Ringo Starr was honoured with an honorary degree from the Berklee College of Music on Thursday, the day he finally arrived in Boston to accept the degree. As Ringo Starr was unable to attend the commencement ceremonies in May when the school had originally announced that he would receive a doctorate in music at those ceremonies. The school has since retracted that announcement.
Berklee College Of Music Honours Ringo Starr
In the video, Starr can be seen banging around on a kit before issuing his customary greeting of “peace and love” and congratulating the class of 22. “I’m a doctor at last! I never went to college, but I have had a lot of experience making music, so I suppose I earned this in my own way,” he said. “I certainly have had a lot of experience making music.”
However, since Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band were in town for a performance, the school held a special ceremony on Thursday to honour his lifelong contributions to the music scene. The ceremony featured performances of Starr’s hit songs, which were arranged and performed by students at Berklee.
Starr, now 81 years old, related the story of how he began playing the drums when he was 13 years old and hospitalised with a serious illness. Someone had brought some percussion instruments to the hospital to keep him busy while he was there. He was hooked.
During the ceremony on Thursday, he shared his reflections, saying, “I just wanted to be a drummer from that moment on.” “It was the realisation of my greatest dream, and it is still taking shape. I get to perform with some really talented musicians, like the guys in this band. To put it simply, I have a wonderful life.
The opening remarks were delivered by Gregg Bissonette, the drummer for the All Starr Band, and Erica Muhl, the president of Berklee College of Music.
Starr recently began his first tour since 2019 with the All Starr Band by announcing an NFT collection. This collection is comprised of digital artworks created by Starr, along with signed canvas prints. Julien’s Auctions is in charge of the presentation of the collection, which bears the name “Ringo Starr NFT Collection – The Creative Mind of a Beatle.” You can access the auction through this link, and the live bidding will take place on June 13. The Lotus Foundation will receive a donation from the proceeds of a portion of the sale. The carbon footprint left by the NFT will be neutralised through the efforts of CarbonFund.org.
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