Ringo Starr...His Legacy!

So much has been written through the years about the Beatles. They are without question the greatest band of all time! Each member of the group carved out their own unique following. Paul, the cute one, created all those wonderful melodies; John, the thinker, had biting lyrics with often profound social messages; George was the spiritual one, reminding us that there was something beyond the natural here on earth. And then there was Ringo Starr. The fun-loving, quiet one who sat behind the drums. Nothing fancy! Nothing flashy! Just competent and reliable time-keeping. But there was more there than meets the eye.

Imagine being the drummer for three of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, John, Paul and George! They sit down with their guitar or piano, play a melody and tell you as the drummer to "come up with something!" That was Ringo's challenge. Yes, on the surface you hear Ringo's steady, competent time-keeping. But dig a little deeper, and you hear all the subtle things he does that make him a great drummer, and an inspiration to a generation of drummers. So much so that Modern drummer asked the world's leading drummers what inspired them. Ringo's name always was in the answer. Some of those answers included that Ringo was magical in the placement of his fills. They were appropriate and logical, leading the song in a forward movement, but also varied from verse-to-verse to create interest and unpredictability. The patterns he created were ground-breaking. Songs like Sgt. Pepper, The End, Birthday, In My Life and Get Back are just a few examples of his work containing patterns that were highly creative and charting new ground for drummers. His work on the song "Something" is inspiring. It is warm to energetic and challenging. I have always admired his ability to understand his role with a band, realizing it's drums accentuating the lyrics and the melody, not overpowering it. His work behind the drums enhanced the songs, not detracted from them. I admire restraint.

When all is said and done, Ringo will be remembered for adding the magical touch that turned some of those good Beatle songs into great Beatles songs, helping to inspire a generation of drummers to challenge themselves with new and creative ideas. That's my 2-cents. I welcome your thoughts.