Happy Birthday Ringo Starr: Beatles Isolated Drum Tracks

Ringo Starr celebrates his 81st birthday today. The beloved drummer and Beatle was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England. As a child, Ringo suffered from a number of maladies that often left him hospitalized for extended periods of time. It was during one of these hospital stays in 1953 — which lasted for two years due to a tuberculosis diagnosis — that Starkey was introduced to music as patients were encouraged to join the hospital band to stimulate motor activity and combat boredom.

“I was in the hospital band,” Ringo said in The Beatles Anthology. “That’s where I really started playing. I never wanted anything else from there on … My grandparents gave me a mandolin and a banjo, but I didn’t want them. My grandfather gave me a harmonica … we had a piano – nothing. Only the drums.”

Ringo went on to become one of the most famous and influential drummers of all time as a member of The Beatles. His trusty beat served The Beatles well especially when they could barely hear themselves over screaming fans. While Starr was never one for a theatrical style of drumming, his sound and style are nonetheless all his own, characterized by his use of cymbals and toms as well as his knack for picking out unique beats. To celebrate Ringo Starr’s birthday, JamBase takes a look at five isolated drum tracks from five iconic Beatles songs.