McCartney Times

George Harrison may have been the ‘quiet Beatle,’ but Ringo Starr was probably the group’s most underrated member. While the other three sang or played guitar front and center, Ringo tended to stay in the background. Still, he largely defined the Beatles’ signature sound and revolutionized the role of the drummer in the modern rock band.

“Before Ringo, drum stars were measured by their soloing ability and virtuosity,” legendary Journey drummer Steve Smith said in an interview with the Percussive Arts Society. “Ringo’s popularity brought forth a new paradigm in how the public saw drummers. We started to see the drummer as an equal participant in the compositional aspect. One of Ringo’s great qualities was that he composed very unique and stylistic drum parts for the Beatles songs. His parts are so signature to the songs that you can listen to a Ringo drum part without the rest of the music and still identify the song.”

While Ringo mainly stuck to the drums, he did take the spotlight every now and then. He wrote a handful of songs for the Beatles and sang lead vocals on a few memorable tracks, including “Yellow Submarine” and “Octopus’s Garden.”

In honor of  Ringo’s 77th birthday on July 7, here are five of his best Beatles songs:

1. “Octopus’s Garden” (Abbey Road, 1969)
This is one of the rare Beatles songs featuring Ringo as the lead vocalist. Starr also wrote the quirky song, George Harrison revealed. “It’s only the second song Ringo has written, mind you, and it’s lovely,” Harrison said. “The song gets very deep into your consciousness…because it’s so peaceful.” Here is Ringo performing the classic song in 2005:

Source: Happy Birthday, Ringo Starr! 5 of His Best Beatles Songs