Former Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr is making a music switch from rock to country.
The legendary artist shared that he was changing his tune, during a press conference for his new country album, “Look Up.”
When Fox News Digital asked what the inspiration behind the album was, he explained that T Bone Burnett, a producer and songwriter who has worked with Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss and more, had helped bring the record to life.
“T Bone was the inspiration, because I met him at this party we were at . . . just getting together,” Starr remarked. The duo had initially met in the 1970s.
The 84-year-old rocker continued to explain how the two had shared which projects they were working on. Starr was working on creating EPs and suggested to Burnett, if he had songs, to send them his way.
“He sent me the song that is the most beautiful country track I’ve heard in many years. It’s sort of ’50s country. And so, I thought, well, I’ll just make a country EP. . . . Most of them are . . . pop rock,” Starr added.
The Beatles legend went on to say that when Burnett visited Los Angeles, Starr asked him to produce what was, at the time, an EP. Since the guitarist and producer told Starr he had nine tracks, he agreed to make a full-length album.
WATCH: RINGO STARR MAKES MUSIC SWITCH FROM ROCK TO COUNTRY
“There was no real plan. It was just bumping into each other, and it ended up here,” Starr laughed.
“Look Up” is Starr’s first full-length album in six years. Nine of the eleven songs were written or co-written by Burnett.
PAUL MCCARTNEY REUNITES WITH RINGO STARR DURING FINAL SHOW OF HIS GOT BACK TOUR
Starr’s lifelong love of country music has been apparent and celebrated throughout his illustrious career, a press release stated. He performed and wrote numerous country and country-tinged songs throughout his years with the Beatles, including “Act Naturally,” “What Goes On” and “Don’t Pass Me By.”
“I have loved Ringo Starr and his playing . . . his singing and his aesthetic for as long as I can remember,” Burnett said in the press release. “He changed the way every drummer after him played, with his inventive approach to the instrument.”
“He has always sung killer rockabilly, as well as being a heartbreaking ballad singer. To get to make this music with him was something like the realization of a 60-year dream I’ve been living. None of the work that I have done through a long life in music would have happened if not for him and his band. Among other things, this album is a way I can say thank you for all he has given me and us.”
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Starr recently brought his country spin to Nashville during two sold-out performances at the famed Ryman Auditorium.
Proceeds from his performance of “With a Little Help From My Friends” will be donated to the American Red Cross and those impacted by the California fires.
The “Ringo & Friends at the Ryman” event featured artists such as Jack White and Sheryl Crow. The all-star concert is scheduled to air this spring.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
During Starr’s career, he has received nine Grammy Awards and has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once with the Beatles and the second as a solo artist.
Between 1970 and 2023, Starr released 20 solo studio records and four consecutive EPs. He has film credits in 15 movies, has received an Academy Award and has been nominated as an actor for an Emmy. In addition to his music and film accolades, Ringo has published eight books.
In 2018, Ringo was knighted, and in 2019 he celebrated 35 years of touring with his All-Starr Bands. In 2022, Ringo received an honorary degree as a Doctor of Music from Berklee College of Music, and earlier he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award.
