Ringo Starr will celebrate his 80th birthday via a virtual charity.
The celebration, which will debut via YouTube on July 7 at 8 PM ET, will highlight home performances and previously unseen concert footage from Starr, Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Sheila E, Ben Harper and more.
“As everyone knows, I love gathering with fans for peace and love on my birthday,” Starr said in a statement. “But this year, I want everyone to be safe at home – so I called up a few friends, and we put this Big Birthday Show together so we could still celebrate my birthday with you all with some great music for some great charities. I hope you will all join me! Peace and love, Ringo.”
“Ringo’s Big Birthday Show” will help four charities: Black Lives Matter Global Network, the David Lynch Foundation, Musicares, and WaterAid. The online broadcast will highlight the premiere of Starr’s guest-packed version of “Give Me Love” featuring Jeff Bridges, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Peter Frampton, Willie Nelson, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Keb Mo, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, T Bone Burnett, and Ray Wylie Hubbard.
In connection with the celebration, Starr’s YouTube channel will highlight some other tribute performances, including new versions and recordings from previous birthday celebrations. Which include artists such as Costello, Frampton, Gregg Rolie, Steve Lukather, Ben Folds, Colin Hay, Judy Collins, Richard Marx, Ben Dickey, and Bettye LaVette, among others.
“This year is going to be a little different,” Starr told Rolling Stone. “There’s no big get-together, there’s no brunch for 100. But we’re putting this show together – an hour of music and chat. It’s quite a big birthday.”
Starr and his All Starr Band, like most other acts, was recently forced to delay a spring 2020 tour until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.