Ringo Starr Announces New Country Album, ‘Look Up’

Nine of the 11 songs on Look Up were written or co-written by Burnett, one by Billy Swan and the other co-written by Starr and Bruce Sugar. Starr sang and played drums on all the songs and co-wrote the album’s closer, “Thankful,” featuring Alison Krauss. Burnett enlisted some of Nashville’s finest and hottest talent for the record, including Billy Strings, Larkin Poe, Lucius, Molly Tuttle and the aforementioned Krauss. The album’s debut track, “Time On My Hands,” written by Paul Kennerly, Daniel Tashian (who is a co-producer on the album along with Sugar) and Burnett, is out today.

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.

The artist’s new album comes after a chance meeting with 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: his first country album in more than 50 years and his first full-length album since 2019.

 “I’ve always loved country music. And when I asked T Bone to write me a song, I didn’t even think at the time that it would be a country song – but of course it was, and it was so beautiful.” Ringo recalls. “I had been making EPs at the time and so I thought we would do a country EP -but when he brought me nine songs I knew we had to make an album!  And I am so glad we did. I want to thank, and send Peace & Love, to T Bone and all the great musicians who helped make this record. It was a joy making it and I hope it is a joy to listen to.”

“I have loved Ringo Starr and his playing and his singing and his aesthetic for as long as I can (or care to) remember,” says Burnett. “He changed the way every drummer after him played, with his inventive approach to the instrument. And, he has always sung killer rockabilly, as well as being a heartbreaking ballad singer. To get to make this music with him was something like the realization of a 60-year dream I’ve been living. None of the work that I have done through a long life in music would have happened if not for him and his band. Among other things, this album is a way I can say thank you for all he has given me and us.”

Starr will be bringing this new music to Nashville when he headlines the famed Ryman Auditorium on January 14 and 15, 2025. Tickets will be on sale on Oct. 25 at ryman.com. Starr and Burnett will also be featured on an episode of TalkShopLive®, the leading live streaming, social selling online network, on October 22 at 7 pm ET.

Produced by T Bone Burnett

Co-Produced by Daniel Tashian and Bruce Sugar
* “Thankful” Produced by Ringo Starr and Bruce Sugar with T Bone Burnett

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 EP’s 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 earlier he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award.

Throughout more than 50 years in music and entertainment, T Bone Burnett has earned an unparalleled reputation as an innovative artist, songwriter, producer, performer, film and concert producer, record company owner and artists’ advocate.  He’s worked and collaborated with musicians spanning many genres, such as the aforementioned Bob Dylan, Elton John, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Ringo Starr, B.B. King, Tony Bennett, k.d. lang, Elvis Costello, Taylor Swift, Ryan Bingham, Steve Earle and Leon Russell. Burnett’s highly successful and acclaimed work in film throughout the past 30 years includes his collaborations with the Coen Brothers on The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Cold Mountain, The Hunger Games, Walk The Line, Inside Llewyn Davis and Crazy Heart, for which he also served as one of the film’s producers.  He has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and 13 Grammy Awards.