Ringo Starr, The Beatles' drummer who went on to shine on TV and movies before returning to his first love, music, turns 74 today.

Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940. He was the oldest Beatle. John Lennon was born on Oct. 9 of that year. Along with John, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, Ringo was part of the worldwide phenomenon known as the Beatles.

Besides providing a steady beat on even the most unsteady rhythms, like the ever-changing time signatures of Here Comes the Sun or the false 7/8 on "Happiness is a Warm Gun," Ringo brought excitement to the skins. Listen to the explosions of sound on even the Beatles earliest hits.

Ringo came from behind the drums to sing on such Beatle classics as their cover of the Shirelle's "Boys" and Buck Owen's "Act Naturally" and taking lead vocals on "With a Little Help from My Friends," "Yellow Submarine" and "Good Night" which were written for him by John and Paul. But writing the "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and co-writing "What Goes On" and "Flying".

While growing up, Starr survived two life-threatening illnesses which kept him in bed and out of school. He picked up the drums while recuperating in a hospital, but wound up dropping out of school at fifteen.

No matter, Ringo joined the skiffle craze that was gripping Liverpool, first starting The Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group with singer Eddie Clayton and then moving through the best of the best of Liverpool bands until he pounded the skins for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Even having his own Ringo Starr Time. Go Ringo.

Ringo shaved his beard and combed his hair forward to join The Beatles. The mean, moody and magnificent Pete Best had curly hair that wouldn't stay down. Although he had a mean reputation as a thundering drummer.

Nowehere near Ringo's rep. He'd been jamming with the other three fabs before they knew what fab was, and had already sat in for Best before Brian Epstein gave him the call in August 1962. Although George Martin still stopped him from playing on Love Me Do, Ringo still loves Sir George and might ever have forgiven him by now. Martin ate his words constantly as Ringo proved himself the most innovative of early rock drummers. Paul McCartney may have come up with that lopsided drum piece for Ticket to Ride, but  Starr performed it with metronomic perfection and growing tension. That that Charlie Watts.

Starr also proved a fine comic, and sometimes serious, actor. Stealing the show in "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help" the Beatles collaborations with Richard Lester and holding his own against Peter Sellers in "A Magic Christian." Watch Ringo flash furious eyes as a Mexican desperado in "Blind Man." Then watch him as a train conductor on "Shiny Time Station," before he was replaced by George Carlin. Would have loved to have seen them riff together once, though. Ringo was also a natural comedian.

After The Beatles Broke up, Starr scored the first solo number one, "It Don't Come Easy" and followed that with hits "Photograph," bot songs co-written with George Harrison; "You're Sixteen" with Paul McCartney on kazoo, and "Back Off Boogaloo." Lennon summed it up by writing "I'm The Greatest" for Ringo to sing.

Since 1989, he has successfully toured with twelve variations of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.

Rolling Stone readers named Starr the fifth-greatest drummer of all time, but that's because he already laid down the beat for the other four. Ringo was married to Maureen Cox and is now married to Barbara Bach, former Bond girl who co-ringostarred with him in the comedy "Caveman."

He's touring - catch him. Right now. Pick up the phone and order. Peace and love.