SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Would have looked identical to these, but the damage was so severe these houses came along in the early 60s. So when Ringo lived here, this was bombed and cleared away. The white house with the pink is Ringo's house. And the V over the front door has got nothing to do with Ringo. That's Winston Churchill's salute to Adolf Hitler. That V is going to be for victory. V will be for victory. That's what that means. Not the other way around with the Vicks. Well he did do in the house. Ringo got taken off to the hospital by his mum, appendix. Ringo had the operations to remove his appendix. That went very well, but Ringo was sitting up in his bed playing with his toys. Unfortunately, he fell out of bed, hit the floor, and ripped open his wound. He develops an infection, and Ringo is going to end up in hospital a lot longer. Perathenitis is going to be a problem. Ringo did come home, but going to school, Ringo's education's going to slide and he's going to lose a lot of time in school. At the age of 11 and a half, he's back in hospital, and this time he's got the big one TB, tuberculosis. It's a killer. Ringo was given the last rates. Somehow he opened up his eyes, he came out of his coma, and his mum was able to bring him home. Now she's got him home. Ringo's mum's able to go to work. Ringo's mum, working behind the bar, met a lovely guy. That guy was called Harry, Harry Greaves. He's from London, but he moved to Liverpool to get away from the smog of London and ended up in, and he even said himself, How did I end up in Liverpool? It was just as bad here as it was in London. But Ringo, his mum, has met Harry, he's moved in the house, he's proposed marriage. Ringo couldn't have been a happier teenager. His mum's getting married again, and Harry was a good guy, a real nice guy that Ringo just absolutely taught the world of. Ringo said years later, I never had a father, he walked out of me when I was a kid. I had a stepfather, he was more than enough. In fact, he called him a stepladder. I had a stepladder, that's what he called him. And it was Harry who bought Ringo his first drum set. Now when he went in the backyard, he cut an oil tin lid, he made a circle out of a tin lid, and he made a cymbal. But Ringo is on his way. He's in that front room, he's got the radio on nice and loud, and he's playing whatever will come on, and he'll play along with the drums. Now rock and roll was starting to come through, but can I just explain to you County and Western from America was huge in Liverpool before Elvis because County and Western was being brought over by the American Liverpool guys, these Liverpool guys who worked on the ocean liners would go away to the United States and come back to their nephews and their their family members and give them Levi jeans, cowboy boots. They tell stories about oh, you can get a burger like this in America, you can get a milkshake like this, Coca-Cola. These are things that only teenagers could dream about. And when started certain people started talking about someone called Elvis Presley, well, that's the start of it all. Elvis is coming through the airwaves and Ringo's gonna listen to the radio. Now his next door neighbour was Eddie Miles here at number 11. Eddie Miles, well, he called himself Eddie Clayton and the Clayton Squares because in Liverpool there's a shopping area called Clayton Square. Eddie could sing a bit and he could play guitar and Ringo was his drummer. They went round and mute the new the um the neighbourhood here in the community halls or the like the community centres of the church hall, but to make an inroad into a career. Ringo's gonna join other bands now, and by 1958-59, he's got a nice new drum set and he's with a guy called Alan Caldwell. Alan Caldwell was from Liverpool but he had a stage name of Rory Storm. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Now, everyone was convinced he were Americans. He wore a gold suit on stage, Rory, and he had his blonde hair, and when the spotlight was on him, he looked a million dollars up on stage. Rory turned to his bandmates and told them, if I've got a stage name, boys, you guys are getting stage names, and you guys are gonna look professional like me with the beautiful new suits on. Ringo got his name because he wore rings on his fingers, both of his hands, and Starkey was just short and down to star. So Ringo was very country and western, and Starkey was short and down to star, so Ringo star as we know him today. But there's a group in Liverpool come 1961. They didn't wear the gold suit on stage, they didn't call themselves silly stage names, they just went by the name of the Beatles and had to play on Buddy Holly and the crickets. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best on the drums. Now his real name he was born with was Randolph Peter Scanland, but Pete Best is what we know him as today. That's what the Beatles look like in 1961 in the cavern with the leather jackets and leather trousers. George Harrison tells everyone on the microphone in the cavern, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we've made the record. Go and buy it for us and make us lots of money. Go to your nearest record store. The record's called My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean. The teenagers ran around the corner, ran down Mackey Street, walked into the nearest record store, and the manager who was behind his office desk was Brian Epstein. Now he is flooded with requests for this record by the Beatles, but he told everyone I'd never heard of them. Who were these? Who was this strange name people are asking about? When he'd done his homework, he was told that the Beatles played round the corner in the cavern. So on the 9th of November 1961, with nothing better to do for lunch, Brian made his way to the cavern and he sees the boys on stage. At the end of the show, he made a beeline for George Harrison. And George Harrison knew who he was. He said, Mr. Epstein, what brings you to our club? He said, The record you told everyone about, my bunny. He said, Oh yeah, we made that record. We made it in Germany, Hamburg. We were over there last year. We were working with a rock and roll singer. His name's Tony Sheridan, and the record's been put out by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers.

