Ringo Starr is taking his country bona fides onto the genre’s biggest stage. The musician and former Beatle will be taking the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on February 21, the theater announced this week. The invitation comes after the icon performed two nights shows at Ryman Auditorium, joined on stage by his friend Emmylou Harris.
When Harris formally invited Starr to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, he had to think about it for a second. “When is that, July?” he wondered to the crowd. Of course, he was just playing—it was an easy yes. After Harris confirmed that Starr would make his debut in February, he responded, “I’d love to. It’s an honor and a pleasure. Thank you.”
“What an honor that after all the extraordinary music he has made and all the incredible history he’s been a part of, Ringo Starr will be making his Opry debut during this, the Opry’s milestone 100th year,” Opry Executive Producer Dan Rogers said in a press statement. “It’s going to be a night like no other.”
Starr’s most recent album with a country flair is Look Up, which officially debuted on January 10, and features the singles “Time On My Hands,” “Thankful,” and “Look Up.” The former Beatle has also promoted the album with a number of appearances and shows, including the aforementioned set at Ryman Auditorium, which will air on CBS later this spring. Part of that performance will raise money to help people affected by the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles County. “My heart is full,” Starr says of the performance in an interview with Billboard. “The Ryman means a lot to my soul, because most of the acts that I was following [growing up] were at the Ryman.”
Of course, though it may not be the genre most associated with him, the musician has always loved it. “I did love country music before I was in the band,” Starr recalled of his pre-Beatles youth in the same interview. “We got plenty of it in Liverpool, because the lads who were in the merchant navy would bring not only rock and roll over, but country — and when country bands went on tour in England, they always played Liverpool.”
Listen to Ringo Starr’s Look Up now.
