LOS ANGELES — Ringo Starr has always had a natural affinity for country music, a genre that has subtly intertwined with his career since his early days with The Beatles. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that he is preparing to release an entirely country-focused album titled “Look Up.” This forthcoming project is a collaboration with T Bone Burnett, a highly regarded figure in classic country and Americana music.
Starr, now 84, indicates that he has produced around 20 albums throughout his career, each containing tracks influenced by country styles. His passion for this genre was ignited during his childhood, primarily influenced by the sounds of Hank Williams and Kitty Wells, alongside varying musical styles such as blues and swing that permeated through his Liverpool home.
“Liverpool is somewhat like the capital of country music in England,” he remarked. “Its status as a port city enabled the exchange of diverse musical influences, including rock ‘n’ roll, as seafarers would travel to various countries and bring back fresh sounds.”
The drummer first showcased his country flair in 1965 when he performed Buck Owens’ honky-tonk favorite “Act Naturally” with The Beatles. Many Beatles tracks sung by Starr, such as “What Goes On” and “Don’t Pass Me By,” feature country elements. This interest culminated in his second solo project, “Beaucoups of Blues,” released in 1971, where he fully embraced the genre. Despite sporadic ventures into country music over the following decades, including a duet with Owens in 1989, Starr hadn’t recorded a complete country album since then.
The collaboration with Burnett, who has been pivotal in promoting classic country for over 25 years and has produced notable soundtracks such as the one for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “Inside Llewyn Davis,” was a long time in the making. Although they were acquaintances for years, having met frequently at parties in the 1970s, they had never worked together on a full project until now.
Their partnership began during a poetry reading hosted at the Sunset Marquis last year by Olivia Harrison, daughter of Starr’s late bandmate George Harrison. At that time, Starr had been working on a series of EPs with various producers and writers and invited Burnett to contribute a song, which prompted Burnett to deliver a beautiful country track.
This inspired Starr to focus on creating a country-inspired album. Burnett ended up writing nine original songs and collaborated with Starr on additional tracks, transforming what was initially an EP into a full-length LP. Recording sessions took place in Los Angeles, while Burnett recorded in Nashville, even enlisting young country talents like Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle for multiple tracks. Notably, Alison Krauss joins Starr on the co-written track “Thankful,” released recently as the second single from the album, where he cleverly includes his famous phrase, “peace and love,” within the song’s lyrics, a rare nod in a genre often characterized by different themes.
The album “Look Up,” set to release in January, coincides with a noteworthy moment for country music, as artists from various genres, including the likes of Beyoncé and Post Malone, explore country influences. Starr admits that the cohesive nature of his album came together rather naturally and unexpectedly, joking about a fleeting conversation he had with Burnett concerning the album title, where he humorously suggested a play on Beyoncé’s name that didn’t land well.
In January, Starr will also perform at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, a venue with rich musical history and the former home of the Grand Ole Opry, for a pair of concerts aligned with a television special. He expressed his excitement about performing both his original songs and country classics. “We’ll be doing ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ in a country style, so let’s see how that goes,” he stated, keenly anticipating the upcoming performances.