Early years

Ricky Nelson began a rock and roll music career in 1957. He recorded his debut single, the Fats Domino song I'm Walkin', seeking to impress a date who was an Elvis Presley fan — Nelson's first song was a hit, reaching #4 on the charts. Soon, each episode of the Ozzie & Harriet television show ended with a musical performance by Ricky. It was during the sitcom's run that Ozzie Nelson, either as a move to keep his son's fans tuned in each week, or as an affirmation of his reputed behind-the-scenes persona as a control freak, kept Ricky from appearing on other TV shows that arguably would have enhanced his public profile, American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show in particular. Ironically, Rick finally did appear on the Sullivan show in 1967, but his career was at that time in limbo. Rick also appeared on other TV shows (usually in acting roles); in 1977, he guest-hosted on Saturday Night Live where he proved to be a good sport in spoofing his TV sitcom image, by appearing in a Twilight Zone send-up, where, trying to go home, he'd find himself among the characters from other 1950s/early 60s-era sitcoms, Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best, and Make Room For Daddy.

Despite the promotional aspects of his career, it is clear that Nelson knew and loved music, and was a credible performer before he became a teen idol, largely due to his parents' musical background. In addition to guitar, he also played drums (as it happened, the same episode where he made his singing debut, also showcased his drum skills); along with the clarinet (his father's main instrument was saxophone, but Ozzie also played banjo and tenor guitar; he sat in with that instrument during Rick's recording of Hello, Mary Lou). Unlike many teen idols of the time, Nelson showed his personal taste in working with strong musicians, including James Burton, Joe Maphis, The Jordanaires, and Johnny and Dorsey Burnette. While Elvis may have served as the catalyst for Rick's musical career, his real inspiration came from none other than Carl Perkins.


One of Ricky Nelson's biggest hits Hello Mary Lou / Travelin' ManFrom 1957 to 1962, Nelson had 30 top 40 hits, more than any other artist at the time, except Elvis Presley (who had 53) and Pat Boone (who had 38). Many of Nelson's early records were double hits with both the A side and the B side hitting the Billboard charts. When Billboard introduced the Hot 100 chart on August 4, 1958, Nelson's single Poor Little Fool became the first song ever in the #1 position on that chart.

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 Nelson himself at the time. (It was Life magazine that reputedly coined the phrase teen idol in an article it did about the young musical star in 1959).

In addition to his recording career, Nelson also appeared in movies, including Rio Bravo with John Wayne and Dean Martin (1959) The Wackiest Ship In the Army (1960) and Love and Kisses (1965).

On May 8, 1961 (his 21st birthday), Nelson officially changed his recording name from Ricky Nelson to Rick Nelson. However, not too long before his untimely death, Rick realized a dream of his, when he met his idol, Carl Perkins, who while musing that they were the last of the rockabilly breed, Mr. Perkins called Nelson Ricky. As the story goes, Nelson, figuring that Perkins calling him by the name he stopped using at age 21, made for some sense of validation. He then contacted his manager, who was then instructed to add the y to his name[citation needed].

In 1963, Nelson signed a 20-year contract with Decca Records, but he had no further major hits after 1964's For You. In the mid-1960s, he began to move towards country music, and has been considered a pioneer in the country-rock genre, and as a result, one of the early influences of the so-called California Sound (which would include singers like Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and other bands like The Eagles) yet did not reach the Top 40 again until 1970, when he recorded Bob Dylan's She Belongs To Me with the Stone Canyon Band. This most likely included drummer Kevin Edwards, who still lives to tell his story today. In 1972, Nelson reached the top 40 one last time with Garden Party, a song he wrote in disgust after a Madison Square Garden audience booed him when he tried playing new songs instead of just his old hits from the 1950s and 1960s. Garden Party reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and was certified as a gold single. (Coincidentally, Garden Party was a hit at the same time Elvis Presley was having his last top 10 single, Burning Love, as was Chuck Berry with My Ding-a-Ling; Berry is among the musicians alluded to in the lyrics of Garden Party.)

However, Nelson never regained his career's momentum. By the late-1970s, Nelson's life was in shambles. He was heavily in debt. After a highly tumultuous marriage (which was the antithesis of what the public had seen on O&H and in the movie, Love and Kisses his wife filed for divorce and took their four children. He wasn't making records and when he played live at all, it was in very small, insignificant venues. Nelson began using drugs, especially marijuana, and eventually, cocaine.