Ringo Starr, 85, keeps drumming at the center of a busy career

The surprise is the pace

Ringo Starr is 85, and he is still recording, still touring, and still treating the drum kit as the center of his public life. That is the real story behind his new album, *Long Long Road*, because this is not a legacy project built to sit on a shelf. It is a working drummer’s record, with Starr back as lead vocalist and drummer across the full release, and with his calendar still pointing toward live shows.

That age-defying energy matters because Starr is not being presented as a museum piece. He is front and center in the studio, front and center on stage, and still shaping new material with the kind of collaborative spirit that has always defined the best of his post-Beatles work.

**What *Long Long Road* says about his current form**

*Long Long Road* is Starr’s 22nd solo studio album, a 10-song release recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles and released on April 24, 2026. The record runs for about 33 minutes, which gives it the shape of a tight, purposeful session rather than a sprawling statement. Starr co-wrote three songs, while T Bone Burnett wrote or co-wrote six, keeping the album rooted in a shared creative conversation instead of a one-man showcase.

The set also shows how Starr still thinks like a band drummer, not a nostalgia act. The album includes a re-recording of “Choose Love,” from his 2005 album of the same name, and it also includes a cover of Carl Perkins’ “I Don’t See Me in Your Eyes Anymore.” That choice fits Starr’s long-running connection to country music and the roots material that has always suited his relaxed, pocket-first approach behind the kit.

The Texans keep the record moving

A big part of the sound comes from the returning core band from *Look Up*, the group Burnett calls The Texans. That lineup gives Starr a sturdy musical frame and keeps the focus on feel, not flash.

The Texans are:

• Paul Franklin
• David Mansfield
• Dennis Crouch
• Daniel Tashian
• Rory Hoffman
• Patrick Warren
• Colin Linden

That returning unit matters because it shows Starr working the way active drummers often do at the highest level: surrounding himself with players who can lock into a groove, leave space, and keep the songs breathing. Burnett’s praise for Starr’s drumming reinforces that point. The beat still drives the record, and Starr is still the person setting that motion in place.

The guest list widens the lane

The album’s guest spots give *Long Long Road* extra reach without pushing Starr off the center line. The first single, “It’s Been Too Long,” features Molly Tuttle and Sarah Jarosz, and the broader album also brings in Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow, and St. Vincent. Those are not decorative cameos. They place Starr in the middle of a contemporary roots and Americana conversation, where the drums still matter but the songs have room to stretch.

This is one of the clearest differences between Starr now and the Beatles-era image many fans carry around. Back then, his drumming was often tied to concise, era-defining pop records, built for maximum impact in short running times. Now, the focus is less on explosive display and more on collaboration, song shape, and taste. He still plays with unmistakable economy, but the modern version of that strength is steadier and more conversational.

Why the current work habits stand out

What makes Starr unusual at 85 is not just that he is still active. It is that he remains active in the same role that made him essential in the first place. He is not sitting out front as a ceremonial name on a poster. He is still singing, still drumming, still choosing collaborators carefully, and still building projects around the feel of an ensemble.

That also shows up in the way he talks about the work itself. The AARP feature frames his outlook around country music, collaboration, the Beatles years, and the simple pleasure of playing. That combination explains why the career has kept moving: he has never fully separated the music from the life around it. Even the interview’s attention to sobriety and marriage adds to that picture, presenting him as someone whose public story has continued to evolve without losing the steady pulse that made him recognizable in the first place.

The live calendar keeps the story current

The studio activity is only half of it. AARP reported that the 16th edition of the All-Starr Band was set to tour from May 28 through June 14, 2026, which keeps Starr’s live presence firmly in the present tense. For a drummer, that matters as much as any album credit. Touring is where pocket, stamina, and chemistry get tested night after night, and Starr is still booking that work.

The broader message is hard to miss. *Look Up* arrived as a chart-topping country album in January 2025, and *Long Long Road* extends that run with another focused, roots-leaning set. Starr and Burnett have now made a second album together, and the partnership gives Starr a lane that suits him perfectly: rhythmic leadership, strong songs, trusted players, and enough room for the beat to do the talking.

At 85, Ringo Starr is still proving that longevity in drumming is not just about surviving the years. It is about staying musically useful, staying collaborative, and staying in the pocket long after most careers have stopped moving.