‘It’s a Long, Long Road, Brother’: How Ringo Starr Found New Inspiration in Nashville

Starr Shine ‘It’s a Long, Long Road, Brother’: How Ringo Starr Found New Inspiration in Nashville The Beatles drummer is celebrating his country music renaissance with the new LP Long Long Road , surely the best album ever made by an 85-year-old By Rob Sheffield Rob Sheffield Contact Rob Sheffield on X View all posts by Rob Sheffield April 3, 2026 It’s good to know that one thing in this crazy world never changes: Ringo Starr remains the most charming man on the planet. The Beatles legend might be the most universally beloved figure in the music world, but even at the age of 85, he’s got more songs in him. As he cackles, “It’s like my 4-year-old granddaughter says: ‘Siri, play Ringo!’” Ringo is getting ready to drop his new country album, Long Long Road , with the single “Choose Love” available on Friday. He made it with producer T Bone Burnett , a year after their acclaimed Nashville collaboration Look Up . “I love country music , so it wasn’t hard,” Ringo says. But he gets a little help from his friends, including hot young vanguard artists like Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings, as well as stars like Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent. Ringo’s relentless vitality is a marvel, 60 years after the man sang “Yellow Submarine.” When you see him onstage these days, he’s a whirlwind, constantly in motion. It raises the question: would Ringo agree he’s still the best dancer in rock & roll? “Yes, I agree,” he says. “I’m just sort of a mover.” He’s truly an inspiration — he spends the show either drumming or shimmying, when he could probably get away with an armchair. “That would be so great,” he says. “The drum chair is like an armchair: ‘Okay, let’s goooo .’ No, you’ve got to be upright and into it.” Long Long Road shows that Ringo’s still into it, as always. He surprised everyone last year with Look Up , his first country record since his 1970 solo gem Beaucoups of Blues . But he sounds invigorated by making a Nashville album that’s legitimately up to date, with cutting-edge musi...