Billy Strings and…. Ringo Starr?

Billy is everywhere

i can think of a huge number of people id rather hear billy play with, but if i think about things from billys perspective, i totally get prioritizing a collaboration with ringo. he's a fucking beatle. not my first, second, or even twentieth choice, but i get it. good  for billy if he's got something in the works here.

Billy covers a number of Beatles songs including Rocky Raccoon, And Your Bird Can Sing, and more recently, I'll Cry Instead featuring Royal Masat on vocals.   I suspect Ringo might do guest vocals on a Beatles cover with Billy's band rather than Billy sitting in with the All Starr Band. 

Actually there are several Beatles country-rockabilly-flavored tunes that would be awesome for Billy to play with Ringo. First off, it would be pretty FAB to hear Billy and Ringo doing I'll Cry Instead, I've Just Seen a Face, I'm a Loser, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, Can't Buy Me Love, Help, Dr Robert, and how about Ringo singing Act Naturally (Buck Owens cover) or Don't Pass Me By.

And I remember years ago when Yonder Mountain covered George's Only a Northern Song. Totally out of left field and it worked perfectly as a bluegrass tune. So, there's a lot of great tunes in the Fab 4 book to get into. 

Billy strings band + ringo

that there's an all-star lineup

Billy is the Egg Man 

I get High with a little help from my friends...

Billy plays Beatles 17 min informal instagram sesh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h94iKCBGQ50 

Billy Shears meets Billy Strings. Sounds like a winning concert billing to me.

>>>Billy strings band + ringo<<<

Who's going to play the drums?

I wouldn't mention Bluegrass and drums here. Dudes get all kinds of upset.

>>>I wouldn't mention Bluegrass and drums here. Dudes get all kinds of upset.

Seems weird in a Billy Strings thread to say it hasn't been that long since lead guitar was frowned on.  

I played bluegrass from 88-92, most of our gigs were at festivals in the Deep South.

I was following the Rice path and got more than a few comments telling me guitar was for rhythm.

In a standard bluegrass band scheme the snare drum conflicts with the mandolin chop, same job - providing backbeat.

These objections were from the strong trad types.  I'm glad more options are out there for acoustic string band music these days.

Ringo is playing nearby fo $79

looked at the line up of touring band members and only recognized the Men At Work front man Colin Hay

would you go?

Saw Ringo's band last year.  Nothing mind blowing but a lot of fun.  You will recognize all the songs.

Most amazing thing is how young Ringo looks.  Spry little bastard.  He runs off stage periodically to let one his band members take the spotlight and I swear they must put him in some sort of cryogenic chamber.

You didn't recognize Edgar Winter? He's in the Ringo band.

Ringo is 84 just like Phil. Definitely amazing how sprightly Ringo is at that age. Phil, sadly, not nearly as much. But at least he's still playing.

Those trad bluegrass sentiments against lead guitar aimed at the Tony Rice style... did they say the same about Doc Watson? If they did, fuck them. That's blasphemy. Nobody better even try telling me that Doc Watson wasn't real deal bluegrass.

I saw Tony Rice with Sam Bush once and these two old guys got up and stormed out all disgusted saying "this ain't like any bluegrass I've heard before."  

Sure if they saw Billy Strings, they heads would have truly exploded.

>>>In a standard bluegrass band scheme the snare drum conflicts with the mandolin chop, same job - providing backbeat.

These objections were from the strong trad types<<<

In that case count me in the strong trad group, although I'm progressive enough to be OK with an extra guitar solo, as long as it's damn good.

But drums in bluegrass? It's not bluegrass anymore.

Still, in this case my earlier comment was just taking a quick shot at Ringo as a drummer.

(If you want real Beatles drumming, get Paul McCartney to play the drums... ba'dum, CHING!)

Whatever. Paul has a good feel on the drums, but he's not a drummer. Ringo is an artist on the drums. Too many examples to bother listing, but basically anything on the Abbey Road album is a good start. Or "Day in the Life," or "Rain." Phil Collins points out that Ringo's drum fills on "Day in the Life" are more complex and nuanced than most drummers would execute or attempt. 

