When Ringo Starr joined The Beatles, the band had been getting to know him pretty well. They realized that they had a lot in common with the then-drummer for Rory Storm & the Hurricanes. When they first saw Starr at clubs in Hamburg, though, they found him intimidating. He proved he was a fan of their music, though. During early performances, Starr stood in the audience and shouted requests at them.
Ringo Starr used to shout requests at The Beatles while they performed in Hamburg
The Beatles and Starr’s band, Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, played in Hamburg, Germany, at the same time. Starr intimidated them, and his band seemed far more professional than The Beatles felt at the time.
“Ringo seemed to us to be cocky,” George Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology. “Relative to what we were like at the time, the band he was with were very professional. Maybe they wouldn’t seem all that good now, but then they all had good instruments, they had a full drum kit and they had uniforms, matching ties and handkerchiefs. All their tunes were put into a routine, in a running order, and they did it as a show.”
Despite the perceived gap in professionalism, Starr liked The Beatles. He made a point to watch their performances.
“By the time we all got together in Germany, with them playing one club and us playing another, they were already great,” Starr said. “Then we ended up in the same club and The Beatles had the last set. I’d be semi-drunk, demanding they play slow songs.”
He did it so often that Paul McCartney could remember the exact song Starr requested.
“Ringo used to come in very late at night,” McCartney said. “He liked the bluesy sessions, when there weren’t very many people there. I can see what he liked, too. We were getting down by then, pulling out all the B sides. We used to do a number called ‘Three-Thirty Blues.’ I remember Ringo would always come in, order a drink, settle back and request ‘Three-Thirty Blues.’”
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This hinted at how well Ringo Starr would fit in with The Beatles
Starr’s rapport with The Beatles, even at this early stage in their relationship, hinted at his future with the group. Their drummer was Pete Best, with whom the band was growing increasingly dissatisfied. John Lennon complained about his playing when they fired Best, but it seemed more like they wanted to replace him because he didn’t quite fit in with the rest of them.
“There was another thing: Pete would never hang out with us,” Harrison said. “When we finished doing the gig, Pete would go off on his own and we three would hang out together, and then when Ringo was around it was like a full unit, both on and off the stage. When there were the four of us with Ringo, it felt rocking.”
Just by standing in the crowd and shouting requests, Starr proved that he was boisterous enough to fit in with the rest of the band. He appreciated their music and fit in well with them.
Ringo Starr said he was a better drummer than Pete Best
The Beatles wanted a bandmate who would spend time with them, but they also found Starr’s drumming impressive. He personally believed he was a stronger drummer than Best. When they asked him to join their group, Starr jumped at the opportunity.
“They were great in Hamburg. Really good — great rock,” Starr said. “I knew I was better than the drummer they had at the time, and we all started hanging out some (not a lot); and then we moved to the same club, and that’s when the battle started. We played twelve hours on a weekend night between two bands. That’s a hell of a long time, especially when in each set we were trying to top them and they were trying to top us.”
Evidently, Starr was a good fit. He remained with The Beatles until they broke up in 1970.
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