He Just Is…

Did that headline tick you off? Yes? Okay, well first of all, let’s all just take a deep breath and calm down. Let me explain. Is Ringo Starr on the same technical level as drummers like John Bonham, Neil Peart, or Mike Portnoy among many, manyothers? No, he’s not, but that’s not what it’s about at all.

Sure, those other drummers are phenomenal in their own right and can do things behind a drum kit that most of us can only dream of doing, but it doesn’t make them the greatest. Ringo Starr is the greatest drummer ever, but the reason why is not necessarily what you’re thinking…

Like I said, the above mentioned drummers other than Ringo are some of the greatest drummers to ever take the stage, and some of the greatest all around musicians at that. If you’re ever lucky enough to see them perform a drum solo live, prepare to be blown away.

But at the end of the day, a fancy, technical drum solo isn’t what’ll resonate with the majority music listeners for years to come; it’s the drummers that are the most simple.

Less Is More

You’ve heard everybody and their mother say it, “The Beatles are the best band ever”. And while there are many people who would obviously disagree with that statement, if like 99.99% of people are saying it, there’s obviously some elements of truth in it, aren’t there?

But why do so many people call Ringo’s legendary band ‘the best’? Is it because of how flashy musicians they all are/were? Is it because of how good-looking they all were? Some people think so, but no. It’s because of how timeless their music is, and, AGAIN, the most timeless music is the music that is the most simple. And a LARGE part of that is due to Ringo’s playing.

Ringo was never the most flashy, or the most technical drummer of them all, or even in The Beatles, as many people like to say…

But he is definitely one of the most important musicians in the world, and not many people notice. For years, as a member of The Beatles, Ringo kept his playing simple, concise and catchy.

Doing this added impeccable value to EACH song, making it timeless. It’s those simple, yet catchy drum parts that resonate with music listeners. They’re drum parts that the listener can easily mimic and distinguish from any other generically flashy drum part of any other song from some different band.

It also broke that invisible barrier that separates the song from the listener, giving the listener the power to recreate the song with just their hands and voice making it as much theirs as it was The Beatles’.

He Was The Backbone

Most drummers, especially nowadays aren’t comfortable with just being in the background. They want to stand out and be recognized as the truly great musicians that they are. And that’s perfectly understandable, but Ringo, on the other hand, embraced his role as the backbone of the band and saw it as an opportunity to make the band shine, rather than just himself.

If you ask me, he’s the greatest contribution to The Beatles, which is saying a lot.

For Example…

Let’s compare two VERY different songs…

The first one I want you to listen to is one that you’ve heard probably a billion and three times. “Come Together” by The Beatles.

Okay now… Listen to this next one. “La Villa Strangiato” by Rush

Alright, now that you’ve done that, here are a couple questions. Which one of the two do you consider to be a technical masterpiece? If you answered “La Villa Strangiato” you’d be correct.

But now which one is the one song you’ll keep coming back to to listen to time and time again? THAT is obviously subjective, but I’ll wager that the majority of you are answering “Come Together”.

You probably picked “Come Together” not because it’s a technical marvel by any stretch of the imagination, but because it’s simple and listenable, and that was Ringo’s philosophy. You see? You don’t need to be super flashy to make a great song. Less is more. At least in my opinion…

Don’t Take My Word For It…

There’s only so much I can say about Ringo Starr being the best drummer in the world. But don’t just take my word for it. Listen to these iconic drummers tell you why themselves…