"Gene Autry was the most. It may sound like a joke - Go and have a look in my bedroom, It's covered with Gene Autry posters. He was my first musical influence"
About this Quote
The subtext is class and distance. Autry’s America - clean melodies, moral certainty, open-range optimism - was a fantasy export landing in wartime and postwar Britain. For a Liverpool kid, that “cowboy” persona wasn’t kitsch; it was a portal. Ringo’s phrasing also quietly reframes influence as something that happens before taste becomes a performance. In rock mythology, origin stories usually privilege blues purism or gritty authenticity. Ringo offers a different lineage: showbiz professionalism, singable hooks, and the idea that a musician can be both character and craftsman.
It also nudges at why the Beatles worked: they weren’t built from one “serious” tradition, but from an eclectic pile of mass culture - radio, film, imported records, posters on walls. Ringo’s unabashed Autry worship is a reminder that pop revolutions often start as embarrassingly sincere crushes.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Starr, Ringo. (2026, January 15). Gene Autry was the most. It may sound like a joke - Go and have a look in my bedroom, It's covered with Gene Autry posters. He was my first musical influence. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/gene-autry-was-the-most-it-may-sound-like-a-joke-145009/
Chicago Style
Starr, Ringo. "Gene Autry was the most. It may sound like a joke - Go and have a look in my bedroom, It's covered with Gene Autry posters. He was my first musical influence." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/gene-autry-was-the-most-it-may-sound-like-a-joke-145009/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Gene Autry was the most. It may sound like a joke - Go and have a look in my bedroom, It's covered with Gene Autry posters. He was my first musical influence." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/gene-autry-was-the-most-it-may-sound-like-a-joke-145009/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.




