Ringo Starr joined the Beatles on this day in 1962, completing the quartet that would revolutionize popular music alongside Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison. Born Richard Starkey in Liverpool, England in 1940, Starr was a chronically ill child who grew up in poverty with the ambition to become a great drummer, a dream he'd fulfill and then some.
Starr was already a member of the popular band the Hurricanes before he was recruited to be the fourth man in the Beatles. He was seen by his bandmates and others they worked with as a steady, reliable, and creative team player. After his tenure with the Beatles he set off on an extremely successful solo career, outpacing his former bandmates in the early seventies in terms of Top 10 hits.
You can learn more about Starr in an article published by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
