Happy Birthday to Ringo Starr's oldest child — and the Who's drummer since 1996 — Zak Starkey, who turns 55 on Sunday (September 13th)!!! Zak, whose mother was the late-Maureen Cox, was the second “Beatle baby” born, following John and Cynthia Lennon's son Julian Lennon who was born in 1963. Ringo and Maureen went on to have two more children — Jason in 1967 and Lee in 1970 — prior to the couple's 1975 divorce. In August 2016, Zak became a grandfather, when Ringo's great-grandson Stone Zakamo Low, was born to Zak's daughter Tatia Starkey and her partner Adam Low.
In addition to the Who, Zak has drummed for his dad's All Starr Band, Oasis, the Waterboys, Johnny Marr & The Healers, among others. Zak is also the guitarist in his own side group, SSHH, with longtime girlfriend Sshh (Sharna) Liguz, fronting the band. In 2016, the couple released their first album titled, Issues, with all proceeds going to benefit Teenage Cancer Trust. For each track on the covers album, Zak and Sshh tapped heavyweights from the bands who originally recorded it — including drummer Clem Burke on Blondie's “One Way Or Another,” bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook on the Sex Pistols' “Problems,” Kenney Jones on the Small Faces' “Tin Soldier,” Mott The Hoople & Bad Company's Mick Ralphs on “All The Young Dudes,” the Pretenders' Martin Chambers on “Private Life,” along with Eddie Vedder with Peter Tosh's Word Sound And Power tackling “Get Up Stand Up,” among others.
Although Keith Moon did not give Zak his first drum kit — dad Ringo did — Moon is responsible for giving Zak his first professional set of drums — the white Premier drum kit which Moon used for his final tour with the Who in 1975 and 1976.