Rick Nelson Biography

Who was Rick Nelson, and why should he continue to matter? All-American teen idol, singer, and guitarist Rick Nelson was a pioneering American teen idol, singer, and guitarist who merged clean-cut integrity and genuine musical credentials to lead rock and roll from the fifties on into the singer songwriter era, on to country rock, and leave a rich catalog of records that continue to travel.

Eric Hilliard “Ricky” Nelson was born on May 8, 1940, in Teaneck, New Jersey, and growing up in a show business family led by bandleader Ozzie Nelson and singer Harriet Nelson.

The family soon moved to Los Angeles and settled in the home that audiences later knew from The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the radio show that began in 1944 and switched to television in 1952.

As a young child, Nelson fought severe asthma and a tendency towards being shy, yet he was surrounded by music and performance at a young age.

Alongside his older brother David, he was seen on the family show on radio in 1949 and on television from 1952, in which he essentially played himself as America followed him growing up.

He attended a neighborhood school called Gardner Street School for his first three years, followed by Bancroft Junior High and Hollywood High School, where he was on the football and tennis squads.

By his mid teens he was a high earner, though his parents sensibly placed most money in trust. As a musician, Nelson taught himself clarinet and drums, learned guitar, and absorbed the rockabilly records by Sun Records acts above all Carl Perkins.

In 1957, at sixteen years old, he cut his first single, pairing I’m Walkin’ with A Teenager’s Romance, and presented himself on the family television show as a singer.

That same year he signed to Imperial Records, at which label Be Bop Baby and a string of follow ups made him a regular on the charts.

His first album, Ricky, was at the top spot on the album chart in late 1957, and in August 1958 he achieved a milestone when Poor Little Fool became the first number one on Billboard’s newly created Hot 100 chart.

When television and popular music rarely overlapped, Nelson took advantage of weekly television performances to debut records and thus invented a format that later generations would categorize the music video era.

As the fifties ended, he assembled a young group with future legend James Burton on lead guitar that gave his hard edged ballads and rockers a driving, well produced sound. Success on television led to films, most notably Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo in 1959 co starring John Wayne and Dean Martin.

The British Invasion and changes in taste cooled his pop steam in the mid sixties, but Nelson transformed rather than faded away.

He migrated towards country rock, cut sides for Decca, and in 1969 formed the Stone Canyon Band, one of the first performing units to meld Bakersfield steel with a California singer songwriter sound.

Their live set In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969 captured his renewed bite, and in 1972 he wrote Garden Party after a boo tinged oldies concert at Madison Square Garden, re inventing a messy night into a thoughtful hit that topped the pop top ten and climbed to the top of the Adult Contemporary chart.

Throughout his career he placed fifty four songs on the Hot 100 and charted more top forty singles between 1957 and 1962 than almost anybody save Elvis or Pat Boone.

Offstage, he married his college sweetheart Kristin Harmon in 1963, and they had four children, and were twins Gunnar and Matthew, who later wrote the successful group Nelson. The marriage ended in 1982 due to longstanding and public difficulties.

Nelson kept on touring in the seventies and early eighties, recording new material and taking on acting roles. On December 31, 1985, on his flight to a Dallas New Year’s Eve concert, he died at forty five when his DC-3 crash landed following a cabin fire traced to a bad heater.

His reputation was instantly ratified. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, received a spot on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists list, and is remembered as television’s first genuine rock star who grew into an artist with taste, musicianship, and durable songs.

Rick Nelson Top Songs

1. Poor Little Fool
   The first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958, a gentle breakup tune that announced his stardom beyond TV.
2. Travelin’ Man
   A breezy globe trotter ballad with a signature studio sheen and one of his most enduring vocals.
3. Hello Mary Lou
   A bright, twangy classic featuring James Burton’s sparkling guitar figure and an effortless hook.
4. Lonesome Town
   A hushed heartbreaker that showed his gift for understatement and torch style phrasing.
5. It’s Late
   A driving rocker that pairs teenage urgency with tight band interplay.
6. Stood Up
   Rockabilly energy delivered with crisp precision and a confident vocal.
7. Believe What You Say
   A tough, beat forward cut that became a live favorite with the Stone Canyon Band.
8. Just a Little Too Much
   Clean melody and chiming guitars carry a lyric about love moving a bit too fast.
9. Never Be Anyone Else But You
   A sweet promise song that fans adopted as a signature slow dance.
10. Young World
    An elegant pop ballad that broadened his appeal with string sweetness.
11. It’s Up to You
    Graceful and catchy, showcasing his relaxed phrasing at the top of the early sixties.
12. Garden Party
    A reflective country rock gem about staying true to yourself when nostalgia demands a rerun.
13. A Teenager’s Romance
    One of his earliest hits, capturing the puppy love mood of fifties teen pop.
14. I’m Walkin’
    His debut hit cover that launched the entire ride with verve and swagger.

Rick Nelson Discography

1. Ricky 1957
2. Ricky Nelson 1958
3. Ricky Sings Again 1959
4. Songs by Ricky 1959
5. More Songs by Ricky 1960
6. Rick Is 21 1961
7. Album Seven by Rick 1962
8. For Your Sweet Love 1963
9. Rick Nelson Sings “For You” 1963
10. The Very Thought of You 1964
11. Spotlight on Rick 1964
12. Best Always 1965
13. Love and Kisses 1965
14. Bright Lights and Country Music 1966
15. Country Fever 1967
16. Another Side of Rick 1967
17. Perspective 1969
18. Rick Sings Nelson 1970
19. Rudy the Fifth 1971
20. Garden Party 1972
21. Windfall 1974
22. Intakes 1977
23. Playing to Win 1981
24. All My Best 1985
25. The Memphis Sessions 1986

Rick Nelson Top Albums

1. Ricky
   The 1957 chart topper that set the template for cleanly recorded pop rock with a teen idol face and a musician’s ear.
2. Ricky Nelson
   Home to Poor Little Fool, it fused radio ready ballads with lively rockabilly in a way few peers could match.
3. Rick Is 21
   A title announcing adulthood and a set that eased him from boyish charm toward grown pop craft.
4. Bright Lights and Country Music
   A key step toward country flavors that would flower in his Stone Canyon years.
5. Rick Sings Nelson
   Originals with his road band, showing a writer and singer finding a new lane at the turn of the seventies.
6. Rudy the Fifth
   Country rock confidence with steel and swagger, confirming that the Stone Canyon Band was a real band.
7. Garden Party
   Reflective lyrics and warm arrangements anchored by the hit title track, a graceful second act statement.

Rick Nelson Awards

1. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction January 21, 1987
2. Rolling Stone ranking among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time published in 2004
3. Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Male Newcomer for Rio Bravo in 1959
4. TV Guide listing at number forty nine on the 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time in 1996
5. Garden Party certified gold and a number one Adult Contemporary hit in 1972
6. Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars dedicated in 1994

Rick Nelson Singles

Source: Ricky Nelson discography, singles entries (U.S. Pop/AC/Country peaks), Wikipedia.

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