It’s hard to believe it’s been 45 years since the Beatles’ lone appearance in San Diego on Aug. 28, 1965. While John Lennon and George Harrison never again performed in San Diego and Paul McCartney only performed locally once more in 1976, drummer Ringo Starr has been something of a regular, with 12 appearances since 1992. Starr returns Aug. 6 for his ninth performance at what appears to be one of his all-time favorite venues in the U.S. — Humphrey’s Concerts by The Bay — with his All-Starr Band tour. Making each tour a special occurrence, Starr always tours with a stellar group of musicians. With a show akin to a live jukebox, this round’s musical sidemen include keyboardist Edgar Winter and Gary Wright (Spooky Tooth), guitarists Rick Derringer and Wally Palmer (The Romantics), bassist Richard Page (Mr. Mister) and drummer Greg Bissonette — each playing their own hits as well as backing Starr on his. With Starr now 70 years old, the likelihood of future tours is becoming more remote, but his music has had an affect on generations of performers over the past five decades — particularly with drummers even in San Diego. “He and the Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts are the two that everyone else who keeps the beat in a band needs to pay attention to,” said Danny Cress (Skid Roper, The Coyote Problem). “What he plays and where he doesn’t play is a lesson in how to make a song stronger. It can be subtle or he can go all-out. However, in every recording he’s ever made, you can tell how much thought and effort went into crafting each tune. It may only be two or three minutes of music on that single, for example, but what he puts forth is never less than masterful.” Session drummer Larry Grano concurs. “I think Ringo is one of, if not the best, pop drummer ever, as well as a great rock and roll drummer, bar none,” Grano said. While he‘s a fan of Starr’s solo work, it’s Starr’s stint with the Fab Four that Grano enjoys most. “I really like watching early footage, pre-first-U.S.-visit in 1964,” he said. “The whole band is on fire, and Ringo is driving hard. He’s extremely underrated, not to mention he’s a lefty playing a right-handed kit, which is the reason for his different approach to drum fills. The way he played to the songs written by Lennon/McCartney was tasteful, and fit each style the song was in. The right guy in the right place at the perfect time.” Meanwhile, guitarist Mark DeCerbo of cover band Rockola, has performed both solo and Beatles material. “His feel, solid back-beat and the parts he played in interpreting all those great songs he’s played on over the past decades cannot be underestimated or dismissed. Many of those Beatles songs, for example, would have been quite different and possibly not as good without his input,” DeCerbo said. Actor and musician Robbie Rist (“The Brady Bunch,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”) disagrees on Starr’s skills, but sides with Cress, DeCerbo and Grano on Starr’s importance to his former group’s music. “Technically gifted? Hardly,” said Rist. “But, outside of McCartney, Ringo was the most ‘instrumental’ member in the actual sound of the Beatles. Take him out, they become just another rock band with a couple of decent songwriters.” While he has not seen one of Starr’s All-Star Band tours, Rist believes the series are the culmination of Ringo’s lifelong ethos. “He was a vaudevillian from the get-go,” Rist said. “Entertainment at all cost. And I think it’s awesome that he has given a boost to artists that the public may have forgotten about, such as John Waite (2003 All-Starrs) or people they never knew in the first place, like Dave Edmunds (’92 All-Starrs).” Both DeCerbo and Grano have caught various All-Starr shows over the years and find it hard to pick a favorite song from his solo years. “[Just] one? C’mon, gimme at least three,” Grano laughed. “Whether it’s a song like ‘Back Off Boogaloo,’ ‘It Don’t Come Easy’ or even his cover of the old Johnny Burnette song ‘You’re Sixteen,’ his music has an incredible feel, aka, the ‘Ringo groove.’ There’s nothing else like it.” DeCerbo also cites “It Don’t Come Easy” and adds “Photograph” to the list of his Starr favorites. “It could be George Harrison’s influence in the guitar riff and songwriting, but [Starr’s] vocals are also warm and wonderful — both classic Ringo vocals and utterly charming,” DeCerbo said. For British singer-songwriter Dave Humphries, Starr’s performance at Humphrey’s is one of the year’s most important events. “Even beyond all the solo hits he’ll be playing, and his well-known tunes from the sixties, how many opportunities does one have left to see a Beatle perform?” Humphries said. “I’ll be appreciating every second.” STARR STUDDED Who: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6 at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive. All ages welcome. Ticket cost: $135 For more information: www.humphreysconcerts.com