He grew up poor in Liverpool, and his father left the family when Starr was only three. A sickly child, he missed a lot of school on account of his illnesses. Starr eventually dropped out as a teenager.

Starr started his musical career playing percussion in a skiffle band, or a band that used common objects instead of regular instruments. His stepfather supported his interest in music and reportedly bought him a drum kit. Learning the drums, Starr went on to join a popular local band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in the late 1950s. He took his nickname—Ringo—was given to him because of the rings he wore—as part of his stage name around this time. And his drum solos for the group were called "Starr-time."

Starr met the members of another Liverpool group, the Beatles, while both groups were playing in Hamburg, Germany, in 1960. Two years later, he was asked to join the Beatles to replace their current drummer Pete Best. Starr was soon on the fast track to success with his new bandmates Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison.

Guided in the studio by producer George Martin, the Beatles recorded their first single, "Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You," in 1962. While that song did okay, their next single "Please Please Me" made the group a pop sensation in England. Their first album together, Please Please Me (1963), added fuel to already growing frenzy that would soon become known as Beatlemania. Starr made a rare appearance on lead vocals for the song "Boys" on the album.