't come easy.
In
his speech he said, “I
was doing the press earlier, and somebody asked, “Why did you wait
so long,” Ringo replied,
“It had nothing to do with me — you have to be invited. Finally,
I’m invited and I love it,” and knowing how to please a crowd he
added, “I also got lucky that it’s actually in Cleveland.”
He
went on to explain his discovery of early Rock 'N Roll through a
radio station he listened to in Liverpool. This station played
the American
radio program with DJ Alan Freed’s broadcasts from Cleveland. Every
Sunday at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, we’d listen to Alan Freed.
He played Bill Haley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and that’s
where we heard rock and roll music, saying also that, “Alan Freed
introduced us to so many great records.”
Paul
McCartney inducts
Ringo Starr into the HOF and in his speech he
spoke about the first time Ringo sat in with the Beatles, while Ringo
Starr was still a member of another Liverpool group, Rory Storm &
the Hurricanes. On one
night in particular, Ringo filling in for an absent Pete best, played
along perfectly with their version of Ray
Charles - “What'd I Say,” and “I
remember the moment, standing there, looking at John, then looking at
George, and we were like, WTF is this?… What is this? That was the
moment, and that was the beginning of the Beatles.” As Paul
McCartney
says...Ringo nailed it!
Closing
out the ceremony Ringo was backed by Green Day, McCartney, Stevie
Wonder, Dave Grohl, and everyone else in a super jam session of the
songs, “Boys”, “ I Wanna Be Your Man,” and “With A Little
Help From My Friends.”
Ringo's
lengthy solo resume includes 11 top 40 hit singles, three of which
were number ones. He's made 18 solo albums to date, and that doesn't
include the many live albums and compilations. He tours regularly
with his All-Star Band and just keeps going, using Tony Bennett and
B.B. King as inspiration, he says as long as he can stand up and hold
the sticks, he'll keep doing what he loves.
Congratulations
Ringo, your inclusion into the HOF is long overdue.
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