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Ringo: A Fab Life
Ringo Starr’s eventful and remarkable life laid bare in a first-of-its-kind mosaic biography of one of the greatest musicians of all time.
Often overshadowed by his former bandmates, Starr’s remarkable story is no less compelling. ‘ A Fab Life’ highlights a life so jaw-droppingly eventful that one is left wondering how he also had time to become one of the best musicians on the planet.
Through an episodic, mosaic format critically acclaimed author Tom Doyle takes readers through the ride of a lifetime, from Starr’s brushes with death as a child bought up in poverty, through to dizzying heights of fame and success with The Beatles and beyond. By examining pivotal moments, anecdotes and cautionary tales, we see Starr soar as part of the biggest band in the world - and then try and cope with life outside of a film career, misadventures with friends, children’s TV narrator, furniture designer, marriage to a Bond girl, before eventually finding peace and sobriety as one of the elder statesmen of rock.
So much more than another Beatles related biography, we follow Starr’s career far beyond the rose-tinted sixties, through the various addictions and career left turns in the seventies and eighties, before reaching the 1990’s, his legacy and reputation intact.
The life of Richard Starkey is long overdue a proper inspection and this book - with exclusive new interviews conducted by Doyle with, amongst others, Starr himself - provides a never-before-seen level of detail that will delight hardcore fans and curious readers alike.
A Fab Life - hilarious, moving, insightful and constantly surprising - is the definitive account of one of the greatest living musicians and the uncontested best drummer in The Beatles.
Often overshadowed by his former bandmates, Starr’s remarkable story is no less compelling. ‘ A Fab Life’ highlights a life so jaw-droppingly eventful that one is left wondering how he also had time to become one of the best musicians on the planet.
Through an episodic, mosaic format critically acclaimed author Tom Doyle takes readers through the ride of a lifetime, from Starr’s brushes with death as a child bought up in poverty, through to dizzying heights of fame and success with The Beatles and beyond. By examining pivotal moments, anecdotes and cautionary tales, we see Starr soar as part of the biggest band in the world - and then try and cope with life outside of a film career, misadventures with friends, children’s TV narrator, furniture designer, marriage to a Bond girl, before eventually finding peace and sobriety as one of the elder statesmen of rock.
So much more than another Beatles related biography, we follow Starr’s career far beyond the rose-tinted sixties, through the various addictions and career left turns in the seventies and eighties, before reaching the 1990’s, his legacy and reputation intact.
The life of Richard Starkey is long overdue a proper inspection and this book - with exclusive new interviews conducted by Doyle with, amongst others, Starr himself - provides a never-before-seen level of detail that will delight hardcore fans and curious readers alike.
A Fab Life - hilarious, moving, insightful and constantly surprising - is the definitive account of one of the greatest living musicians and the uncontested best drummer in The Beatles.
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2025
About the author
Tom Doyle
46 books14 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 1, 2026
”In his mind, his autobiography would be a forbiddingly hefty proposition.
‘There'd be nine volumes before I got to the Beatles,’ he smiled, ‘and fifteen after. So it would go on forever.’ “
In a strange kind of way, Ringo for me was like Radar O'Reilly from M*A*S*H. I simply didn't understand him. But as years passed, I grew to have an appreciation of both, and realised it was me that didn't get the depths of their personalities.
Which Tom Doyle does brilliantly in this bio about Ringo. It jumps back and forth in time from a childhood filled with hospital stays where he discovered his love of drumming, to the heady times of Beatlemania, and the depth of loss when the Beatles fell apart. He
”... returned home and sat in the garden for a while wondering what the hell to do with my life. You think, Oh God, that's it then. It was quite a dramatic period for me…or traumatic, actually.”
Globe-trotting, homes on different continents, endless parties with fellow musos. Changes in relationships with the other Beatles as they each followed separate paths.
There was plenty of stuff I didn't know about Ringo, and plenty that was like a wonderful refresher. I had no idea he was a left hander, and that this impacted his drumming style, as drumming kits tend to be right handed (I still don't know if this is a joke).”... as a left-hander, he sat down at a right-handed drum kit, serendipitously informing his unique playing style.”
He had a spell for nearly a decade in interior design with a mate RoR with one of the better known pieces being a coffee table with the stainless steel grilles of a Rolls Royce at either side. Undoubtedly whoever has any of these pieces is holding onto a piece of Art.
