Today, Ringo Starr released “Thankful,” the second track from his forthcoming country music album, Look Up. The song features Alison Krauss and is the only track on the album co-written by Starr, alongside Bruce Sugar. The album, produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett, is set to be released on January 10, 2025. “Thankful” is available to stream today.
“I love this track. I wrote it with my producer and engineer Bruce Sugar, and I feel we gave it an LA country sound. For the lyrics, I always like to focus on the positive, and for this song in particular, about what we can be thankful for,” Ringo reflected. “I hope it brings you some joy and peace and love.”
PRE-ORDER LOOK UP | HERE
LISTEN TO “THANKFUL” | HERE
Recorded this year in Nashville and Los Angeles, Look Up features 11 songs, nine of which were written or co-written by Burnett. One track was written by Billy Swan, and the other, as previously mentioned, was co-written by Starr and Bruce Sugar. Starr sang and played drums on all the songs and co-wrote the album’s closer, “Thankful,” which features Alison Krauss. For this project, Burnett enlisted some of Nashville’s finest and most sought-after talent, 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 (a co-producer on the album along with Sugar), and Burnett, is currently available to stream.
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 during his years with The Beatles (e.g., “Act Naturally,” “What Goes On,” “Don’t Pass Me By”), as well as with the earlier Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. He also recorded a country album, Beaucoups of Blues, in 1970 as his second solo album. His passion for Country and Blues music even inspired him to attempt emigrating from London to Texas as a teenager after reading that Lightnin’ Hopkins lived in Houston.
The artist’s new album was inspired by a chance meeting with Burnett at an event in Los Angeles in 2022. Although the two had first met in the 1970s, Starr asked Burnett to write a song for an EP he was recording. Burnett, taking the task to heart, returned with nine songs, all with a country flair. This happy coincidence put Starr on the path to record Look Up—his first country album in more than 50 years and his first full-length album since 2019.
Starr will bring his new music to Nashville when he headlines the famed Ryman Auditorium on January 14 and 15, 2025. Tickets are currently on sale.
About Ringo Starr
Throughout his career, Ringo Starr has received nine GRAMMY® Awards and has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—first as a Beatle and later as a solo artist. Between 1970 and 2023, Ringo released 20 solo studio albums and four consecutive EPs in 2020, 2021, and 2023. He has acted in over 15 films, received an Academy Award®, and earned an Emmy® nomination as an actor. Ringo has also published eight books, briefly worked as a male fashion model, and even served as a photographer for Foo Fighters PR photos.
Beyond music, Ringo is a visual artist and has exhibited his work extensively. His “Peace Sculpture” is on permanent display in Beverly Hills Park. Since 2008, Ringo has dedicated his July 7 birthday to promoting Peace and Love, a movement that has grown to include events worldwide—even reaching outer space with NASA’s support. In 2018, Ringo was knighted, and in 2019, he celebrated 35 years of touring with his All Starr Bands. Most recently, in 2022, Ringo received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award.
