Words cannot express how happy I am for Ringo to be in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and that the honor came while he was still alive. I have been reading a lot of nasty things online where people do not think that Ringo deserves to be in the Rock and Roll hall of fame. And yes....a certain someone that emails me from time to time and isn't always kind to Ringo might be thinking the same thing. I am half way expecting to get another email about this.
Obviously I think that Ringo deserves this honor. But then I am a HUGE Ringo fan. He is my favorite living Beatle and has been since late 1980. But why do I think he deserves a place in the hall of fame?
1. As a solo artist, Ringo had 2 #1 hit songs on America (Your Sixteen and Photograph). He also had 5 other songs that were in the top 10 (No No Song, It Don't come easy, Oh my my, Only you, and Back off Boogaloo). Two of his albums were in the top 10 as well.
2. He played drums on the George Harrison album, All things must pass and also was on the concert for Bangadesh, which won a Grammy award.
3. As a drummer he has influenced many, many other drummers that are in the Rock and Roll hall of fame. Ringo in the Beatles was the first time the drummer of a band got any attention and after seeing Ringo play the drums, it inspired countless others to drum.
4. Ringo was the first person (that I know of) to have the idea of an "oldies show" where members of various bands come out and perform their big hits. Ringo had the idea in the 1970's but he didn't put it all together until 1989 and now it seems like an oldies tour is always coming around.
5. Ringo is just freaking awesome! (alright that is just an opinion...but come on----he is Ringo! Everyone knows him!)
And to those people that claim that Ringo was just in the right place at the right time or just got lucky---did you know that the Beatles tracked Ringo down to join the Beatles? They wanted him---not the other way around. Ringo wasn't trying to be in the Beatles, but they wanted him in the band because Ringo was the best drummer they knew.
I will be standing by for your email.