Some music fans might say Ringo Starr caught a big break when The Beatles asked him to join. The truth is, the former Richard Starkey (who picked up his Ringo Starr stage name early in his career) possessed understated talent. He helped propel the band to worldwide fame. Once The Beatles made it big, Ringo also helped give another musician his big break.
Ringo Starr and The Beatles started Apple Records to release their albums
Flush with cash after several years of releasing hit singles and legendary albums, The Beatles started their Apple Records label in 1968. The band remained Apple Records’ most visible clients. The label put its name on The White Album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be, as well as several solo records by the former Fab Four members.
It was hardly a vanity project, though. The label put out music by artists such as Badfinger, Billy Preston, and James Taylor, who nailed his audition.
The Beatles remained Apple Records’ most visible clients over the years. Still, Ringo helped give one award-winning composer his big break with an Apple Records release.
A home renovation helped Ringo give composer John Tavener his big break
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Ringo wanted some work done on his house when he moved from his London apartment to a suburban estate. The move inadvertently led to the drummer giving an award-winning artist his big break.
Roger Tavener was a contractor working on Ringo’s house in 1968. Tavener spoke glowingly of his older brother, John Tavener, a composer who had gained some recognition that year with the production of his cantata titled The Whale. The older Tavener recalled once meeting John Lennon, but as Michael Seth Starr writes in With a Little Help, Ringo was the Beatle who gave him his big break by signing him to Apple Records.
“I vividly remember meeting Ringo at my brother’s place for a cup of tea, and I remember my brother had ordered caviar and champagne. Ringo and Maureen had come, and they ordered jam sandwiches and a cup of tea. Although there was a tremendous interest in John Lennon, it was Ringo who practically arranged for The Whale to be recorded. I remember him coming to the recording sessions, and he’s one of the voices that shouts in the background in that recording. [Ringo] was very easy to work with, very down to earth.”
John Tavener on how Ringo Starr gave him his big break
For his part, Ringo wasn’t just doing a friend a favor by hiring his older brother. The Whale (released by Apple in 1970) genuinely struck a chord with the drummer.
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“I loved it,” Ringo said. “We were very open to all different kinds of music, so we thought we’d put it on Apple. That was my contribution.”
The award-winning Tavener joined The Beatles in an exclusive club
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Tavener released another one of his works, Celtic Requiem, on Apple Records in 1971. Sharing a label with The Beatles wasn’t the only thing the composer had in common with the Fab Four.
The Beatles earned knighthood honors in 1965. Tavener joined the knights bachelor in 2000, several years ahead of Ringo earning his personal MBE knighthood in 2018.
Tavener’s award-winning contributions to music went beyond recording for Apple and earning knighthood. His piece The Lamb was included on the soundtrack to the 2013 Italian film The Great Beauty, which won the Academy Award for best foreign language film the following year, per IMDb. Tavener won an Ivor Novello award in 2005 for his composing work, per the New York Daily News.
Ringo Starr helped give composer John Tavener his big break by releasing his work on Apple Records. Tavener enjoyed a career full of highlights, just as The Beatles did.
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