Ringo Starr names his favorite drummer of all time - labeling him his 'hero'

The former Beatles member, 85, shared this information with USA TODAY in May 2023. Ringo named one of his longtime collaborators, Jim Keltner, for the honor. He and Jim first met in 1971 in London, where they were introduced by George Harrison, Ringo's former and late Beatles bandmate. In 1989, Ringo & His All-Starr Band launched and Jim was included as a member. The 83-year-old musician has participated as an occasional guest from 2006 to 2023 for the live rock supergroup created by producer David Fishof.

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Ringo told the outlet, "Jim is my all-time hero drummer, no one is as good as him − I love Jim, and that’s about it."

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He also took a moment to highlight Dave Grohl, former drummer of Nirvana and the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in the interview. Ringo said, "I've seen Dave Grohl play straight. He was doing backup at some party, and he was doing it straight. And I was like, OK, wow."

Jim, born James Lee Keltner, is known for his session work. He was dubbed "the leading session drummer in America" by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes.

‌Jim has played drums for a plethora of legendary artists (whether for their albums and/or live performances) that include Carly Simon, the Bee Gees, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, and Elton John.

Along with working with Ringo and George, Jim also worked with other Beatles member, John Lennon. He did session work for John's solo albums and albums released by late singer's wife, Yoko Ono, and their band, Plastic Ono Band.

George also gushed about Jim in an interview with Anthony DeCurtis in 1987, that was in Ashley Kahn's George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters.‌

The Beatles lead guitarist also considered Jim to be a "great session drummer."

While speaking about the making of his album Cloud Nine, George shared how his "core band emerged" in response to Anthony's question. Both Ringo and Jim featured on Cloud Nine.

Source: Demetria Osei-Tutu/themirror.com

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