The Beatles visited America many times, whether on tour or just on holiday. A few of them, like John Lennon, left the U.K. and moved to America. Lennon moved to New York City, but before the explosion of Beatlemania, he almost moved to Texas with drummer Ringo Starr. Their plans ultimately fell through, but it was probably for the best.
Many American rockstars influenced The Beatles
There wasn’t much rock n’ roll when The Beatles grew up in Liverpool. Their main exports of the genre came from the U.S. with artists like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard. These artists made the fab four fall in love with rock, leading them to ultimately form what is still the most successful rock band of all time. In an interview with You and I, Ringo Starr said country and blues music influenced him at a young age.
“The people that impressed me when I was starting to listen to music in my early teens was Hank Williams and a lot of the country [musicians],” Starr said. “I also love Kitty Wells and Willie Nelson… He wrote some great songs. So, he and Johnny [Cash] seem to come through for me.”
John Lennon and Ringo Starr almost moved to Texas together
Before the band became The Beatles, they were The Quarrymen. Eventually, they would become The Beatles, but they initially had Pete Best on the drums. Still, John Lennon and Ringo Starr were good friends. Starr’s passion for country and blues music led him to dream about living in Texas, and he pitched the idea to Lennon. Unfortunately, the pair got stumped by annoying paperwork.
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“Everybody should know by now when I was 19, I tried to emigrate to Houston, Texas, because I wanted to be where Lightnin’ Hopkins was, my all-time favorite blues player. John and I went down to the embassy and filled in all these forms, and you know, we were just teenagers then. We even had a list of factories where we wanted to apply for jobs because I was working in a factory at the time. But then, when we went back to the embassy, we were given more paperwork with more questions. We then turned back into teenagers and just ripped them up. Sod it! That would have been an interesting move if I’d have done that.”
The Beatles took over the U.K. and, eventually, the U.S.
If John Lennon and Ringo Starr did emigrate to the U.S., the world might have missed out on The Beatles. The paperwork might have saved rock n’ roll as Starr would join the band in 1962. After that, The Beatles had dozens of No. 1 hits and No. 1 albums that made them the biggest musical act in the world. Their success also propelled the British Invasion, which opened the door to other British rock groups, like The Who and the Rolling Stones.
While Starr doesn’t regret his decision, he is curious about his life if he and Lennon had taken that leap to America.
“If I’d have moved to Houston because of Lightnin’ Hopkins, who knows where I would have been,” Starr shared. “It was a big dream. Also, what if I had stayed with Rory? What would have happened there? So, I don’t look at that seriously. I’m here now, the road I’ve taken with good choices… Life has been very kind to me.”
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