He was in plenty of movies, mainly classed as “artistic” but most of it schlock. He always kept busy and always had a go. I'd forgotten that my best friend and I actually went and saw the movie “Caveman” at the cinema, as we were both rabid Beatles fans. It was rubbish! But hey, Ringo was in it.
And let's not forget Thomas The Tank Engine!
With Ringo's dulcet speaking voice being the perfect narrator for the series of a little blue train engine learning life's lessons.
I loved that Tom Doyle vividly brought to life a time and place that no longer exists. The Liverpool of all the Beatles’ youth that formed them. The scouse humour, that is so similar to Aussie humour. There are several pages dedicated to the movie “A Hard Day's Night” which mentioned how stoned Ringo was when it was filmed. Now there's a great little film, which has been playing quite often on the telly here. And again, one where the more often I've watched it, I've looked at Ringo through a different lens.
Great book! Well worth a read whether you're specifically a Ringo fan or Beatles lover in general.
"I just think sometimes I make the right moves...Y'know, I make more right moves than left moves."
Peace and love.
‘There'd be nine volumes before I got to the Beatles,’ he smiled, ‘and fifteen after. So it would go on forever.’ “
In a strange kind of way, Ringo for me was like Radar O'Reilly from M*A*S*H. I simply didn't understand him. But as years passed, I grew to have an appreciation of both, and realised it was me that didn't get the depths of their personalities.
Which Tom Doyle does brilliantly in this bio about Ringo. It jumps back and forth in time from a childhood filled with hospital stays where he discovered his love of drumming, to the heady times of Beatlemania, and the depth of loss when the Beatles fell apart. He
”... returned home and sat in the garden for a while wondering what the hell to do with my life. You think, Oh God, that's it then. It was quite a dramatic period for me…or traumatic, actually.”
Globe-trotting, homes on different continents, endless parties with fellow musos. Changes in relationships with the other Beatles as they each followed separate paths.
There was plenty of stuff I didn't know about Ringo, and plenty that was like a wonderful refresher. I had no idea he was a left hander, and that this impacted his drumming style, as drumming kits tend to be right handed (I still don't know if this is a joke).”... as a left-hander, he sat down at a right-handed drum kit, serendipitously informing his unique playing style.”
He had a spell for nearly a decade in interior design with a mate RoR with one of the better known pieces being a coffee table with the stainless steel grilles of a Rolls Royce at either side. Undoubtedly whoever has any of these pieces is holding onto a piece of Art.
He was in plenty of movies, mainly classed as “artistic” but most of it schlock. He always kept busy and always had a go. I'd forgotten that my best friend and I actually went and saw the movie “Caveman” at the cinema, as we were both rabid Beatles fans. It was rubbish! But hey, Ringo was in it.
And let's not forget Thomas The Tank Engine!
With Ringo's dulcet speaking voice being the perfect narrator for the series of a little blue train engine learning life's lessons.
I loved that Tom Doyle vividly brought to life a time and place that no longer exists. The Liverpool of all the Beatles’ youth that formed them. The scouse humour, that is so similar to Aussie humour. There are several pages dedicated to the movie “A Hard Day's Night” which mentioned how stoned Ringo was when it was filmed. Now there's a great little film, which has been playing quite often on the telly here. And again, one where the more often I've watched it, I've looked at Ringo through a different lens.
Great book! Well worth a read whether you're specifically a Ringo fan or Beatles lover in general.
"I just think sometimes I make the right moves...Y'know, I make more right moves than left moves."
Peace and love.
January 6, 2026
Thoroughly enjoyable - about as complete as you could get I guess . Good stories too. Shame no photos but don’t let let dissuade you from reading it
March 15, 2026
I think this book suffered from my recent read of John and Paul A Love Story ( a beautifully written book. This book is the story of Ringo, I feel it serves Ringo poorly. The first part of the book is a narrative of The Beatles and Ringo's part. Written in the third person but didn't have the insight and closeness the other book did.
Still was some new info in it I hadn't noticed before, but no photos which makes me wonder how 'sanctioned' the book was.
Still was some new info in it I hadn't noticed before, but no photos which makes me wonder how 'sanctioned' the book was.
