Paul McCartney pays glowing tribute to Ringo Starr

Sir Paul McCartney says his friendship with Ringo Starr is a ”beautiful thing”.

The 72-year-old singer handed over the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Award for Musical Excellence to his former Beatles bandmate at the 30th year of the annual event at Cleveland’s Public Hall, in Ohio, on Saturday (18.04.15) and paid him a glowing tribute in his speech.

Reflecting on their early days together, Paul recalled: ”We did ballrooms and clubs around England, and we got a little work in Europe, and then we eventually came to America.

”And here we were, we were staying in rooms together. And I wasn’t a sheltered kid, but I just had my mom and dad growing up and my brother.

”So I was staying in a hotel room with a strange man. This really brought us together. We lived like in each other’s pockets, virtually. But it was a beautiful thing, a wonderful thing.”

Ringo’s induction into the Hall of Fame made him the final Beatles member to go in as a solo artist. He along with Paul and the late John Lennon and George Harrison were honoured in 1988 as a band.

Also inducted at this year’s ceremony was late singer Lou Reed, Joan Jett – who was inducted by a breast-baring Miley Cyrus – Green Day, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bill Withers, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and The ”5” Royales.

Speaking about his induction, Bill said: ”A lot of different types of music are in [the Hall of Fame].

”Miles Davis has no resemblance whatsoever to Jerry Lee Lewis. But each type of music has its own constituents and there’s a commonality.”