As The Beatles once sang, “All you need is love.” But it turns out, they needed a little Nashville, too. As Ringo Starr prepares for two nights at Ryman Auditorium (Jan. 14-15), we’re exploring a few Music City connections to the Fab Four.
Ringo’s Nashville albums
Starr’s solo discography is nearly bookended by Nashville, with 1970’s “Beaucoups of Blues” and his latest release, “Look Up,” both recorded here. The former featured local session musicians, while the latter, produced by T Bone Burnett, boasts contributions from Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and Alison Krauss.
Paul McCartney’s summer in Lebanon
In 1974, McCartney, his family, and his Wings bandmates spent six weeks on a Wilson County farm — songwriter Curly Putman Jr.'s property, to be exact. When they weren’t recording tracks such as “Junior’s Farm” and “Sally G,” they explored local spots like Opryland, The Loveless Motel, and Printers Alley.
“I rather fancy the place (Nashville),” McCartney told the Nashville Banner upon his arrival. “It’s a musical center. I’ve just heard so much about it that I wanted to see for myself.”
Nashville shows
The Beatles never performed together in Nashville (the closest they came was Memphis in 1966), but Starr and McCartney are no strangers to our stages. Starr has played here nearly 10 times, with stops at Bridgestone Arena, Wildhorse Saloon, and the Ryman. McCartney graced Bridgestone twice, in 2010 and 2014, though his largest local crowd came in 2013 at Bonnaroo, where over 80,000 fans sang along to “Hey Jude” and other classics.
George Harrison and John Lennon
While it remains unclear whether Harrison and Lennon ever visited Nashville — if they did, it hasn’t been widely documented — the city’s influence is still there. Inspired by Bob Dylan’s Nashville sound, Harrison enlisted pedal steel guitarist Pete Drake for his “All Things Must Pass” sessions, bringing a touch of Music City to London in 1970.
