Beatles drummer knighted in the UK honour’s list

Other honourees include Barry Gibb, Michael Morpurgo and Darcey Bussell

Ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has been knighted in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year’s honours list, along with Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb and author Michael Morpurgo, while ballet dancer Darcey Bussell becomes a dame, reported Reuters.

PHOTO: HERALD

77-year old Ringo, whose real name is Richard Starkey, joined the Beatles as a replacement drummer for Pete Best in 1962. He also occasionally sang lead vocals, notably in Yellow Submarine and With a Little Help from my Friends. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Beatle in 1988 and again in 2015 for his solo career after the group split up.

Gibb is the British musician who co-founded the Bee Gees with his brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb. The 71-year-old then went on to record a string of pop classics such as Stayin’ Alive and Night Fever from the film Saturday Night Fever. He is also known for his high-pitched falsetto singing voice and also shares the record with John Lennon and Paul McCartney for six consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number ones, as a writer.

PHOTO: STANDARD UK

English author Morpurgo is best known for children’s novels like War Horse and Little Foxes. His work includes themes such as the triumph of an outsider or survival. 74 years of age, he was also Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005, which is a position awarded to writers or illustrators of children’s work to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field.

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Bussell, 48, started her professional career at Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet. A year later, at the age of 20, she became a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet based at the Royal Opera House in Convent Garden. However, she retired from ballet in June 2007 with a performance of MacMillan’s Song of the Earth. She is currently one of the four judges in the long-running BBC TV ballroom contest Strictly Come Dancing.

The New Year’s honours have been awarded since Queen Victoria’s reign in the 19th century and aim to recognize not just well-known figures but those who have contributed to national life through often selfless and unsung contributions over many years.

PHOTO: TELEGRAPH

In that category, Margaret Jamieson, of the Blue Door charity shop on the Scottish island of Orkney is recognized, along with Geoffrey Evans, a local councillor in Falmouth, Cornwall for over 40 years.

Actor Hugh Laurie also received the CBE medal, as does author Jilly Cooper and the former editor of British Vogue magazine Alexandra Shulman – which is one of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. England women’s cricket captain Heather Knight is made an OBE while hip-hop artist Richard Cowie, also known as Wiley, is made an MBE along with Paralympian athlete Stefanie Reid.

The biannual honours list is released on the Queen’s official birthday in June and at the end of each year. The list is published by the Cabinet Office.

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