Pete Best says Ringo Starr enjoyed the fruits of his hard work

The Beatles' original drummer Pete Best says that although there are no hard feelings between him and the group, he does feel that Ringo Starr enjoyed the fruits of his hard work with the band. The drummer joined the group 46 years ago (August 17th, 1960) and was fired just short of two years later on August 15th, 1962. He was replaced by Starr, who had been the drummer for Rory Storm & the Hurricanes.

Best, who says that he has had no substantial contact with any of the Beatles since the night before he was fired, told us that Starr walked into a much cushier job than he did upon joining the Fab Four: "Y'know, when you think about it, the first trip out to Hamburg, (Germany), we were playing six, seven hours a night. And I think actually, when (laughs) Ringo joined they were playing 20 minutes, half an hour sessions, or something like that. So, I did a lot of the spade work, put the long hours in and he was the one who picked up the glory."

While Ringo was with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, he did in fact play similarly grueling sets in Liverpool and Hamburg, often sharing a 12-hour bill with the Beatles.

Best has just wrapped up a U.S. tour with his Pete Best Band.

Later this fall, the drummer will re-release his 2005 Best Of The Beatles DVD, which was previously only available in limited distribution. The documentary features Best's first hand recollections of the |Fab Four's formative days in Liverpool and Hamburg.
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