About Me
Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson, alternately Rick Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), was one of the first American teen idols.
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, he was the younger son of Ozzie Nelson, the leader of a big band, and Harriet Hilliard Nelson, the band's singer. Along with brother David Nelson, the family starred in the long-running radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet from 1944 to 1966; until 1949, for a time the sons were played on radio by professional actors.
Nelson began a rock and roll music career in 1957. He recorded his debut single, the Fats Domino song "I'm Walkin'". From 1957 to 1962, Nelson had 30 top 40 hits, more than any other artist at the time, except Elvis. Many of Nelson's early records were double hits with both the A side and the B side hitting the billboard charts.
While Nelson preferred "Rockabilly" and uptempo rock songs like "Hello Mary Lou", "It's Late", "Stood Up", and "Be-Bop Baby", his smooth, calm voice made him a natural to sing ballads. He had major success with "Travelin' Man", "Poor Little Fool", "Young World", "Lonesome Town", and "Teenage Idol", which clearly could have been about Ricky himself at the time. 1964's "For You" would be his last top 40 hit until 1970, when he recorded Bob Dylan's "She Belongs To Me" with the Stone Canyon Band. In 1972, he would hit the top 40 one last time with "Garden Party".
He was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and also to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Ricky Nelson also appeared in films such as Rio Bravo with John Wayne and Dean Martin (1959) and Love and Kisses (1965).
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