Ringo Starr Honored With Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Posted on Feb 9th 2010 10:00AM by Steve Baltin
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The famed Capitol Records building at the corner of Hollywood and Vine has frequently been at the epicenter of Beatle-mania over the last four decades. Monday night saw the phenomenon in full swing once again as Vine Street was closed down and Beatles fans jammed in front of the label home to see Ringo Starr receive the 2,401 star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 45-minute ceremony featured Starr's friends Joe Walsh, Don Was and Ben Harper sharing their memories of the Beatle drummer.

The setting was perfect as Starr himself joked, "It's nice to look at a building you helped pay for."

The event started around 5PM with fans in the street watching a pre-ceremony reel of Starr highlights roll again and again on a large video screen in the middle of Vine. Then the man himself came out to a huge ovation around 7PM., feted by a 21-drum salute from local students.

Walsh was the first to speak, starting off by quipping, "I'm here to tell you Ringo Starr's just like a brother-in-law to me" (Walsh married the sister of Ringo's wife of 30 years, Barbara Bach, last year). He then spoke of his own experiences with Starr, from being in the first two years of Starr's traveling All-Starr bands to producing 1983's 'Old Wave,' which Walsh pointed out did "really good in Switzerland" and went to No. 1 in Lithuania. When the crowd laughed, Walsh said, "You laugh, but it did go to number one in Lithuania. You can look it up." He also focused on Starr the person, thanking him for being a "kind and helpful friend."

Was also spoke of both Starr as a musician, calling him "one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock 'n' roll," and the person, saying, "What touches me most is your humility."

Last was Harper, who along with Relentless7 has been backing up Starr on his current promotional tour for 'Y Not.' While the always thoughtful Harper displayed his usual eloquence, saying, "Ringo Starr is simply another way of saying peace and love," he also brought one of the most honest moments of the night as he said after some applause, "I'm here -- this is incredible," taking a moment to catch his breath.

It was the feeling for most being around Starr, who basked in the attention, continually flashing the peace sign and waving to the crowd who chanted his name and waved to him. Starr was clearly moved by the words of his peers, saying, "I want a record of [the speeches]. I'll put the CD on every night when I'm down."

Starr also took time to acknowledge his friends and peers of the past, paying respect to Roy Orbison, who received his star on the Walk of Fame recently. Starr called him "the hardest act the Beatles ever had to follow" before discussing his bandmates. "I can't go away without mentioning the Beatles," he said. "In my book, it was the greatest band in the world. And it was really beautiful to be part of that."

For most, that was the feeling of the night as they watched Starr kneel down on Vine Street to unveil his star and take his place on the Walk of Fame in front of the building he not only helped pay for, but made part of history.