RINGO - PHOTOGRAPH

The former Beatles drummer kept the photo for 49 years before publishing it in his new 'Photograph' book. Now he wonders who they are.

1964 photo by Ringo Starr, from his 2013 book Photograph.
(Photo: Ringo Starr)

During The Beatles' first U.S. visit in February 1964, Ringo Starr snapped this photo as the carload of teens passed the band on a freeway. Now the famous drummer is wondering who and where they are.
"It's just a great shot," Starr writes in his picture-packed tome Photograph, released earlier this year as an e-book and out in print on Nov. 22. "They're looking at us and I'm photographing them."
Recognize anyone in Starr's snapshot? The six (one is faintly visible on the far right) are likely in their 60s now. Starr's memory is fuzzy, but he believes he took the photo in Florida, possibly in Miami.
Is that you in the driver's seat? Or do you know one of the passengers? If you can shed light on the identities of Ringo's mystery subjects, e-mail USA TODAY music writer Edna Gundersen at egundersen@usatoday.com or reach out on Twitter, @EdnaGundersen.
The image, being published for the first time, is among 240 in the limited-edition leather-bound Photograph (Genesis Publications), culled from photos Starr has taken over his lifetime. Shots reveal a sentimental journey from childhood days through the Beatles era and beyond, and he shares stories about the pictures in the book's 300-plus pages.
Photograph, also the title of Starr's 1973 hit co-written by George Harrison, will be unveiled Oct. 23 at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, along with the Photograph Portfolio, a series of 12 signed prints. A selection of prints will remain on view at Amoeba Music in Los Angeles.
The drummer and his All Starr Band, which toured the Pacific Rim in the spring, will perform in Las Vegas Nov. 22-23 after dates Oct. 29 to Nov. 18 in South America and Mexico.
Ringo Starr's PHOTOGRAPH presents unseen images taken by Ringo,
accompanied by his own words, showcased here for the first time to give
unprecedented insight into the life of one of the world's greatest musicians.
Ringo Starr: 'These are shots no one else could have.'
Ringo takes readers deep into his early life, all through his Beatle days and
beyond. Hear about Ringo's adventures, mishaps and movies, with
appearances from family and an All-Starr cast of friends.

Photograph by Ringo Starr - The Signed Limited Edition

From behind the drums to behind the lens, Ringo Starr opens his archives to share more than 250 rare and unseen photographs, with mementos and memories from his childhood, The Beatles and beyond.

Each numbered book in the PHOTOGRAPH limited edition is signed by the author Ringo Starr, who is donating all royalties to the Lotus Foundation.

Ringo Starr: 'I love pictures put together, showing different times of your life. At the time, I never thought that there would be a whole book of my photographs.'

Hundreds of unseen images, taken by Ringo and from his personal collection, come together for the first time in the photo album of his life. 

'There's a lot of shots of "the boys" that only I could have taken.'

'This is how we saw most of the world when it got big for The Beatles. You'll find several of the shots in this book are from my point of view, looking out of a car window. That's just how it was. You had to get to the gig, and then get away from the gig to wherever you were going next.'

Ringo's lens captures John, Paul and George in pensive and playful moments, portraying them from the point of view of an insider, friend and skilled photographer. 

Intimate portraits are joined by landscape compositions, taken on Ringo's travels as part of the biggest band in the world.

Ringo's photography documents his adventures across the decades, with early archival material, beautiful black and white photographs, psychedelic special effects, stunning colour shots and polaroids.

'I like cameras and I like lenses. I think we all bought a Pentax in Japan the first time we went there. If you look at the Beatle photos, everybody's carrying a camera.'

In creating this book, Ringo discovered mementos his mother had saved throughout his life, and shares them here for the very first time. Letters home are truly personal, while promotional posters and newspaper clippings take you back to the beginnings of a musical legend.

'My mum loved every second of my life, and remembered every second of my life. She was such a hoarder. When she died, I just took her boxes and put them in our attic; I didn't really look at them. When we opened them up, we found some incredible stuff.'