Ringo Starr - Is In The Building!

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.