10 reasons why Ringo should be knighted

10 Downing Street have been considering for some time now whether to allow petitions for honours on their new site. They have been persuaded that they should. Read here my original post on why this campaign first got started.

So the Ringo petition is now live. If you are British, sign on to the Downing Street site here. If you aren't, then please post your support here.

In the meantime, here are 10 unanswerable reasons why Ringo should soon be Sir Richard:

1. The Beatles are not just another pop group they changed popular culture.
2. Ringo has an MBE. Tom Jones has a knighthood.
3. The Beatles are a symbol of this country's creativity that is recognised in every part of the globe.
4. Ringo has an MBE. Cliff Richard has a knighthood.
5. Have you heard the drumming on Abbey Road?
6. Ringo has an MBE. Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate has an MBE.
7. Before Ringo joined the Beatles they were nothing.
8. Ringo has an MBE. Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers has an MBE.
9. Have you seen Help?
10. Ringo has an MBE. Jeffrey Archer has a peerage.

Only you can right this wrong.

Comments

[John Hirst]

Is Ringo doing an impression of Winston Churchill in this photo?

[Scott Benowitz]

I am not a citizen of the U.K nor of a Commonwealth country, and therefore, I cannot post my name to this nor to any of the petitions that actually are posted on the Downing Street website, but I fully agree with Mr. Finkelstein- You guys have my full support-

[Scott Benowitz]

-I am a U.S. citizen (neither U.K. nor Commonwealth), and therefore, I cannot post my name onto this petition nor to any of the petitions that have actually been posted onto the Downing Street website, but I agree entirely with Mr. Finkelstein- Most musicians throughout the world today would state that while talented, Stuart Sutcliffe did not make a contribution which changed popular music as well as popular culture forever- Let's see that credit is cited where credit is long overdue-

[Ann Johnson]

No. 7
You must be joking - they were already on the road to stardom with Pete Best. Ringo just came along at the right time and stepped into what was then THE Liverpool group with most of the songs already written - all he had to do was learn them.

No hard feelings Ringo I'm an original Beatle lover.

[dizzy]

Am please to announce the Finkelstein Bridge petition is live too. Clear we submitted on the same days.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Fink-Bridge/

[Michelle Honick]

Ringo Starr should have been knighted long ago. Thanks for your campaign, and good luck!

[Alex R]

Ringo did the Thomas the Tank Engine voice over. Case closed.

[billy]

A posthumous honorary whatever should go to Otis Redding; he made my '60's bearable.
Ringo can afford to buy his peerage while Nu Labour still have power.

[Tom]

11) He's married to Barbara Bach, star of 'Island of the Fishmen' http://www.golobthehumanoid.com/bachpage.html

12)He makes awesome album covers: http://theband.hiof.no/band_pictures/goodnight_vienna.jpg

13) He makes quality adverts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko888qUIiYs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwRjdYTYrKk

[Edwin Hiu]

-I am a French citizen from Tahiti (neither U.K. nor Commonwealth), and therefore, I cannot post my name onto this petition nor to any of the petitions that have actually been posted onto the Downing Street website, but I agree entirely with Mr. Finkelstein-and, most of all I say : Ringo is the Greatest!

[John D]

Re:No.7, Ann, you are correct, the lads were on the way, and Ringo came along at the right time.

However the next crucial step would not have happened without at least a competent drummer. It is well documented that (Sir) George Martin was reluctant to record the group as it stood, pre-Ringo. In fact, a session drummer was booked (and used!) in the recording of "Love me do" as Martin was unaware of the change in personnel. There are three versions of the song with three different drummers. The Pete Best version appears on the Anthology 1 album (track 22). Even a casual listen to that version will convince all but the most partisan of listeners that Martin was correct in his assessment. Quite frankly, I have a broken watch that keeps better time....sorry, but it's true

[Henry Percy]

Has anybody asked Ringo if he wants a knighthood? I can't believe he does.

[Bryan Appleyard]

Number 10 is the clincher, Danny.

[mike]

anne - The fact is that 99.9% of beatles fans are unlikely to have heard Pete Best on drums for the band - whether or not he was a decent drummer (and on the evidence i've heard, the answer is not) is irrelvant - he wasn't behind the kit for the sessions that produced the gems we all know.

[Gabor Kovacs]

Done. Please sign mine:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/britpodcasts/

[ode]

+ that would be quite a stylish way to show how far they've got from the Cavern.

[Barry Monkey]

Would be unreasonable for non-British readers of the Times, a British institution, to vote using the address 1 Pennington Street, London and the postcode E98 1SY ?
Or would that be naughty?

