Although retiring from music is a personal decision, I believe that musicians should not retire from music and should continue touring producing, and recording music. Ringo and McCartney remain living examples of musicians who have enjoyed their music careers long after many considered them retirees. Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney remain the surviving members of the most influential and famous rock and roll band, The Beatles. Formed in the 60s, the band comprised of George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon the rock and rock group rocked the musical scene in the early 60 with hard rock, psychedelia, pop ballads, and classical music. The group broke up in 1969 with the last performance on top of the Apple Corps (Frontani 43). After the death of Lennon and Harrison in 1980 and 2001 respectively, Paul McCartney has continued to dominate the musical scene with numerous performances and individual solo career. Ringo went solo producing his first solo album in 1970.He has continued to work and produce albums with each of the former Beatle members producing hits like “It Don’t Come Easy.”
I admire Ringo’s flourishing and fruitful solo career in music production, recording, and acting. In 1976, he produced “Ringo’s Rotogravure” in addition to other albums. In 1984, he teamed up with McCartney in “Give My Regards to Broad Street.” Ringo has continued as a bandleader carrying on his legacy and legendary drumming skills. Currently considered the best drummer in the world, his fortune stands at $300 million (Kushner 31). I felt happy when he teamed up with McCartney on 17 Feb 2017 for a memorable musical collaboration (Frontani 44). Their collaboration has proved to music lovers that one can continue with a musical career long after many considered them retired.
I love Paul McCartney solo performances. Encouraged by the positive public reactions to his first album, McCartney formed “Wings” a musical band that dominated the scenes in the 70s, winning a number of Grammy awards in addition to several singles (Kushner 34). Despite several up and downs in his personal life, McCartney continued to dominate and perform his albums and singles churning out singles and albums that remained hits to date. His release of “Pure McCartney” in 2016 marked a production spanning over thirty decades of his musical career (Norman 23). He has contributed a lot in the musical industry in addition to winning numerous awards both home and abroad (Clydesdale 1).
I consider the successful journey of The Beatles in their musical career as one of the most captivating and inspiring stories ever told. As the two remaining members of the band continue with their musical careers, the question that has lingered in my mind is why they should not have retired with the band. Not really. They did as per their aspirations and desire. In as much as retiring could have been the most logical step to take, talent and doing what one likes remains a top priority. Despite the fact that the other members retired and went different ways regarding career, they stuck with their passion and career life. It is the best they were good at, and they could not stop it because of advancing age. Despite their age and time, they have continued to enjoy music and art in addition to acting for Ringo. It has become their way of life. As a way of life, I feel that they should not stop it simply because of age. I tend to think that there was no need of retiring, they did well at sticking with the drums and formed bands to enjoy what they are loved. I think that their tours come from the need to reach out to their fans, enjoy with their fans, and experience what the world has to offer for them. It’s from their tours that they have blended well with the current musical stars such as Rihanna and Kanye West producing albums that still continue to dominate and top the charts. Therefore, their tours arise from the fact that they want to keep their musical careers alive and experience the best that the contemporary world has to offer. Despite changes in musical content, production, and methodology, I believe that Ringo and McCartney have stuck and maintained their rock and roll musical style. Most of the singles and albums produced by the two still contain the traditional element of their previous productions while with the Beatles. They have continued to share the embodiment of the counterculture identified by the group in the early 60. For example, during one of McCartney’s performances in 2016 that included The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Bob Dylan, and The Who, the majority of the fans were aged over 60 years indicating that they still identify themselves with the original Beatles productions and songs. I believe that their performances have proved the strong reason why they should not have retired.
The decision to continue with one’s career path despite advancing age remains a personal decision. However, I believe as an entertainment field, musicians should continue touring to connect with their fans and also re-inevent their musical skills. A musician should not retire and I take it that retiring from the music scene kills the passion with which fans perceived one’s music. Additionally, retiring denies one the chance of enjoying the fruits of the foundation one has built in one’s musical career, a key component of ensuring that one’s albums and singles continue to dominate the musical scene long and many years after its production.
Works Cited
Clydesdale, Greg. “The Beatles.” Elsevier Inc, 2011.
www.ommolketab.ir/aaf-lib/ad9mh24xe22utmfi22pejx90t7atvi.pdf. Accessed 14 March 2017
Frontani, Michael R. The Beatles: Image and the Media. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2009.
Kushner, David. “The making of the Beatles: Rock Band.” IEEE Spectrum 46.9 (2009): 30-35.
Norman, Philip. Shout!: the Beatles in their generation. Simon and Schuster, 2011.