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Holy cow: Ringo produced by T Bone Burnett!

 

I have YouTube video maker Norman Maslov to thank for for alerting me to this interesting news (see video link below if you wish). Ringo Starr revealed his love of Country music while still in The Beatles, and in 1970 traveled to Nashville to record his Beaucoups Of Blues album, which is 100% pure Country. It is one of my favorite post-Beatles albums from the four members (as is his 1973 s/t album). While his singing isn’t up to the level of the Nashville studio musicians who play on the album (many of them also heard on a few mid-60’s and later Dylan albums), it works.

A few years back, Mazzy expressed his desire that Ringo would forget about his All-Star albums, and make another Country record, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agreed with. Well, Ringo has finally done as Mazzy and I wished: He went back to Nashville to record a Country album, with T Bone Burnett producing, no less!

Mazzy mentions that Alison Krauss and Billy Strings (a fairly recent young neo-Traditionalist Country/Bluegrass songwriter/singer/guitarist making a name for himself) are heard on the album, so I have high hopes for it. It’s slated for a January release.

 

https://youtu.be/pmmIVfqGm08?si=GqaQaR-KBcnTKZwf

 

 

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roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,001 posts
 

Not a big Beatles fan, but that's interesting. I'd like to hear it.

tooblue
1,927 posts
 

T Bone Burnett is involved, will seek this out and give this one a listen. Enjoy the music

slaw's avatar
slaw
21,491 posts
 

I dig it. Ringo was had the least respect all the while providing the necessary back beat .

bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
9,805 posts
 

 

Ringo did more than just provide the necessary backbeat, as important as that is. Young drummers---who have yet to learn the wisdom of not "over-playing"---are quick to dismiss "feel" type drummers like Ringo (and Charlie Watts). But get them into a recording studio and they quickly find out how hard it is to provide truly "musical" accompaniment to a good band. The drummers in more bands than you would believe are replaced for recording sessions by studio drummers who know know how to "play for the song", not their egos.

Tom Petty’s original drummer Stan Lynch recently stated in the great book Pledging My Time: Conversations With Bob Dylan Band Members that only after interacting with studio great Jim Keltner, and the passage of time, did he realize that his drumming was "too busy." The number one complaint by singers and songwriters about drummers is their propensity to over-play. As good as Keltner is, Leon Russell asked Elton John to dismiss Jim after recording of the Union album had commenced. Jim's playing was too busy for Leon.

Ringo is belittled by non-musicians far more than by other other drummers. One of Ringo’s biggest fans and defenders is Gregg Bissonette, one time drummer in the Maynard Ferguson Big Band, and 2023 winner of the Modern Drummer Magazine Best All Around Drummer award.

Buddy Rich described Ringo as an "adequate" drummer, which coming from Buddy is a compliment.

 

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