SPEAKER_00: 5:35

And I don't know if you're going to say this, but it was also produced by Bert Campfort, who was Bert Camford and his orchestra, was a German orchestra can uh leader and a can uh and a wonderful musician.

SPEAKER_01: 5:45

That's it, that's the that's the that's the name Bert, and he is the one with Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers. Now the reason why they were called the Beat Brothers is because the word Beatles sounded a little bit too familiar, sounded like Beatles. Peadles a slang word for penis. So you couldn't have a group called the penises now, could you? So that's why they put pick out the word beat brothers instead of the Beatles. Okay. So Brian, as I say, has got the information, he's made a phone call to Germany, and the records have been shipped to London, to Liverpool. Sold. More records come from Germany, London, Liverpool. Sold. He goes back to see the Beatles and he asks the question: Who is the management? Who do we speak to? Because your records are flown off the shelves. They all pointed at him at Pete and said, His mother. His mother was Mona Best. Mona, God love her, she was making phone calls to London, but all she kept on saying mostly was that my son is so handsome, my son is so good looking. My son is the hearthrop of the band. To be fair, she wasn't telling lies. As I say, Pete was the good-looking guy in the band, and all the girls used to hang around his house all the time. Not Paul's, but his house all the time. So the boys, as I say, Brian Epstein's done the inquiry, and the boys, as I say, are gonna be taken over by Brian. He went to London with photographs looking like this. But all the promoters in London, all the record guys, just looked at them and went, no, they don't look very professional. Then Brian hit upon the idea this might work in Liverpool, it won't work in London. Suits. You've got to smart yourself up. He's got them dressed, suited and booted, he's got new photographs taken by Albert Marion, and he's gone down to London. But he got refused by everyone. Pete refused all requests to brush his hair into the Beatles style as we know today. Pete wouldn't do it because he said when I played the drums and I started shaking my head, my hair stuck up anyway. Who cared? I didn't have a beetle haircut. So Brian Epstein goes to London, but he got refused by everyone. And then he was about to give it all up and say, Boys, I can't do it because no one's taking me seriously. You got a call. George Martin. I'm gonna sign your boys, Brian, but I've got a problem, and the problem we can't ignore. Your drummer. Can't play drums. Timing, he's off key, he goes too slow, and for some reason he picks up the pace and then he goes slow. He's a weak drummer, he's the weak part of the group. But guess what? I can use him for publicity. He's a good looking guy. The girls won't know the difference, who's playing the records, he will have to sit out the recordings. I'll get away with them three, I will not get away with him. I'll bring one of my session guys in. Now, when Brian told them three without his knowledge, they all instantly said, get rid of him. Get him out, Brian. Get the one we want, and the one we want is Richie. So Brian would come here with George Harrison, knock on the door, and wonder if Ringo would be interested. But Ringo said no. I'm with Rory, I'm going to Butlands holiday camp, I'm working, and I've got plenty of work ahead of me. He said, Ringo, we're gonna give you£25 a week, and we've got a record deal in London. So, Ringo, you've got to think about this. Ringo spoke with Rory, and Rory said, Ringo, I can't stand in your way. Go with the Beatles, Ringo. If it doesn't work out, you can always come back at the end of the day.