Ringo Starr Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut

/by

Ringo Starr makes Grand Ole Opry debut. Photo: Chris Hollo

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Ringo Starr made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night (Feb. 21) as part of the Opry’s ongoing 100th Anniversary celebration and in support of his new country album, Look Up.

Starr was surprised onstage with an invitation to play the Opry by his friend and Opry member Emmylou Harris during his sold-out concerts at the Ryman Auditorium in January.

Ringo Starr performs “With A Little Help From My Friends” with Opry Cast. Photo: Chris Hollo

“As you may have noticed I dressed up a bit tonight. I’m a cowboy inside,” Ringo said from the Opry stage wearing a slick white cowboy hat. “This is a great honor and an incredible moment for me. It’s just a dream to end up here.”

Starr’s new album Look Up comes after a chance meeting with T Bone Burnett at an event in Los Angeles in 2022 (the two had first met in the 1970s), where Starr asked Burnett to write a song for an EP he was recording. Taking the task to heart, Burnett returned with nine songs, all in a country vein, which happily put Starr on a path to record Look Up.

The Beatles member has had a lifelong love of country music and performed and wrote numerous country and country-tinged songs throughout his years with The Beatles (i.e. “Act Naturally,” “What Goes On,” “Don’t Pass Me By”) as well as with the earlier Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. He also recorded a country album, Beaucoups of Blues, in 1970 as his second solo album.

Throughout his career, Starr has received nine Grammys and has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—first as a Beatle, then as solo artist. Between 1970 and 2023, he released 20 solo studio records and four EPs. He has also acted in over 15 films, received an Academy Award, has been nominated as an actor for an Emmy and is a visual artist as well.

Lorie Hollabaugh
Latest posts by Lorie Hollabaugh (see all)