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Lot Essay
One of the handful of rings responsible for earning Richard Starkey the stage name Ringo Starr, this sizeable gold and synthetic sapphire pinky ring was worn by Starr in his pre-Beatle days with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and throughout his career with the Beatles, bearing witness to some of the greatest moments in rock and roll history.
In early 1960s Liverpool, the young Starr had become known for wearing a lot of rings, earning him the nickname “Rings”, so when the time came to pick a stage name for his first season playing at Butlins holiday camp with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, it was only natural that the existing moniker would serve as inspiration. We were away at Butlins for three months, and it was fabulous, recalled Ringo for The Beatles Anthology in 2000. When we first arrived there, we all picked names. That was when [Hurricanes guitarist] Johnny Guitar picked his; and for me, it started because in Liverpool I was still wearing a lot of rings, and people were starting to say, “Hey, Rings!” My name was Richard, hence Ritchie… and Rings. When we changed our names, I called myself Ringo. It was going to be Ringo Starkey, but that didn’t really work, so I cut the name in half and added an ‘r’. I had it put on the bass drum, and it’s been that ever since. Starr was photographed wearing the ring as early as 1961, most notably in fantastic shots captured by Mersey Beat photographer Dick Matthews at Operation Big Beat at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, Merseyside, on 10 November 1961, when Rory Storm and the Hurricanes appeared on the same bill as the Beatles. Ringo is seen hanging out with his future bandmates backstage and giving George Harrison a drum lesson.
After joining the Beatles in August 1962, Starr wore this talismanic ring on his right pinky finger almost constantly until late 1964, rarely appearing without it in public. Countless photographs show Starr wearing the ring on stage, in the studio, on tour, and during numerous interviews, press conferences and television appearances. Starr can be seen wearing the ring on the front cover of the Beatles’ debut studio album Please Please Me and on the back cover of their fifth studio album Help! When interviewed by Dusty Springfield during the Beatles’ debut appearance on British television show Ready, Steady, Go! on 4 October 1963, Starr was asked why he wore so many rings on his fingers and jokingly responded I wear them on my fingers because I can’t fit them through my nose! Notably, Starr was wearing this ring when the Beatles first visited America in February 1964 and made their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, kicking off Beatlemania. He continued to wear the ring throughout the band’s record-shattering US tour in late summer 1964 and during filming for the Beatles’ 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night, in which George Harrison jests He’s wearing his lucky rings! as Ringo deals a deck of cards.
By December 1964, Starr had begun alternating this ring with another gold pinky ring set with an oval blue-grey stone, yet he was again photographed wearing this ring during recording sessions for Help! at EMI Studios in June 1965 and for several live performances throughout the Beatles’ 1965 European Tour. From mid-1966, Starr evidently pared back his everyday finger jewelry, saving this particular ring for special occasions such as the press screening and premiere of Yellow Submarine in 1968 and the US premiere of The Magic Christian in 1970. Starr kept the ring for over five decades until he auctioned part of his collection to benefit The Lotus Foundation in 2015.
In early 1960s Liverpool, the young Starr had become known for wearing a lot of rings, earning him the nickname “Rings”, so when the time came to pick a stage name for his first season playing at Butlins holiday camp with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, it was only natural that the existing moniker would serve as inspiration. We were away at Butlins for three months, and it was fabulous, recalled Ringo for The Beatles Anthology in 2000. When we first arrived there, we all picked names. That was when [Hurricanes guitarist] Johnny Guitar picked his; and for me, it started because in Liverpool I was still wearing a lot of rings, and people were starting to say, “Hey, Rings!” My name was Richard, hence Ritchie… and Rings. When we changed our names, I called myself Ringo. It was going to be Ringo Starkey, but that didn’t really work, so I cut the name in half and added an ‘r’. I had it put on the bass drum, and it’s been that ever since. Starr was photographed wearing the ring as early as 1961, most notably in fantastic shots captured by Mersey Beat photographer Dick Matthews at Operation Big Beat at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, Merseyside, on 10 November 1961, when Rory Storm and the Hurricanes appeared on the same bill as the Beatles. Ringo is seen hanging out with his future bandmates backstage and giving George Harrison a drum lesson.
After joining the Beatles in August 1962, Starr wore this talismanic ring on his right pinky finger almost constantly until late 1964, rarely appearing without it in public. Countless photographs show Starr wearing the ring on stage, in the studio, on tour, and during numerous interviews, press conferences and television appearances. Starr can be seen wearing the ring on the front cover of the Beatles’ debut studio album Please Please Me and on the back cover of their fifth studio album Help! When interviewed by Dusty Springfield during the Beatles’ debut appearance on British television show Ready, Steady, Go! on 4 October 1963, Starr was asked why he wore so many rings on his fingers and jokingly responded I wear them on my fingers because I can’t fit them through my nose! Notably, Starr was wearing this ring when the Beatles first visited America in February 1964 and made their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, kicking off Beatlemania. He continued to wear the ring throughout the band’s record-shattering US tour in late summer 1964 and during filming for the Beatles’ 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night, in which George Harrison jests He’s wearing his lucky rings! as Ringo deals a deck of cards.
By December 1964, Starr had begun alternating this ring with another gold pinky ring set with an oval blue-grey stone, yet he was again photographed wearing this ring during recording sessions for Help! at EMI Studios in June 1965 and for several live performances throughout the Beatles’ 1965 European Tour. From mid-1966, Starr evidently pared back his everyday finger jewelry, saving this particular ring for special occasions such as the press screening and premiere of Yellow Submarine in 1968 and the US premiere of The Magic Christian in 1970. Starr kept the ring for over five decades until he auctioned part of his collection to benefit The Lotus Foundation in 2015.