£25 a week, Ringo. You've got to think about that one. He did think about it, and he told Brian he will join on one condition, he has nothing to do with Pete getting sacked. He said, Pete's a nice guy, and I'm a nice guy, and this has got nothing to do with me. This is not my problem. John Paul and George had a meeting said we're not gonna tell him. You are, because you're the manager. You tell him, you do the hiring fighting, we do the music, Brian. That's the deal. They didn't want to tell him because guess what? He comes from a family in Liverpool, boxing. His father was Johnny Best. He had the boxing stadium in the city with the ringside announcer. Johnny, as I say, they didn't know that he had the skills handed down from his father. So they were not gonna tell him, they let Brian tell him. And Brian walked in the office with Pete, he brought him in and he said on the 16th of August 1962, Pete, I'm sorry, it's the end of the line for you. The guys in London said they can't record you, and if I can't record you, I can't give you a contract. Pete, it's not personal, you're a good guy, and I'm gonna try and get you another group. But your time with the Beatles is over. But when Pete started asking questions, Brian must have got a bit flustered because he let it slip. Ringo's agreed to join. That was it. Ringo has agreed to join. Now Pete knows. So Ringo, as I say, Pete walked out the room. He said, It would have been nice to be told by the other three, but no, that's the way they are. Brian, don't worry about me, I'll go and find another group. I'll get with them. Pete walked out the room and Brian made a phone call to John Paul and George. I've done what I've had to do. Pete's gone, he's sat, he knows this, and now he's walked out the room. Go and get Ringo. Ringo joined two days later. Ringo would come home from Butland's holiday camp on the Friday, and then he was literally measured up for his suit and he goes and gets his Beatles suit. And Ringo the following day is now officially a Beatle. 18th of August 1962. Now, 12 months later, fast forward to the 7th of December 63, Ringo walked out the front door and made his way to the car. He was photographed here. That film was him. That's the first day. That's the 7th of December 63. Okay. This is 12 months now afterwards, and the Beatles' success is now getting crazy. Everywhere they go, the closing scenes. And Ringo would come home, it's going to be few and far between now because Ringo's, as I say, popularity was getting a little bit too much. 7th of December, the Beatles are in Liverpool making a TV show, Toothbox Jory, and they're going to play for the Northwest Beatles fan club. That's Ringo on his way to rehearsals. 1964 February, the Beatles got back from America, New York City, and Ringo made a phone call to his mum. Tomorrow, mum, someone's coming for you in the car. Don't argue, go with them. I'm in London. I can't come up to Liverpool at the moment, but tomorrow someone's going to take you to a nice new house. Ringo bought the nice new home. This house was taken over by a lady called Margaret Grove. Margaret moved in the house in 64. Margaret passed away in 2016. The house is being bought by a Beatle fanatic, and her name is Jackie. And Jackie's a lovely lady. Jackie bought the property in 2016, and nothing's been done to it mostly. Bit of decorating, bit of cleaning, but as you look in, you can see the decorative materials are still there, and that's what you've got. An empty house that sits here doing absolutely nothing. If you go on YouTube, just click in on YouTube, the Mercy Sound63, you'll see George Addison where that car is. Now, George is in the car and he's driving outwards, right? And Ringo opens the door, and all the kids from here all chase down and grab all the ringo as he makes his way to the car. Have a look, you'll see it on YouTube.

SPEAKER_00: 12:28

So that clip is on YouTube where the kids are running after them.

SPEAKER_01: 12:32

I have to see that. It's a famous little clip on YouTube. The Mercy Sound 63.