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WATCH: Ringo Starr on His First Ludwig Drum Kit

In a game of word association, when someone says “Ringo Starr,” who celebrates his 77th birthday today (July 7), the first thing out of most people’s mouths would be “Beatles.”  The second…

CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 18: Inductee Ringo Starr performs onstage during the 30th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 18, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

In a game of word association, when someone says "Ringo Starr," who celebrates his 77th birthday today (July 7), the first thing out of most people's mouths would be "Beatles."  The second most popular answer.  Of course, it should be "Ludwig."

Starr is synonymous with the drum brand Ludwig.  In fact, a Ludwig kit he used on a number of early Beatles' records sold at auction for a staggering $2.2 million!  And Starr's love for the brand is evident in his recounting of his first Ludwig kit.

Starr told the story to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the video below, and he talks about how as a young kid from Liverpool, he loved anything American.  Big credit to then manager Brian Epstein for being willing to buy the kit for Starr, too.

And the rest, as they say, is history!

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock reporter. The first man she ever loved was Jack Daniels.  (True story.)

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights