Why the Ringo drum kit belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Vintage Black Oyster Pearl Ludwig

On April 18, 2015. Ringo Star will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. He’ll be the last Beatle given with the honour. Whether he deserves it is a point of contention. Ringo’s career as a solo artist isn’t exactly groundbreaking. Some would say the fact that he has a solo career at all is solely due to the fact that he was in the Beatles.

The influence of the band and its drummer, however, can’t be understated. Just ask anyone at Ludwig. When the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 the instruments they were playing were given Superbowl advertising exposure. The brand to see the biggest lift was Ludwig. The Ludwig Drum Company saw sales more than double in a short span of two years following the performance. You can read a great article about the Ringo effect here.

Back in ’64 Ringo was scene playing a Black Oyster Pearl Ludwig kit, from that point on known as the Ringo drum kit. The Classic Maple kit can still be found today. It’s single tom configuration more popular than ever.