>>>Nobody better even try telling me that Doc Watson wasn't real deal bluegrass.

Most people I encountered during my time in that scene considered Doc as folk like Norman Blake.

He deserves credit for likely flatpicking fiddle tunes first, leading to bluegrass lead guitar.  Dan Crary deserves mention but Doc>Clarence>Rice in my book.  

Just one opinion.

Bill Monroe loved playing with Doc, and if that ain't bluegrass... 

Alan Thats a great image yellow billy strings...made me smile Thanks Zoner 

Ringo to the rescue.  Billy says Ringo sent his private jet to take him back home to be with Ally and baby after her water broke.

He gets by with a little help from his friends, I guess.

That GQ article about Billy mentioned that "alongside an elite crew of Nashville aces, he just cut an entire record with Ringo Starr and T-Bone Burnett, Look Up, that’s due in January."

That article was weird, like just barely mentioning a bluegrass musician just cut an entire record with a Beatle, no big deal. Let's talk more about the recent show in San Francisco (there weren't any SF shows this year and Billy has his own sound engineer. lol). I think Bill actually did sabotage this lazy writer's interview a little bit. Dude could've looked up the tour easily but didn't bother. 

Anyhoo. Ringo to the rescue! 

I just hope the kid doesn't wait until Thursday to be born so that he can share his dad's birthday.

I was wondering because while it's definitely go time to get home when the water breaks, that doesn't mean the kid is in any hurry to emerge. Hopefully for Ally labor doesn't go on that long! 

Whew!

The attention this kid's birth is getting is pretty amazing. (I feel a little weird calling him "kid", but I don't think they've made his name known yet.) The only parallel I can think of is when children are born into the British royal family. Maybe some of the community's fascination with this birth is due to the drama of Billy being in Colorado at the time Ally's water broke, but I think it mostly has to do with Billy himself, plain and simple. From his humble and precarious beginnings, in a very short time he's come to live what looks like a charmed existence, like a prince, yet he seems to remain grounded in the ways that really matter, and those are the makings of an epic tale.

And as far as origin stories are concerned, the newest Apostol has one that's going to be hard to beat. Just imagine him saying in a few years, "Tell the story again, Dad, about how a Beatle lent you his private jet so that you could fly home to see me born."

The Ringo album

https://www.jambase.com/article/ringo-starr-billy-strings-t-bone-burnett...

Nautical link. Definitely my favorite.

I would've thought Billy was more of a curb or cuban kind of dude

cute baby!

Billy Strings

The Sixth Beatle

Billy's head looks photochopped. It's well-done, but the lighting seems slightly off.

Also, I really want to understand this post, Bss, but I got nothin':

Nautical link. Definitely my favorite.

I would've thought Billy was more of a curb or cuban kind of dude

It's the type of necklace he's wearing

there are probably a hundred or more types/designs of chain link used in jewelry construction 

Nautical link is sort of a lesser seen one out in the wild, and one of a few that mimics actual industrial chain

very strong and reinforced, so it won't break and let an anchored ship loose, by design also resists twisting

from there; there are different variations on the mariner link still

cuban and curb links are fairly consumer-standard-popular mens links

film at 11

I learned something on the zone today. Thanks, dude.

I thought I read somewhere a while back that Billy was taking November off because of the baby coming, so maybe it came a few weeks early?

Happy to sort that out for you Mike 

maybe ringo and billy will blow the dust of this one:

B-side on the Apple single "Beaucoups of Blues"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dInwyXzH6UQ

Vocals/Songwriter: Ringo Starr

Bass: Roy Huskey Jr.

