LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Country comes naturally to .
It's been a low-key part of his of his career since his , so it was not a serious swerve for him to make a whole country album, the forthcoming 鈥淟ook Up,鈥� a collaboration with the modern maestro of classic country and Americana, .
鈥淚鈥檝e done 20 albums and there鈥檚 always a track that's country-ish on each one,鈥� the 84-year-old Starr told The Associated Press recently.
His love of the music 鈥� Hank Williams and Kitty Wells are favorites 鈥� began in childhood, alongside his acquisition of affection for blues, swing and whatever else came to his hometown.
鈥淟iverpool, it鈥檚 the capital of country music in England,鈥� Starr said, 鈥渂ecause a lot of I think it stems from it being a port, and why we got rock 鈥榥鈥� roll music physically, was because the lads on the boats would be going to America, they鈥檇 be going to Egypt, would be going all over. But they were bringing music in.鈥�
Starr 鈥� even his stage name has cowboy vibes 鈥� had a star turn with the Beatles in 1965 when he sang the Buck Owens' honky-tonk classic, 鈥淎ct Naturally." Many of the Beatle originals the drummer sang, including 鈥淲hat Goes On鈥� and 鈥淒on't Pass Me By," had country undertones.
It would culminate with his second solo album, 1971's 鈥淏eaucoups of Blues," going full country.
He kept dabbling 鈥� he recorded an 鈥淎ct Naturally鈥� duet with Owens in 1989 鈥� but he didn't make a full country album again for decades.
Enter Burnett, the culture's chief curator of classic country for the last 25 years, the man behind the soundtracks to 鈥淥 Brother Where Art Thou鈥� and 鈥淚nside Llewyn Davis," and the unlikely pairing of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
Starr had known Burnett for decades, but had never collaborated on an entire project with him.
鈥淚n the '70s I used to throw a lot of parties and, and he was always there and I never invited him once," Starr said. 鈥淲e often laugh about that.鈥�
The two were both at the Sunset Marquis last year for a poetry reading from Olivia Harrison, daughter of Starr's former bandmate George Harrison.
with different writers and producers, including a recent release with Linda Perry, and suggested Burnett give him a song for the next one.
Burnett quickly came back with a country tune.
鈥淚t was beautiful. The most beautiful song I鈥檝e heard in a long time,鈥� Starr said. He began to think, "I鈥檓 going to do a country piece.鈥�
An inspired Burnett would write nine songs that along with two more, one of them written by Starr with his friend Bruce Sugar, turning the EP into an LP.
Starr played the drums and sang in Los Angeles, while Burnett recorded parts of the record in Nashville, bringing on young neo-classical country artists Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle for several tracks apiece.
And Krauss sings with Starr on the song he co-wrote, 鈥淭丑补苍办蹿耻濒,鈥� released Friday as the album's second single, in which he managed to smuggle his catchphrase, 鈥減eace and love,鈥� into a genre that's usually about anything but.
鈥淵eah, I put it in the song,鈥� he said with a smile.
鈥淟ook Up,鈥� to be released in January, comes at a major country moment across music, with pulling on cowboy boots and breaking out out the twang.
鈥淢ine just came together. I mean, I didn鈥檛 think of any of that,鈥� Starr said. 鈥淚 just thought, I鈥檓 going to do it.鈥�
Beyonc茅 did come up at one point in Burnett and Starr's work.
鈥淗e asked, 鈥榳hat are you going to call the album?鈥�" Starr said. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥楤E-ON-SAY.鈥� But nobody laughed.鈥�
In January, he'll get to play one of his favorite places, Nashville's Ryman auditorium, former longtime home of the Grand Ole Opry, for a pair of concerts and a TV special.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited because we鈥檙e going to be doing like some of the other songs and some of the country songs,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be doing 鈥榃ith a Little Help From My Friends鈥� in a country fashion, country style. So let鈥檚 see.鈥�
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
