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Ringo Starr was more than just The Beatles’ beat master. He was also a buffer between the other members of the band and someone who never lost his warm personality as his fame grew. Ringo and his wife lived like simple people, even when they were millionaires. He had a down-to-earth reaction when John Lennon brought Yoko Ono into The Beatles’ inner circle. He made friends easily, and Ringo formed an intimate relationship with another drummer who wanted to take his job in The Beatles.
Ringo Starr had no trouble making friends, and not just because he was in The Beatles
His drumming skills made Ringo an in-demand musician in Liverpool. George Harrison complimented Ringo’s playing before he even knew his name, but his importance to The Beatles went beyond his drumming.
The last member to join the Fab Four was crucial for keeping the band grounded. Ringo said The Beatles’ farting caused terrible trouble in the early days of touring in a van. He helped his bandmates understand the best thing to do in that situation was to fess up.
Later on, Ringo’s down-to-earth personality helped the band weather the trappings of fame in a way that allowed them to not end up like Elvis Presley. The point is, his warm personality helped him develop many friendships over the years, and not just with his Fab Four bandmates. Ringo had an incredibly intimate relationship with another drummer of his era — The Who’s Keith Moon.
Ringo and Keith Moon’s relationship included instant understanding, said Ringo’s girlfriend
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The Beatles were England’s biggest band in the 1960s, but The Who weren’t far off.
The bands played different music. The Fab Four mastered pop and early psychedelia; The Who preferred power-chord driven rock. Their drummers were miles apart. Ringo played understated beats that perfectly fit The Beatles’ songs, while Moon’s whirlwind style made his drums close to a lead instrument.
Even though Moon once asked to join The Beatles, he and Ringo became friends. Their relationship was so tight that they had a nearly unspoken understanding. Nancy Andrews, Ringo’s longtime girlfriend in the 1970s, said Ringo and Moon had an incredibly intimate relationship, writes Michael Seth Starr in With a Little Help:
“His [Moon’s] interaction with Ringo was incredibly intimate. I’ve noticed over the years that drummers have a shorthand language, and they don’t need to complete sentences to convey their thoughts. Ringo and Keith could say two or three words to each other and there would be an instant understanding.”
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Nancy Andrews describes Ringo Starr’s relationship with Keith Moon
Moon lobbied to take Ringo’s job in The Beatles, but that didn’t prevent them from sharing an intimate relationship, according to Andrews. They were so close that Ringo practically made Moon a part of his family.
Moon inspired Ringo’s son to become a drummer
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Moon and Ringo’s intimate relationship went beyond professional pleasantries. The Who’s drummer frequently visited Ringo’s home.
Hindsight might make it seem like a questionable parenting choice given what we know about his social habits, but Moon babysat a young Zak Starkey in the 1960s. Ringo’s son became interested in playing drums because of Moon, and his “Uncle Keith” bought him a drum kit when he started learning the instrument.
The Who later added Zak Starkey as their touring drummer years after Moon’s death.
Ringo Starr had such an intimate relationship with Keith Moon that he let The Who’s famous drummer serve as a babysitter. It seems only fitting that Ringo’s son eventually took Moon’s spot behind the kit for his “Uncle Keith’s” band.
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