Dobro: Jerry Kennedy

Harmonica: Charlie McCoy

Steel Guitar/Producer: Pete Drake

Steel Guitar: Ben Keith

Drums: D.J. Fontana

Guitar: Jerry Reed

Guitar: Dave Kirby

Guitar: Charlie Daniels

Fiddle: George Richey

Fiddle: Jim Buchanan

Fiddle: Grover Lavender

Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee

Ringo's new album pre-order. Release date January 10, 2025.

https://store.ringostarr.com/collections/look-up

Track Listing:

1. Breathless (featuring Billy Strings)
2. Look Up (featuring Molly Tuttle)
3. Time on My Hands
4. Never Let Me Go (featuring Billy Strings)
5. I Live for Your Love ((featuring Molly Tuttle)
6. Come Back (featuring Lucius)
7. Can you Hear Me Call (featuring Molly Tuttle)
8. Rosetta (featuring Billy Strings & Larkin Poe)
9. You Want Some
10. String Theory (featuring Molly Tuttle & Larkin Poe)
11. Thankful (featuring Alison Krauss)

Ringo is playing the Ryman on Jan. 14-15.  Billy doesn't have anything scheduled for those dates and he lives in the immediate area.

Ringo doesn't play the ryman often

but when he does...

Ringo Starr Concert Special Set for CBS; Some Proceeds to Benefit Wildfire Relief

'Ringo & Friends at the Ryman' will feature Jack White and Sheryl Crow and will celebrate the singer's legacy through the lens of country music. It will tape in Nashville this week.

A two-hour concert special celebrating the legacy of Ringo Starr through the lens of country music will air this spring, and proceeds from the all-star performance of “With a Little Help From My Friends” will benefit the American Red Cross and those impacted by the California wildfires.

Ringo & Friends at the Ryman, which will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the United States, will tape on Tuesday and Wednesday at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The special comes a week after Starr released his country album Look Up, which was produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. Starr will perform songs from that album along with his solo hits and Beatles classics.

For the TV event, Starr will be joined by Jack White, Sheryl Crow, Brenda Lee, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Mickey Guyton, Sarah Jarosz, Jamey Johnson, Billy Strings, The War and Treaty, Larkin Poe and Molly Tuttle. Additional guest artists will be announced at a later date.

“It is always a thrill to play the Ryman, and this time we are going country!” Starr said in a statement. “T Bone has put together a great show. I’m excited to hear my songs done in a country vein and to play with this incredible group of musicians. It will be two nights of peace, love and country music.”

Ringo & Friends at the Ryman will also feature Starr reflecting on country music’s influence on his life, the Beatles and his solo career, while the guest artists will share personal stories of Starr’s impact on their music. The special is produced by Burnett in collaboration with Van Toffler of Gunpowder & Sky. Michael Lohmann will direct.

“There is not a single person in the world who has generated more goodwill than Ringo Starr, and I write this without hyperbole,” Burnett said in a statement. “This Jan. 14 and 15, an extraordinary group of artists is coming together to help demonstrate that at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Ringo has been singing and playing country music since before he joined The Beatles, and many, if not most, of his recordings with that band were country songs — ‘Matchbox,’ ‘Honey Don’t,’ ‘Act Naturally,’ ‘What Goes On?,’ ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ — and even ‘Octopus’s Garden’ is a country song. We don’t know which country, but a country song, nevertheless. Nashville is a town full of extraordinary musicians, and a killer band of some of Nashville’s most extraordinary musicians will accompany Ringo and the rest of the artists.”

Toffler, who founded Gunpowder & Sky in 2016 and has produced Emmy-nominated projects like Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala and The Notorious B.I.G. Sky’s The Limit: A VR Concert Experience, added: “Ringo and his bandmates introduced me and countless others to timeless American rockabilly classics, reimagined with their unique Liverpudlian twist on Carl Perkins and many more. It’s an honor to produce this special with Ringo and T Bone, bringing together some of music’s finest, who will undoubtedly play the hell out of Ringo’s songs, including some Beatles classics. I’m pumped for an unforgettable night at the Mother Church of Country Music, and it feels especially poetic to be airing on the same network that introduced the Beatles to America 61 years ago.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/ringo-starr-concert-sp...

Stringo!