Ringo Rama is Ringo Starr’s thirteenth solo studio album.
Released by the Koch label following Starr’s departure from Mercury Records, Ringo Rama featured guest musicians including David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Van Dyke Parks, Willie Nelson, Timothy B Schmit, and Shawn Colvin.
The album was recorded at Rocca Bella, Starr’s London recording studio in London, and producer Mark Hudson’s Whatinthewhatthe? Studios in Los Angeles.
‘Never Without You’ was originally a tribute to John Lennon and Harry Nilsson, but was rewritten by Starr following the death of George Harrison. The final version contains quotations from ‘Within You Without You’, ‘Here Comes The Sun’, and ‘All Things Must Pass’.
Starr performed all instruments on the ‘hidden’ track ‘I Really Love Her’, and duetted with Willie Nelson on ‘Write One For Me’. The closing song ‘English Garden’ includes elements from the Wings song ‘Let ’Em In’.
The release
Ringo Rama was released worldwide on 25 March 2003. The first 100,000 copies included a DVD with footage from the recording sessions.
The deluxe CD edition contained three bonus tracks: ‘Blink’, ‘OK Ray’, and ‘I’m Home’.
The album peaked at number 113 on the US Billboard 200.
