Ringo Starr: Straight Man or Joker

Single, "Love Me Do." It's been said that the timing of this momentous event makes Ringo Starr the luckiest man in pop music, but according to John Lennon, luck was only a small part of Ringo's success. He was, said Lennon, a "star in his own right in Liverpool before we even met. Ringo's talent would have come out one way or the other. Whatever that spark is in Ringo, we all know it but we can't put our finger on it." Ringo, like the other members of the group, matured.

In the hothouse of Beatlemania and its enduring aftermath. Those scarcely believable years of adulation, mind-bending stimulants, alcohol, and meditation did not alter this essentially uncomplicated chrracter. Despite the breakup of the band in 1970 and the erosions in their relationships, it was the easy-going Ringo who was best able to escape the feuding and remain friendly with his ex-colleagues. And his 1973 album "Ringo," with John, Paul, and George featured on.

Various tracks, most closely represented a Beatles' reunion on record. More than that, the album was a top-five smash, producing two consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard charts. The Beatle least likely to succeed, had. Alan Clayson follows Ringo through his entire life, tracing the ups and downs of his career as a musician and actor. Clayson also details Ringo's romantic liaisons, his health problems, and his battle and ultimate triumph over alcoholism.

Impeccably researched and highly entertaining to read, this biography is the first to detail the not always rock-steady life and times of the man who anchored the world-famous Merseybeat.