Ringo Starr

"Thomas is a smashing little engine - he's Number One and never lets anyone forget it!"

- Ringo Starr on his storytelling role

Ringo Starr, MBE, (born, Richard Starkey, July 7th, 1940 in Dingle, Liverpool, England, UK) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who was the former drummer of the British pop-rock band, The Beatles, and the leader of his band, The All Starr Band. He narrated the first and second seasons of the television series. He was the first narrator of the television series and the first to play Mr. Conductor in Shining Time Station. He left the show after 1989 to focus on his music career and tour with his All Starr Band though he often praises his work on the show. This could explain the reason the first Mr. Conductor was written out.

The Beatles

 * "Please Please Me" (1963)
 * "With the Beatles" (1963)
 * "A Hard Day's Night" (1964)
 * "Beatles for Sale" (1964)
 * "Help!" (1965)
 * "Rubber Soul" (1965)
 * "Revolver" (1966)
 * "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967)
 * "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967)
 * "The Beatles (White Album)" (1968)
 * "Yellow Submarine" (1969)
 * "Abbey Road" (1969)
 * "Let it Be" (1970)
 * "Past Masters" (1988) - compilation album set

Solo

 * "Sentimental Journey" (1970)
 * "Beaucoups of Blues" (1970)
 * "Ringo" (1973)
 * "Goodnight Vienna" (1974)
 * "Ringo's Rotogravure" (1976)
 * "Ringo the 4th" (1977)
 * "Bad Boy" (1978)
 * "Stop and Smell the Roses" (1981)
 * "Old Wave" (1983)
 * "Time Takes Time" (1992)
 * "Vertical Man" (1998)
 * "I Wanna Be Santa Claus" (1999)
 * "Ringo Rama" (2003)
 * "Choose Love" (2005)
 * "Liverpool 8" (2008)
 * "Y Not" (2010)
 * "Ringo 2012" (2012)
 * "Postcards from Paradise" (2015)

Awards and nominations

 * Won - Oscar Awards - Best Music, Original Song Score, 1971 for "Let it Be" shared with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
 * Won - Grammy Awards - Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special, 1971 for "Let it Be" shared with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
 * Inducted - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1988 as a member of The Beatles with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
 * Won - Grammy Awards - Best Music Video - Long Form, 1997 for "The Beatles Anthology" shared with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, Chips Chipperfield and Neil Aspinall.
 * Won - Walk of Fame - Recording, 2010.
 * Won - Award For Musical Excellence, 2015 - From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo career.
 * Nominated - Golden Laurel Awards - Musical Performance and New Faces, Male, 1964 for "A Hard Day's Night" shared with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
 * Nominated - Golden Laurel Awards - Musical Performance, Male, 1965 for "Help!" shared with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
 * Nominated - British Academy Film and Television Awards - Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, 1965 for "A Hard Day's Night" shared with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
 * Nominated - Daytime Emmy Awards - Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series, 1989 for "Shining Time Station."

Trivia

 * Ringo Starr recorded the narration for the first season in eight days. That includes re-doing four episodes due to the tone of his voice.
 * He also recorded narration for the Ladybird audio books.
 * Ringo Starr returned to voice Thomas in the 2009 Children in Need charity single.
 * He, George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, and Pierce Brosnan have hosted Saturday Night Live and made guest appearances on The Simpsons.
 * In the Thomas the Tank Engine DOS game, he played the voice of Sir Topham Hatt whenever he said: "Hurry up, Thomas!"

External Link

 * Official website
 * Ringo's Twitter account