Ringo Starr Almost Killed By Nazi Bombing: Author

A few feet further, and Pete Best may have been the permanent drummer of The Beatles.

According the new book "Liverpool Blitzed: Seventy Years On" by British historian Neil Holmes (via the Click Liverpool), Starr -- born Richard Starkey -- lived on Madryn Street in Liverpool, which was hit by stray bombs from the German Luftwaffe during their air raids on the English port city in October 1940.

Starkey, born on July 7th of that year, was just three months old at the time, and it's unknown if his family was home at the time. But, as the Echo notes, his mother hated the public bomb shelters, and Holmes says that they were very uncomfortable and far away from where the future Beatle's family lived.

"We do not know what the Starkeys did on the night of 19th October but their home would have have suffered some damage when the homes opposite were destroyed," Holmes said. "Either way the baby who was to find fame as Ringo Starr was very lucky not to have lost his life that night."

Instead, he went on to Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame status -- and is still going, playing the Russian leg of his All Starr Band tour this week.

For more, click over to Click Liverpool.

Comments

[LiberalUnderYourBed]

12:17 PM on 06/09/2011

Listen to the Decca Tapes tracks, all with Pete Best.
Pete, bless his soul, was a surfer-style drummer. His style was 'pedestrian'.
Ringo, on the other hand, was at this time an unconventional drummer with a style all his own.
IMHO he was the perfect compliment to the other guys who, in their own right, were unconventional instrumentalists and vocalizers.

[Randolph Greer]

11:02 PM on 06/08/2011

If anyone needs any proof of Ringo's importance in becoming the final piece of the puzzle, remember that John, Paul, and George were together from 1959 to 1962 with Best and others in their group. Ringo joined in 1962 and the Beatles immediately hit the charts with LOVE ME DO.
Timelines don't lie !!!!!!!

[Apollo C Vermouth]

12:56 AM on 06/09/2011

Of course JPG were still very young 1959-62. Paul didn't turn 20 till mid 1962 and George still a teen until 63. Young guys, no financial backing and from 'distant' Liverpool. Not the known hotbed of English show biz. Recognition there would be like someone in the US breaking it big in Omaha
They worked hard as teens with the Hamburg days a particularly important period in their development. Ringo had set in with the boys on occasion and was obviously the right guy at the right time. He fit...others really didn't.
It was coming to fruition when they finally had the right recording opportunity with George Martin. Not exactly Ringo's presence that caused the break through in the studio.
But certainly fate.
We're still so glad.

[Rob0729]

12:34 PM on 06/09/2011

A few things. Ringo really became the Beatles' drummer in August of 1961 through February 1962 and didn't officially become their drummer until August of 1962. The Beatles first album didn't get release until 1963 which included Love Me Do. Pete Best was fired right before the start of recording that album. So it is unfair to know if they would have had similar success or not with Best or not.

From what I know of best's style, Ringo was a far better fit for the group. But the Beatles did get a recording contract with Pete Best and Love Me Do was on the Beatles' first album. So it is a little misleading to say that Ringo joined the group and it caused the sudden success.

[Randolph Greer]

02:20 PM on 06/09/2011

You are correct in saying that Ringo had played with the group on a number of occasions before, but George Martin was absolutely adament about having his studio drummer play on the recordings instead of Pete Best. Martin knew that Best just wasn't good enough. The other Beatles told Martin that they had been thinking about getting a new drummer and they would go ahead and make the change. They asked if their new drummer could play on the recording but since Martin did not know Ringo he said that he still wanted to use his guy. Ringo showed up anyway and they did the other recording with him. Ringo says he never lets Martin forget that and kids him about it.

[Drumbeato]

09:22 PM on 06/08/2011

Back off Bombaloo!

[rockgolf]

01:11 PM on 06/09/2011

It Don't Bomb Easy.

[twoprime]

06:23 PM on 06/08/2011

You know, it don't come easy!

[ConfuciusSay-]

05:54 PM on 06/08/2011

WOW!
Just think, I wasn't in that house either... and neither were you!

We were all *almost* killed by the same Nazis!

[Fleurdamour]

04:04 PM on 06/08/2011

I always liked Ringo - he's the most unassuming Beatle.

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

10:48 AM on 06/08/2011

Unfortunately, Ringo's drumming might have left much to be desired during his Beatle days. Apparently, Paul McCartney thought his talent was insufficient. He would secretly re-enter the recording studio when everyone had left, remove his colleague's track, and do the drum riffs by himself. As for his singing talent, IMHO, Ringo was a lightweight.....

[Gasparilla]

03:12 PM on 06/08/2011

So no one ever knew that Paul was actually doing all the drumming on the records? I believe I've heard some nonsense, but that takes the cake.

[LiberalUnderYourBed]

12:14 PM on 06/09/2011

Wasn't Paul already dead by that time?
Or was it his look-alike replacement that overlaid the drum tracks??
Just askin'... and yes, this is satire!

[Drumbeato]

09:31 PM on 06/08/2011

Sorry Red, Ringo played drums on 99% of The Beatles recordings. Paul McCartney never went in after hours & re did Ringo's tracks either. Paul played drums on a handful of tracks, most notably "Back In The USSR", & "Ballad Of John & Yoko". A session drummer named Andy White was used on one of three versions of "Love Me Do" that were recorded by EMI in 1962, On the other two versions, Pete Best was on the first, Ringo on the third.

Ringo was hardly "Insufficient" as a drummer either. He was solid, had great feel & swung like mad. He was also very original, as a listen to any of his fills will demonstrate. Ringo was also an influence on generations of drummers that followed. When you hear comments that Ringo was a bad drummer, they almost always come from non musicians. Any drummer worth their salt will be the first to tell you just how great Ringo was.

[leskataus]

09:39 PM on 06/08/2011

The only reason Paul might have ever filled in on drums was when Ringo was unavailable like he was when he briefly quit the group in 1968. Paul did play bass and drums on "The Ballad Of John & Yoko" because John couldn't play them and neither George nor Ringo appeared on the recording because they weren't available at the time.

[JenniferEccles]

09:41 AM on 06/08/2011

Lennon would have been 9 days old and in Liverpool himself.....want to make a story out of that?

[Gregory Marshall]

08:55 AM on 06/08/2011

"A few feet further, and Pete Best may have been the permanent drummer of The Beatles."

No way, no matter even if Ringo would have met his untimely demise would this have happened. They would have went with some studio musician that George Martin had picked out. Pete just didn't have the chops.

[JenniferEccles]

09:38 AM on 06/08/2011

It was not Best's destiny.

[leskataus]

09:43 PM on 06/08/2011

Also, Pete never really was a part of the group, which apparently put off the others. When they were performing in Hamburg, John, Paul, & George always did things together in their spare time while Pete went off and did his own thing.

[Jazz88105]

08:02 AM on 06/08/2011

Huff Po !!!!!!! enough with the non-stories.

[3fingerbrown]

06:53 AM on 06/08/2011

Amazing that a writer and editor could make so many errors in an item so brief.

[streetmagik]

03:58 AM on 06/08/2011

think of how many talented people were actually killed by the Nazis - and how much poorer the world is for it.

[Folk Hero]

07:12 PM on 06/08/2011

No it isn't.

[YOKEL13]

11:20 PM on 06/07/2011

Ringo Starr is 70 years old? Where has the time gone?

[AlPal3]

11:17 PM on 06/07/2011

Ringo, I am here for you.