While the Fab Four certainly shared some creative responsibilities amongst themselves, for the most part, everyone in The Beatles had a distinct role to play in the group. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were the primary songwriters, George Harrison was in charge of signature riffs and licks, and Ringo Starr held down the beat with metronomic precision. Post-breakup, the public was quick to assume each ex-Beatle would continue their previous function in new projects.<\/p>\n
But that didn\u2019t quite happen. Despite having numerous suggestions rejected<\/a> by McCartney and Lennon, Harrison became the first Beatle to score a No. 1 hit after the band\u2019s breakup with his 1970 hit, \u201cMy Sweet Lord\u201d<\/a>. Next was McCartney in 1971 with \u201cUncle Albert\/Admiral Halsey\u201d. While Lennon might\u2019ve been the obvious next guess\u2014and we say that with no disrespect to Starr\u2014it was actually the drummer who topped the charts next, thanks to his 1973 single, \u201cPhotograph\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cPhotograph\u201d remains one of the most beloved additions to Starr\u2019s catalogue, something he foreshadowed when he refused to give the song to someone else because it was too \u201cbloody good.\u201d<\/p>\n Ringo Starr Won His First No. 1 Single Post-Beatles in 1973<\/p>\n Three years after The Beatles\u2019 lengthy and contentious breakup was officially official<\/a> and after two years of watching his bandmates pursue their solo careers, Ringo Starr won his first No. 1 single in the United States post-breakup. Starr released \u201cPhotograph\u201d in September 1973, and the song performed well worldwide. In addition to topping the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 in the States, Starr\u2019s \u201cPhotograph\u201d hit No. 1 in Australia and Canada and No. 7 on the U.K. Singles chart. Interestingly, \u201cPhotograph\u201d is the only song that credits both Starr and his former Beatles bandmate, George Harrison.<\/p>\n According to those close to the ex-Fab Four (er, two), \u201cPhotograph\u201d was the byproduct of several musicians sitting around and coming up with lyrical snippets on a yacht called the Marala. One of those lucky few in attendance on the ship was Cilla Black, with whom The Beatles were friends for years. Shortly after the seatime jam session, Black approached Starr and asked if she could record a version of \u201cPhotograph\u201d for her album. Per Alan Clayson\u2019s biography<\/a> of the drummer, he replied, \u201cNo, it\u2019s too bloody good for you. I\u2019m having it myself.\u201d A somewhat surprisingly blunt statement coming from the most famously affable Beatle, Starr was right. The song was a hit.<\/p>\n As the third ex-Beatle to hit No. 1 in the U.S. as a solo artist, Starr\u2019s \u201cPhotograph\u201d meant that John Lennon was the last former member of the Fab Four to top the charts stateside. His would come one year after Starr\u2019s with the 1974 track, \u201cWhatever Gets You thru the Night\u201d.<\/p>\n The Drummer Hoped for a Band Without Comparison<\/p>\n