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July 10, 2026When Beatlemania had taken hold over the music world and the fab four demanded command and respect wherever they went, people seemed to have different views of each member of the band. Paul to many was the cute one, John a more philosophical one, George the anything goes one, and Ringo, well Ringo was difficult to pigeonhole. He was often grinning and laughing in photos, and seemed more like the comedian at times. He seemed to be stuck with the notion he was not serious, simply the drummer. When the Beatles cartoon television show was released, here again Ringo was different from the others, acting like the goofy one, but he was still as important as the other three. In RINGO A FAB LIFE, Tom Doyle has shown all facets of Ringo, from the amusing to the serious side, and how the Beatles would never have been the same band without him. But Ringo’s life was far from enviable. Back in 1943 when he was a child, his father simply walked out on Ringo and Ringo’s mother. It was a shocking act, causing his mother not to be able to pay the rent of their flat, and had to leave. But even more devastating to Ringo was the fact that he was not in the best of health for a significant part of his childhood. He once had a burst appendix, and for much of his earlier years he spent long periods of time in the hospital. But it was that time in the hospital that eventually led to him getting a drum kit and learning that craft, which served him well in his life. The book is quite extensive in giving us a look into the heart and soul of the man. Even if he was not the Beatle that most kids wanted to mimic, he took it all in stride, and it was his loosey-goosey type attitude and style that kept him centered. There was the controversy when Pete Best was the drummer for the Beatles and he left the band, replaced by Ringo. Who was best was the debate? Best or Ringo? The Beatles of course decided on Ringo, and while Ringo was not known to be a songwriter with the Beatles, he was the heart and soul with his flawless drumming style.
After the Beatles broke up, he did release albums like Sentimental Journey, which were remakes of old classic songs. But later he released a string of notable million sellers like Photograph, You’re Sixteen, and It Don’t Come Easy. Ringo’s life was marred by alcohol and drugs, a common story for musicians during their life. He created Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, and toured with them for many years.
He later had further health issues, complications from his childhood, which almost turned fatal. The book relates his many romances, high and lows in that department. He married actress and model Barbara Bach in 1981, the two still together. Any Beatles fan in general will appreciate this book, and while there is much already known about Starr mentioned, it still is a comprehensive and entertaining read.
After the Beatles broke up, he did release albums like Sentimental Journey, which were remakes of old classic songs. But later he released a string of notable million sellers like Photograph, You’re Sixteen, and It Don’t Come Easy. Ringo’s life was marred by alcohol and drugs, a common story for musicians during their life. He created Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, and toured with them for many years.
He later had further health issues, complications from his childhood, which almost turned fatal. The book relates his many romances, high and lows in that department. He married actress and model Barbara Bach in 1981, the two still together. Any Beatles fan in general will appreciate this book, and while there is much already known about Starr mentioned, it still is a comprehensive and entertaining read.
July 5, 2026
Ringo had to take a lot of crap over the decades, and it always appeared that he just let it all roll off his back. When he didnt, this book explains why. Yes, the author could have dug a little deeper in some spots, but this is the most complete story about him we are likely to get. Personally, I love it!
As for his skills, let me put it this way: I am a bass player. No one has to work harder to lock in with the drummer to make the band sound better. If the drummer is anything less than absolutely proficient, it makes everyone's job harder, but no one more than the bass player.
Playing with Ringo would make the job seem like a vacation compared to others who receive much more accolades.
As for his skills, let me put it this way: I am a bass player. No one has to work harder to lock in with the drummer to make the band sound better. If the drummer is anything less than absolutely proficient, it makes everyone's job harder, but no one more than the bass player.
Playing with Ringo would make the job seem like a vacation compared to others who receive much more accolades.
April 12, 2026
An enjoyable, if not slightly scattershot overview of Ringo’s life and career. The great strength and weakness of this book is that it casts a wide net, covering Ringo’s musical output, to his esoteric film career, business ventures and romantic life in very short yet engrossing chapters. Some are only two three pages long which leaves you wanting more.
If anything, rather than biography it’s more of a Ringo miscellany but still an interesting one at that.
If anything, rather than biography it’s more of a Ringo miscellany but still an interesting one at that.
May 24, 2026
Review for audio:
Very well written and researched book touching on Ringo s early life, Beatles time, and post Beatles life. Really enjoyed. Only complaint....narrator a bit stuffy, but I highly recommend.
Very well written and researched book touching on Ringo s early life, Beatles time, and post Beatles life. Really enjoyed. Only complaint....narrator a bit stuffy, but I highly recommend.
June 11, 2026
A real shame that the book didn’t really shed much new light on Ringo, felt a bit lacking in depth.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews