**Remembering Richard Perry: The Legendary Record Producer Behind Ringo Starr’s Iconic Albums**

Richard Perry, my good friend, was arguably the most successful record producer across the 70s, 80s, and 2000s. His remarkable work included classic records by Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, the Pointer Sisters, Rod Stewart, and many more.

This week marks a special moment as Ringo Starr’s two biggest albums, *Ringo!* and *Goodnight Vienna*, are being relaunched on beautiful, heavy vinyl. These albums yielded numerous hits such as “Photograph,” “You’re Sixteen,” “Oh My My,” “The No No Song,” and “I’m the Greatest.”

What makes *Ringo!* particularly historic is that it was the first album after the Beatles’ breakup to feature all four Fab Four members. Paul McCartney contributed a song called “Six O’Clock,” while John Lennon and George Harrison also wrote songs, sang, and played on the album.

To celebrate this vinyl relaunch, I’ve gathered some of Richard Perry’s memories from his memoir, *Cloud Nine*, available now on Amazon. Richard sadly passed away on Christmas Eve 2024, but his legacy continues to live on, heard every day around the clock on radio stations worldwide.

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### A Glimpse Inside Richard Perry’s Memoir, *Cloud Nine*

> **“For over a year [1972], I tried to convince Ringo to make a different kind of solo album — one that would fully reflect the personality and charm of his voice, almost like a Beatles record with Ringo singing lead on every track. I was insistent, but he was resistant, not wanting to devote five months to making a record (that’s how long it took to make the last few Beatles’ albums). The idea remained on the shelf for a year until, one day, I got a call from the producer of the upcoming Grammy awards show asking if I could persuade Harry Nilsson to be a presenter. Our album, *Nilsson Schmilsson*, was nominated in nearly every major category.**

> **Since Nilsson had never appeared live in his entire career, I told them I seriously doubted he would comply. But suddenly a light bulb went off in my head! Knowing that Harry and Ringo had become very good friends, I told the Grammy people that if they could get Ringo to do it with him, I was sure Nilsson would agree — even though they would have to travel to Nashville, where the awards were being held for the first and last time.**

> **My hunch was right on the money. A few days later, I got a call from Ringo. ‘Hey Rich, I’m not going to come all that way just to present a f*-cking Grammy award. You know how you’ve been talking about doing an album? Well, why don’t we go into the studio in Nashville and see what happens.’ I said, ‘Great idea, Ring,’ (my nickname for him) ‘but I would strongly recommend that we go back to LA and do the sessions there. All our friends that we would want to play on the album are already there. It’s just a better environment for the record we want to make.’**

> **It made a lot of sense, and he agreed. Little did I know that my idea of asking Ringo to co-present the Grammy with Nilsson would open the door to making my dream come true.”**

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### The Birth of *Ringo!*

Two weeks later, we all arrived in Nashville and met in Ringo’s hotel suite to play some song ideas for the proposed album. First, he played me a song he had written with George Harrison called “Photograph.” It featured a haunting yet romantic melody, very symbolic of George’s best songs, with simple yet penetrating lyrics.

Just before we left for the weekend break from recording, Ringo told me he had heard from John Lennon. John had gotten wind of the album buzz in New York and had written a special song for it. He was coming to LA over the weekend and would be at the studio Monday night. Both Ringo and I were psyched.

John had a very electric presence. He walked into the studio with May Pang, Yoko Ono’s former assistant, whom Yoko had chosen as her replacement for John after their separation. She felt this arrangement was better than John carousing around looking for women, which speaks volumes about Yoko’s love for John.

I played John the tracks we had cut, and he responded with the enthusiasm of a teenager. When “You’re Sixteen” started playing, he thrust his fist in the air and screamed, predicting it would be a big hit.

Finally, it was time to hear John’s song. It was called “I’m The Greatest,” and he wrote it as a chronology of Ringo’s life and career with the Beatles. We all gathered in the studio, eager to hear it for the first time. John sat down at the piano and started singing and playing the song in his unique percussive piano style. He rarely played piano on Beatles records, so it had a very fresh, very “Beatle-esque” sound.

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### A Legendary Night

The sessions for *Ringo!* went so well that I was able to convince Ringo, John, and George to appear at a tented fundraiser where Barbra Streisand, whom I also produced, was scheduled to sing.

The next afternoon, I called Ringo. He was in a good mood, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I said, “Ring, forgive me for even bringing this up, but there’s this Hollywood fundraising event tonight, etc., etc.” He said he’d mention it to John.

No more than five minutes later, he called back. John, ever the fan, not only wanted to go but would be there “with bells on,” eager to meet Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.

That evening, I picked up John, George, and Ringo in my 1961 Bentley, which once belonged to the famous film producer Mervin LeRoy. I even had his original license plates: MLR 400. They only made fifty of these cars.

As we were riding down Sunset Boulevard heading towards Bel-Air, guess what song came on the radio? “Walk On The Wild Side” by Lou Reed. Talk about the perfect song for the perfect moment! Totally surreal.

When we arrived at the house, everyone was already seated for dinner in the tent. At the entry hall, two women sat at a desk to check people in. John blew past them and bellowed, “RICHARD PERRY AND FRIENDS HAVE ARRIVED!”

As they entered the tent, you could hear a pin drop. The crème de la crème of Hollywood couldn’t believe that the Beatles had just walked into the room!

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Richard Perry’s influence and artistry truly helped shape some of the greatest records in music history. To dive deeper into his life and work, grab a copy of his memoir, *Cloud Nine*, on Amazon today.

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*Honoring Richard Perry — a legendary producer whose legacy continues to resonate through the timeless music he helped bring to life.*
https://www.showbiz411.com/2025/10/25/how-the-classic-ringo-album-came-about-and-reunited-the-beatles-thanks-to-famed-late-record-producer-richard-perry-exclusive