**“He’s Ringo. And Nobody Else Is”: McCartney Pays Heartfelt Tribute to His Legendary Bandmate**
In a recent phone interview, Paul McCartney offered a rare and heartfelt reflection on his longtime friend and Beatles bandmate, Ringo Starr. While many fans and critics have long celebrated Starr’s unique drumming style, hearing McCartney—arguably the most successful living songwriter in history—speak so openly about Ringo’s irreplaceable role adds new depth to the legacy of the Fab Four.
“Even though I’ve played with other drummers, he’s the best,” McCartney said simply. “Ringo has got a certain feel that is very difficult for other drummers to capture.”
It’s a sentiment McCartney has expressed before, but never with such pointed clarity. Over the decades, he’s worked with top-tier drummers across his solo and Wings projects, yet none have quite matched the instinctive groove Starr brought to every Beatles recording—from the raw swing of “I Saw Her Standing There” to the hypnotic pulse of “Come Together.”
There’s a technical brilliance to Ringo’s playing that often gets overlooked because of its subtlety. His knack for playing behind the beat, his expressive fills, and his uncanny sense of space created the rhythmic bedrock for songs that changed the world. But as McCartney points out, there’s something even deeper at play.
“Summing it up?” McCartney paused, then added: “He’s Ringo. And nobody else is.”
That one line says it all. It’s not just about chops or timing—it’s about soul. About being part of a musical alchemy that no one, not even the band members themselves, could ever fully explain.
As the years go on and The Beatles’ legend only grows, moments like this remind us that at the heart of the story are four very human, very distinct artists. And one of them, unmistaka
bly, is Ringo.
