Happy 85th Birthday, Ringo Starr! 5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Beatles Drummer

Ryan Berenz 58 seconds ago

Ringo Starr now and 1963 — Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Peace and love, and happy 85th birthday to the man who put the beat in the Beatles, legendary drummer Ringo Starr!

Born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in Liverpool, England, he overcame serious illnesses as a child 7, and we’re celebrating with five lesser-known facts about the man behind the beat. From surprise songwriting credits to unexpected solo success, here’s a look at what makes Ringo a truly fab and fascinating rock icon:

1 He Had Two Solo No. 1 Songs In The U.S. Before John Lennon Had One

The Beatle voted least likely to have a thriving solo career actually came strong out of the gate after the Beatles broke up. Starr’s “Photograph” topped the charts for the week of Nov. 24, 1973. His second No. 1, “You’re Sixteen,” a cover of a Johnny Burnette tune, reached the top spot on Jan. 26, 1974. Lennon’s first U.S. No. 1 was “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” during the week of Nov. 16, 1974. The song would be Lennon’s only solo No. 1 during his lifetime.

2 “Don’t Pass Me By”: Ringo’s First Solo Songwriting Credit For The Beatles

Starr had been the lead vocalist on several Beatles’ tunes (“Yellow Submarine,” “With a Little Help From My Friends” among the most memorable), but he hadn’t actually written a song of his own until “Don’t Pass Me By” off of The Beatles (“The White Album”). The lyrics and melody are simple and country-tinged, which fits Starr’s musical sensibilities and love of country-western music.

3 He Told You ‘Bout The Swans, That They Live In The Park

Starr directly contributed to a lyric in British rock supergroup Cream’s track “Badge.” As legend has it, a drunk Starr walked in the room while Eric Clapton and George Harrison were writing the song and was rambling about “I told you ’bout the swans, that they live in the park.” Clapton and Harrison both loved the sound and the rhythm and wrote it into the song.

4He Was The Narrator Of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends In The U.K.

From 1984-86, Starr narrated the first two seasons of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends for U.K. audiences, and also appeared as Mr. Conductor in the U.S. version. A whole generation of kids knew him as the voice of the Island of Sodor before they knew he was a Beatle.

5He’s Warning You With Peace And Love!

In 2008, Starr raised eyebrows and a few chuckles when he took to his website and announced in a bizarre video that he was no longer accepting fan mail after Oct. 20. “If that has a date on the envelope, it’s going to be tossed,” he announced. “I’m warning you with peace and love. I have too much to do, so no more fan mail! And no objects to be signed. Nothing! Anyway, peace and love, peace and love.” Turns out, he was just frustrated by the amount of time he was signing things that people were selling for big bucks online.