NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (February 21, 2025) – Multi-Grammy Award winner Ringo Starr made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry tonight. The appearance was a part of the Opry’s ongoing 100th Anniversary celebration and in support of his new country album, Look Up. The Academy Award winner and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was surprised onstage with an invitation to play the Opry by his friend and Opry member Emmylou Harris during Starr’s sold-out concerts at The Ryman Auditorium in January.
“As you may have noticed I dressed up a bit tonight. I’m a cowboy inside,” Ringo said from the Opry stage wearing a slick white cowboy hat. “This is a great honor and an incredible moment for me. It’s just a dream to end up here.”
Starr’s lifelong love of country music has been apparent and celebrated throughout his illustrious career. He performed and wrote numerous country and country-tinged songs throughout his years with The Beatles (i.e. “Act Naturally,” “What Goes On,” “Don’t Pass Me By”) as well as with the earlier Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, and recorded a country album, Beaucoups of Blues, in 1970 as his second solo album. His love of Country and the Blues led him to try and emigrate from London to Texas while still a teen, after reading that Lightnin’ Hopkins lived in Houston. Starr’s new album comes after a chance meeting with T Bone Burnett at an event in Los Angeles in 2022 (the two had first met in the 1970s), where Starr asked Burnett to write a song for an EP he was recording. Taking the task to heart, Burnett returned with nine songs, all in a country vein, which happily put Starr on a path to record Look Up.
For a full Opry 100 schedule, tickets, and more info on the Opry’s anniversary year, visit opry.com and follow the Opry on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
About Ringo Starr
Throughout his career he has received nine GRAMMY® Awards and has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — first as a Beatle and then as solo artist. Between 1970 and 2023, Ringo has released 20 solo studio records and 4 consecutive EPs in 2020, 2021 and 2023. He has acted in over 15 films, received an Academy Award®, and has been nominated as an actor for an Emmy®. Ringo has published 8 books; had a stint as a male fashion model, and that same year went behind the lens as the photographer for some Foo Fighters PR photos. Ringo is also a visual artist and has had numerous exhibitions of his work and his “Peace Sculpture” is on permanent display in the Beverly Hills Park. In 2008 Ringo began dedicating his July 7 birthday to promoting Peace and Love and the movement has grown to include events all over the planet and into the stars with support from NASA. In 2018, Ringo was knighted and in 2019 he celebrated 35 years of touring with his All Starr Bands. In 2022 Ringo received an honorary degree as a Doctor of Music from Berklee College of Music and, in 2023, he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award. In January of this year, Starr released Look Up, a country album produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. It is Starr’s first country album in more than 50 years and earned him his first top 10 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales chart, as well as landing him on multiple other Billboard charts. In the UK the album reached a significant career milestone, securing Starr his first solo #1 album, overtaking Taylor Swift when Look Up claimed the top spot on the Official Country Chart. February also saw Starr make his Grand Ole Opry debut
About the Grand Ole Opry:
The Grand Ole Opry is the home of country music where artists and fans gather, in person and virtually, to celebrate and be part of country’s past, present and future. Founded in Nashville in 1925 and today the longest-running live broadcast show in the world, the Opry strengthens its roots by constantly evolving. The Opry’s members are country’s most emblematic artists, and the show regularly showcases country music’s top new talent. The Opry welcomes legions of fans to visit the Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee – Music City, USA – to experience one of the 3-7 live shows it hosts per week; take a backstage tour; listen to live broadcasts on opry.com and wsmonline.com, SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse, or its flagship home WSM Radio; and watch Opry Live on Saturday nights and Opry content all week long on Circle Country. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP) and part of a strategic investment with Atairos and NBCUniversal.
For the Grand Ole Opry:
Schmidt Relations
Dixie Owen
Jessie Schmidt
For Ringo Starr:
Elizabeth Freund
Elizabeth@Beautifuldaymedia.com
Cindy Finke
UMG Nashville
Cindy.finke@umusic.com