Paul McCartney says Ringo Starr turned The Beatles on | Music News

Rock icon Paul McCartney opened up about what Ringo Starr dropped at The Beatles during the drummer’s new music particular.

Following the release of his nation album Look Up in January, the legendary drummer‘s has debuted Ringo & Friends on the Ryman, a live performance particular filmed at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, which aired on CBS and Paramount+ on March 10.

While the 84-year-old has defined his style pivot, McCartney divulged within the particular that he at all times introduced a nation flare to The Beatles.

In one pre-recorded section, McCartney defined that Starr “was the first guy in The Beatles to really turn us on to country music.”

He elaborated: “We were kind of very much into rock ‘n’ roll, but he was heavy into country. So, he had a lot of records we didn’t have, and he was a big admirer of some of the country stars at the time, some of whom we’d never heard of, I must admit.”

McCartney then identified that as a result of Starr was such a nation fan, it was “natural” that one of Starr’s Beatles songs was Act Naturally.

The tune had been a 1963 nation hit for Buck Owens.

Reflecting on the track, Paul famous: “[T]he thing is, it’s the story of Ringo. He came to do the [1964 Beatles] film [A] Hard Day’s Night and he was the star. He was the one who acted naturally.”

McCartney concluded: “And so, maybe my favorite song of his would have to be Act Naturally.”

Dolly Parton additionally appeared in a pre-recorded section by which she revealed her favourite Starr track.

“I like his songs, all of them,” Parton stated. “I think they’re all great, [including] [With] a Little Help from My Friends and all of those, but my favorite one is Act Naturally.

“Now, that was my favorite Buck Owens song too, and that is a country classic. And I think Ringo killed it on that one.”

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Act Naturally was written by Johnny Russell and recorded by Owens and his band The Buckaroos in 1963, according to American Songwriter.

It became Owens’ first single to top the Billboard country chart in June of that same year.

The Beatles covered Act Naturally for their fifth UK studio album, Help!, released in 1965. In the U.S., the track was first released as the B-side of Yesterday.

It later was included on the Fab Four’s 1966 US album Yesterday and Today.

In 1989, Owens and Starr released a duet version of Act Naturally and it peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard country chart.

For the Ringo & Friends at The Ryman special, Grammy-winning Americana artist Sarah Jarosz dueted with veteran country singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell to perform the track.

The special included many other guest performers, including Jack White, Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow, Molly Tuttle, The War and Treaty, Larkin Poe, Jamey Johnson, Emmylou Harris, Brenda Lee and the aforementioned Jarosz and Crowell.

McCartney also opened up about why Starr is perfectly suited to making country music.

He spoke to Mojo in January, shortly after Starr released Look Up, on what is it about Starr’s personality – and singing voice – that is so perfectly suited to country music.

The musician explained: “He at all times cherished nation from the primary minute I met him. He appreciated the outdated nation singers like George Jones and people like that, and he was a large fan of that.  

“So I think, you know, maybe, it suits his personality. He’s a very sincere, straightforward guy, and I think that’s the sort of theme behind a lot of country music.”