Ringo Starr will celebrate the recent release of his country album, Look Up with the two-hour concert special ‘Ringo & Friends at the Ryman,’ celebrating the music and legacy of Ringo Starr through the lens of country music. It was announced that proceeds from Ringo & Friends At The Ryman will be donated to the American Red Cross and earmarked for those impacted by the California wildfires. The speicial will also air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at a later date.
Ringo & Friends At The Ryman will feature exclusive performances of Starr’s solo hits, Beatles classics and tracks from his country album Look Up, produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. Special guests for the concert special include Look Up contributors Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle as well as Jack White, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Brenda Lee, Rodney Crowell, Mickey Guyton, Sarah Jarosz, Jamey Johnson, The War and Treaty, Larkin Poe – with more to be announced.
Starr said in a statement: “It is always a thrill to play the Ryman and this time we are going country! T Bone has put together a great show. I’m excited to hear my songs done in a country vein and to play with this incredible group of musicians. It will be two nights of peace, love and country music.”
Added Burnett: “There is not a single person in the world who has generated more goodwill than Ringo Starr, and I write this without hyperbole. This Jan. 14 and 15, an extraordinary group of artists is coming together to help demonstrate that at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Ringo has been singing and playing country music since before he joined The Beatles, and many, if not most, of his recordings with that band were country songs – ‘Matchbox,’ ‘Honey Don’t,’ ‘Act Naturally,’ ‘What Goes On?,’ ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ and even ‘Octopus’s Garden’ is a country song. We don’t know which country, but a country song, nevertheless.”
Starr is also hitting the road with His All Starr Band for a 10-date, U.S. tour this summer beginning on June 12 and running through June 25.
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