[Colin Puddephatt]

Ringo's post Beatle recording especially "Choose Love" album are far more enjoyable and although the new Beatles "mix" is extremely pleasing I think Ringo is far better a person and drummer than in the '60's.
I'm not sure where Richard himself stands as to whether he wants "upgrading " to "Sir ...and presumably Lady Starkey", -I think You should ask him (ie interview) before starting a campaign. I shall relisten to "Elizabeth Reigns" -both album track and dvd clip. I would rather he gets one he wants than have to refuse one he doesn't and be used to get at the system and important people.
Interestingly the "music press" like "Mojo" and "Q" have not made any recent references to his uptodate work or awarded him at all. Good luck Ringo -can't wait for the next album.

[Carol]

Does Ringo want to be a Sir? He lives in Moraco. He doesn't do anything for Liverpool or England like Sir Paul does. John,Paul and George were getting well known way before Ringo joined the group.Ringo was the BEAT in the BEATLES. That's all!

[Walt O'Brien]

Ought well to have happened eons ago, but what I think for which he most assuredly deserves knighthood is keeping the business in the family. Is or is not Zack Starkey, drummer for the Who, his two-fisted and able sprout? That's the true crown, worth them all together.

And there's a need for a special knighthood for anyone who can play the same set of songs 10 million billion times on demand, smiling, yet refrain from screaming "I can't do this song one more time without my 'ead exploding! Yaaaagh!," and for carrying on, as a drummer, with the not infrequent wrist injuries that go along with thrashing a kit of Ludwigs and Zildjians, or the odd cut from the edge of the high hat.

Thanks for helping re-invent an industry from scratch, Mr. Starkey. Hope to call you Sir Richard one day...soon. You've no idea how welcome an alternative was to government-inspected, squeaky-clean & rigidly regimented West Coast white pop music in 1963 to this then-13 year old.

[joseph dixon]

not be for time should have been knighted with sir paul

[Neil]

Ringo has become a house hold name for years. He's like Cheese & Crackers and Marmite all rolled up in a gooey British sandwich ready to be consumed by an on going rock music loving public.

Ringo rocks and he rolls and he also has a great sense of humour.

Sir Knight him please.

[Tobey & Mike Connor]

We fully support Ringo being knighted! Though we are US residents we cannot take part in the petition, but we just don't understand why only Paul gets to enjoy this honor, or all the attention lately. With Ringo being the only other surviving Beatle, he should get some long overdue recognition before he too kicks the bucket.
By the way, can the other two be knighted posthumously? We are not totally familiar with the protocols of knighthood.

[tom cahill]

Yes he put the Beat in Beatles and that was no small achievement. No offense to Pete Best but it was just no contest. He holds Abbey Road together. Plus the whole world loves the guy. I'm an American but it seems to me that if you guys can give one to Cliff Richard who outside of England isn't half as well known as Mr. Starkey then Ringo is deserving. BTW Why not Keith Richards? He only co-composed some of the most of the catalogue of another great English band and his partner got one. He may not be the prettiest cat in the world but where would we be without some Satisfaction?

[Julie]

I am regularly bringing to the attention of the four readers of my blog, the stinging injustice of Ringo having a MBE whilst Jeffrey Archer has a peerage and am busily directing them towards said petition, but it doesn't seem to be helping very much, to date. Well, not at all, actually...

Henry Percy - you are obviously out to spoil the fun but this isn't a democracy and Ringo's wishes are utterly irrelevant.

I was going to sign the Daniel Finkelstein Bridge Petition tomorrow or possibly the next day, but then I saw it only had ten paltry signatures and that none of them were famous. How humiliating, I hope you are managing to sleep at night... :-)

[Gabor Kovacs]

Julie wrote "I was going to sign the Daniel Finkelstein Bridge Petition tomorrow or possibly the next day, but then I saw it only had ten paltry signatures and that none of them were famous".

Neither John nor Paul nor George nor even Sir Ringo were famous in about 1963, which may be why Decca turned them down. I may be famous one day, but Julie has turned down the chance of going for a Chuck Colson award - she could have said I was once one of 11 signatories to the Finkelstein Bridge petition, along with Gabor Kovacs!

[Julie]

Gabor, the rest of my post was meant to explain how, upon seeing the poverty of the list, I decided not to delay signing for even a second longer, notwithstanding the howling derision such a reckless act would be likely to encourage from espousers of more popular causes - and so I signed, and am in fact number ten there, I just cannot count for toffee as it plays havoc with my dental work. You may indeed be famous one day, it is permitted....

[me]

long life Ringo!!! Ringo for president...ejem, sorry...Ringo for Knight!!

[ivee]

oh, men! i want to be british for sign that T.T!
im learning english with the beatles songs and movies and thanks ringo (i understand him more than the others)im here now

so, ringo for sir richard!

[Paul Dunwell]

The fact is that 30 years after they disbanded the Beatles still have a tremedous impact on the world's culture. And Ringo was part of that. We've loved him; we've loved them all. Every one of the Beatles should have been given a heriditary peerage decades ago, Ringo included. When I look at those who currently hold such peerages, or are awarded life peerages when Ringo has been denied his, I admit to being rather ashamed of a country that can allow such ineqities to persist.