Ringo Starr, the drummer of the iconic band The Beatles, celebrated his 76th birthday on Thursday at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles, California. During the festivities, he talked about the message of peace and love and how worried he and his bandmates were when they first came to the United States.
Starr's birthday bash was a star-studded event as he was joined by his friends from the entertainment industry such as renowned director David Lynch, Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, Howie Mandel and David Stewart, the former guitarist of the Eurythmics.
At 76 years old, Starr surely has gone a long way from being a founding member of one of the most influential bands in the world. Together with his fellow Beatles Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison, they dominated the rock era of the 1960s before leading the British Invasion to the U.S.
However, according to Starr, despite their band's huge popularity in England, he and his bandmates were actually worried about coming to America. Although they knew that they were already big in their home country and in other nations, they weren't sure how the U.S. crowd would react to them.
"Coming to America, was a most incredible moment in my life," he told Fox News. "We landed in New York. All the music I loved came from America, and we were weeks before like unknown, and we were worried. 'Well they don't know us there. They knew us in Denmark. They knew us in England. They knew us in Spain.'"
But, as hardcore Beatles fans know, the moment the band performed live in the U.S. 52 years ago, which was on The Ed Sullivan Show, Starr and his bandmates immediately knew that they were going to be big in the country. For the drummer, this is one of his most unforgettable experiences as a Beatles member.
Aside from music, another thing that Starr is very passionate about is the notion of peace, which is why this has become a recurring theme in his birthday celebrations. During Thursday's festivities, Starr took the stage along with his friends to stand in front of television cameras and spread the message about the importance of peace and love.
"There's a lot of violence in the world, but I want you to join me today in saying 'peace and love,'" he said during the event according to Los Angeles Times.
Starr and the other celebrities then led the crowd to chant the phrase "peace and love."
#PeaceAndLove! See more GIFs from today at @CapitolRecords on @Giphy -> https://t.co/hciRhOkIV3
