"We met Johnny Cash on the last gig the Beatles did, in San Francisco," Ringo Starr says today. "That was the last time we did gigs, and Johnny was there to see us off." Starr, 84, remembers it vividly,

Ringo Starr has revealed one thing he "always wanted" even though everything "worked out" for The Beatles. The Fab Four's drummer, whose real name is Sir Richard Starkey, grew up in Dingle and replaced Pete Best in the band back in 1962.

Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings and Alison Krauss are among the guests on Starr's T Bone Burnett-produced country set.

The legendary drummer has teamed up with country producer and songwriter T Bone Burnett for first LP in six years - and he is even heading to Nashville next week.

Lean, athletic, a full head of black hair and beard and the obligatory sunglasses. Ringo Start exudes a classic, timeless coolness like few others do. You just can't believe that the ex-Beatles drummer is 84 years old.

A genre that once stood for individuality, ruggedness, stoicism is now all about conformity. The cowboy crossover does not fit for Starr

As far back as the Beatles ' earliest years, the group drew influences far wider than the rock 'n' roll pioneers that directly paved their way. From blues to R&B to even jazz, listen closely to the records released during the Beatlemania years and a wealth of inspiration reveals itself.

Every Friday, pop critics for The New York Times weigh in on the week’s most notable new tracks. Listen to the Playlist on Spotify here (or find our profile: nytimes) and at Apple Music here, and sign up for The Amplifier,

"I liked the records he made. It has an edge," Starr says of the reclusive grandson of Hank Williams, who mixes country with heavy metal

When the Beatles fell apart in 1970, Ringo took refuge in his boyhood country dreams, for the underrated solo album Beaucoups of Blues. He flew out to Nashville to bang out a three-day quickie with pedal-steel master Pete Drake and a crew of Music Row session cats.