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Ringo Starr turned to country music many years later.
Speaking at Ringo's annual Peace & Love Birthday Celebration at Beverly Hills Garden Park, the Beatles legend revealed what inspired the genre shift.
Starr praised Grammy Award-winning country icon T Bone Burnett, telling Fox News Digital: “I met him. [when] Olivia Harrison was reading poetry for George, and there was an audience of about 100 people, including him. [off and on] Since the 70s.
“He was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing an EP. [extended play albums, which have more tracks than a single, but less than a record]We have people write songs and then we set them to music.”
After a chance meeting with a fellow music star, Ringo Starr decided to produce a country album. (Arnold Gerocki/Getty Images)
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Starr had written some pop songs, but said Barnett's song was “definitely one of the most beautiful country songs I've ever heard, so I thought, 'Let's do a country EP.'”
However, when he spoke to Burnett about making more songs, he revealed that there were in fact nine songs, so Ringo said, “I thought let's make a real CD, so I went back to make a CD.”
In an interview with Variety earlier this year, Burnett offered similar praise for Star.
“He's a really great singer. People didn't take Ringo seriously as a singer because he was in the same band as two of the greatest singers in rock and roll history,” Burnett told the outlet.
Starr performed alongside T Bone Burnett, who told Variety that the Beatle was “a very beautiful singer.” (Getty Images)
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“You just listen to all the country songs he wrote – 'What Goes On,' 'Act Naturally,' 'Honey Don't.' He wrote a lot of really great country music, even during his time with The Beatles. And, you know, they call him Ringo Starr because that's a cowboy's name. He wanted to be a cowboy when he was a kid.”
“Like all of us back then, we all always wanted to be Gene Autry. He asked me to write him a song, and I wrote a Gene Autry-esque song for him called 'Come Back.' That's kind of the beginning of my songwriting craze, and I'm still writing songs all the time.”
“That means Ringo's third effort deserves a full-blown album. … I want to make a classic Ringo Starr country record. I think I can do it.”
WATCH: Ringo Starr reveals fellow icon who inspired his new country album
As Burnett hinted, the new album isn't Starr's first foray into country music: In 1970, he released his second solo album, “Beaucoups of Blues,” which was full of country and western influences.
The star turned 84 on Sunday and, as he has for the past 16 years, celebrated the occasion at Ringo's annual Peace & Love Birthday Celebration.
When asked about the celebrations and why there is still no peace in the world, Starr replied: “It takes time. I can only facilitate it. I don't have the power to end it. But things are getting better.”
The star turned 84 on Sunday and marked the day at Ringo's annual Peace & Love Birthday Celebration. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images, courtesy of ABA)
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“If we have one more person today than we had last year, we're growing. And I would say we're adding a lot more than one person.”
Regarding her health, she said she was “feeling very well and doing great,” and revealed that she had celebrated by enjoying a breakfast of croissants and coffee.
“I train almost every day,” he also told Fox News Digital.
WATCH: Beatles legend Ringo Starr celebrates 84th birthday with peace and love
Longevity is a recurring theme in Starr's life: He has been friends with fellow Beatle Paul McCartney for much of the past 62 years, since joining the band that McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison founded in 1962.
“We're friends. We're buddies. We're brothers,” Starr said of his relationship with McCartney. (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
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“We're friends. We're comrades. We're brothers,” he said of his relationship with McCartney, the only surviving member of the legendary band.
“Paul and I will have dinner together. We're still great friends,” the star told USA Today in May. “George[Harrison]and John, I miss them so much. I'm an only child and all of a sudden I have three brothers, which has been great.”
“I had three brothers, and it was great,” Starr said of his bandmates. (Getty Images)
“Whenever he comes to LA we'll definitely do something. And when I get to the UK we'll do something there. That's how we do it. We went to Paris together[in March]for Stella McCartney's clothing line. But really we went to lunch. But, no, really we were just hanging out. We got on the train and we all sat in the same carriage. We had a great time.”
Ringo Starr, Stella McCartney and Paul McCartney attended the Stella McCartney Fall 2024 ready-to-wear show as part of Paris Fashion Week earlier this year. (Swan Garrett/WWD via Getty Images)
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In addition to the new album, Starr is once again on the road with his all-star band, with shows scheduled across the country through the fall.