At 84 years old, Beatles legend Ringo Starr is enjoying a career renaissance with a hit country album and a new tour on the horizon. However, his family is reportedly growing tired of his recurring jokes about slowing down. In a recent interview, the iconic drummer revealed that his children have become exasperated with his decade-long pattern of threatening retirement only to immediately book new gigs.
Starr, who is father to sons Zak (59) and Jason (57) and daughter Lee (54), admitted that the cycle has become a running joke in the Starkey household. “Sometimes when I finish a tour, I’m like, ‘That’s the end for me,’” Starr explained. His children, however, no longer buy the act. “All my children say, ‘Oh, Dad, you’ve told us that for the last 10 years.’ And they get fed up with me.”
The pattern appears to be holding true for 2025. Despite any fleeting thoughts of stopping, Starr confirmed that as soon as he gets a call offering a few gigs, his reaction is consistently, “Okay, we’re off again!” True to his word, he has announced a 10-date tour with his All Starr Band kicking off in June, followed by a residency at The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas in September.
This refusal to retire is currently fueled by the success of his new album, Look Up. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the record marks Starr’s first foray into country music since 1970’s Beaucoups of Blues. The project has resonated with audiences, cracking the Top 10 on Billboard’s album sales chart and earning him a No. 1 album in the UK. Starr even toyed with the idea of naming the album Be-Yond-Say as a playful nod to Beyoncé’s recent country crossover, though he was eventually talked out of it.
The album’s promotion also included a taped special at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, Ringo & Friends at the Ryman, featuring guests like Sheryl Crow and Emmylou Harris. The drummer credits his love for the genre to his youth in Liverpool, where sailors would bring American country records back to the port city.
For now, despite the “fed up” reactions from his kids, Starr remains one of the busiest octogenarians in rock, proving that the rhythm hasn’t left him yet.
