Ringo Starr Receives Walk of Fame Star

Hollywood - The 50th anniversary of groundbreaking on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was marked Monday night with former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr receiving its 2,401st star.

Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, bassist and music producer Don Was and singer-songwriter Ben Harper joined Starr in speaking at the ceremony in front of the Capitol Records building on Vine Street.

Starr's star is near the stars of his late bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison.

Starr was born Richard Starkey Jr. on July 7, 1940 in Liverpool, England. At 17, he joined the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Band and in 1959, he became part of the Raving Texans, adopting the stage name Ringo Starr because of the rings he wore and because it sounded "cowboyish."

By October 1960, the group was renamed Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

While performing in Hamburg, Starr met The Beatles, going on to drum with them three times, then officially joining the group in August 1962, replacing Pete Best.

Following The Beatles breakup in 1970, Starr had a solo career, including releasing his 16th studio album, "Y Not," last month; performed on other artists' albums; toured 10 times with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band; acted in a variety of films; and was the narrator for the children's series "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends."

The idea of creating the Walk of Fame was first conceived by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in 1953 in a bid to return glamour to Hollywood, when the movie industry was declining because of the rise of television and the flight from urban areas to the suburbs.

The Walk of Fame began with the installation of a few demonstration stars in August 1958, the first of which was a television star dedicated to actor/singer Preston Foster.

The walk was dedicated in November 1960 and became one of Southern California's top tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 15 million visitors a year.