Born Richard Starkey, he changed his name to Ringo Starr while drumming for Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, before the Beatles.
"Ringo was a star in his own right in Liverpool before we even met. Ringo was a professional drummer who sang and performed and was in one of the top groups in Britain, but especially in Liverpool. So Ringo's talent would have come out one way or the other ... whatever that spark is in Ringo, we all know it but can't put our finger on it. Whether it's acting, drumming, or singing, I don't know. There's something in him that is projectable and he would have surfaced as an individual ... Ringo is a damn good drummer."
These were the words of Ringo's former band mate John Lennon in an interview just before he was killed.
Source: Jeffrey D'Silva/thethings.com