A world without The Beatles’ imprint and influence isn’t worth considering. However, if John Lennon and Ringo Starr’s teenage selves had their way, the budding musicians would have started a new life in Texas, ending the Fab Four before they’d truly got going. Thankfully, the process involved too much admin for the pair, and they aborted their dream.
Music was the sole motivation to move to Texas, home to an impressive blues scene that made up most of their record collection. In the mind of the Beatles duo, America was the place where anything was possible and was the land of opportunity, which seemed otherworldly compared to Britain. They didn’t intend to move to the United States to chase superstardom, and instead, the only reason for making the switch was to immerse themselves in the blues movement.
Most notably, Lightnin’ Hopkins was from Texas, and he was the musician Ringo Starr aspired to become. The guitarist remains one of Starr’s favourite musicians of all time, and all he wanted to do was perform in the same clubs that turned Hopkins into a star.
“I also love the blues,” Starr once remarked to You and I. “Everybody should know by now. When I was 19, I tried to emigrate to Houston, Texas. I wanted to be where Lightnin’ Hopkins was, my all-time favourite blues player. John and I went down to the embassy and filled in all these forms. You know, we were just teenagers then.”
As there is no freedom of movement agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States, the process of relocating is a lengthy one with many stumbling blocks. With that, Starr and Lennon weren’t particularly qualified in any field or had a well-paid job waiting for them, making it increasingly challenging to make the move.
Starr continued: “We even had a list of factories where we wanted to apply for jobs because I was working in a factory at the time. But then, when we went back to the embassy, we were given more paperwork with more questions. We then turned back into teenagers and just ripped them up. Sod it! That would have been an interesting move if I’d have done that.”
In another life, Starr moved to Texas with Lennon at 19 in 1959, and The Beatles never became the biggest band in the world. While it would have been an eye-opening experience for the pair and would have introduced them to authentic blues musicians, ultimately, staying in Liverpool was the right decision. Shortly after shunning America, Starr started playing with Rory Storm + The Hurricanes before reuniting with Lennon in The Beatles in 1962.
