Ringo Starr, 85, Announces 10-Track Country Album Featuring Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent
Sir Ringo Starr, aka Richard Starkey, has just dropped the first single from his newly-announced album, which will hit shelves on April 24 — just weeks shy of his 86th birthday.
The former Beatle and purveyor of peace and love has shared It's Been Too Long, a two-minute track featuring Sarah Jarosz and Molly Tuttle. The new song is the first single off Long Long Road, his 22nd studio album, which will be released next month.
Long Long Road is a 10-track country album, featuring some legendary artists in their own right. Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, and Billy Strings have been announced as collaborators on the new project.
This is not Ringo's first foray into country music, of course. Beatle fans will remember his 1965 cover of the classic Buck Owens song Act Naturally, which featured on the band's soundtrack album for their second album, Help! The drummer-turned-singer's second solo album, Beaucoups of Blues (1970) drew primarily from country and blues influences. He returned to the genre 55 years later in 2025, with the album Look Up, with a fitting performance at the iconic Grand Ole Opry venue in Nashville, Tennessee.
Ringo isn't the only Beatle with no plans of slowing down. Paul McCartney previously announced he is finishing up what will be his 27th studio album, in addition to the 7 albums he worked on with Wings and 13 with the Fab Four. In late 2024, the two performed together in a very special reunion at Paul's tour-closing concert at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Beatle business is never done, with the two providing consultation for the four-movie Beatle cinematic project, due for release in 2028, directed by Sam Mendes. Both Ringo and Paul have met the actors who will be portraying them in the biopics, Barry Keoghan and Paul Mescal, respectively. As for their dearly missed bandmates, Joseph Quinn will portray George Harrison, and Harris Dickinson will be taking on the role of John Lennon, who respectively died in 2001 and 1980.