Before his tenure as the preeminent Beatles drummer, Liverpool native Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) cut his teeth as a member of the Raving Texans, a group that later became Rory Storm & The Hurricanes. At the behest of John Lennon, Starr left the Hurricanes to join the Beatles in 1962 and subsequently lent his vocals to hits such as "With A Little Help From My Friends," "Yellow Submarine" and "Act Naturally."

Not long after the Beatles disbanded in 1970, Starr released two solo projects, Sentimental Journey, a collection of pop standards, and Beaucoups Of Blues, a country album that cracked the Top 100 on the Billboard 200. In 1973 Starr issued Ringo, which featured contributions from his former Fab Four bandmates George Harrison and Lennon. Propelled by the No. 1 singles "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen," Ringo attained platinum status, peaking at No. 2.

Released in 1974, Goodnight Vienna peaked at No. 8 and was followed by Ringo's Rotogravure (1976), Ringo The 4th (1977), Bad Boy (1978), and Stop And Smell The Roses (1981). In 1989 he toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band, a supergroup featuring a rotating lineup of artists such as Clarence Clemons, Dr. John, Nils Lofgren, Tom Petty, and Gregg Rolie, among others.

Starr has continued to solidify his status as a premier drummer and singer/songwriter with projects such as Vertical Man (1998) and Ringorama (2003). In 2008 Ringo 5.1 The Surround Sound Collection, a DVD/audio compilation, earned Starr a GRAMMY nomination for Best Surround Sound Album at the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards. In 2012 he released his 17th solo album, Ringo 2012, which peaked at No. 21 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.