Ringo (song)

"Ringo" was a hit record for the Canadian actor Lorne Greene in 1964.

The song's lyrics -- spoken rather than sung -- tell the story of a Western lawman and his relationship with a notorious gunfighter, Ringo, presumably based on the outlaw Johnny Ringo. It has been pointed out that the song does not fit the known historical facts of the life of Johnny Ringo; this did not damage the song's popularity, as it shot to the top of the US "Billboard" charts on December 5, 1964. (The fact that the record came out when The Beatles, including Ringo Starr, ruled the airwaves did not hurt either.) It also peaked at #1 on the "Easy Listening" chart, where it remained at the top for six weeks, and at #21 on Hot Country Singles chart. The song was written by Don Robertson and Hal Blair.

The 'B' side of the disc was an extended version of the theme song of Greene's TV show "Bonanza" , with lyrics that were never used on TV.

The song was parodied by Frank Gallop in his 1965 hit single, "The Ballad of Irving".