Ricky Nelson, or Rick Nelson (born Eric Hilliard Nelson;
May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), was an American
singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor. He placed
fifty-three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957
and 1973, including nineteen top-ten hits, and was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January
21, 1987.
Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949 playing
himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of
Ozzie and Harriet, and, in 1952, appeared in his first
feature film, Here Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded
his first single, debuted as a singer on the television
version of the sitcom, and recorded a number one album,
Ricky. In 1958, Nelson recorded his first number one
single, "Poor Little Fool", and, in 1959, received a Golden
Globe Most Promising Male Newcomer nomination after
starring in the western film, Rio Bravo. A few films followed,
and, when the television series was cancelled in 1966,
Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star
on various television programs.
Nelson and Sharon Kristin Harmon were married on April
20, 1963, and divorced in December 1982. They had four
children: Tracy Kristine, twin sons Gunnar Eric and
Matthew Gray, and Sam Hilliard. On February 14, 1981, a
son was born to Nelson and Georgeann Crewe. A blood
test in 1985 confirmed Nelson was the child's father.
Nelson was engaged to Helen Blair at the time of his
death in an airplane crash on December 31, 1985.
Debut
Nelson played clarinet and drums in his tweens and early teens, learned the rudimentary guitar chords, and vocally imitated his favorite Sun Records rockabilly artists in the bathroom at home or in the showers at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. He was strongly influenced by the music of Carl Perkins and once said he tried to emulate the sound and the tone of the guitar break in Perkins's March 1956 Top Ten hit, "Blue Suede Shoes".
At sixteen, Nelson wanted to impress a friend who was an Elvis Presley fan, and, although he had no record contract at the time, told her that he, too, was going to make a record.With his father's help, Nelson secured a one-record deal with Verve Records, a fledgling label looking for a young and popular personality who could sing or be taught to sing. On March 26, 1957, Nelson recorded the Fats Domino standard "I'm Walkin'" and "A Teenager's Romance" (both released in late April 1957 as his first single), and "You're My One and Only Love"
Before the single was released, Nelson made his television rock and roll debut on April 10, 1957 lip-synching "I'm Walkin'" in the Ozzie and Harriet episode, "Ricky, the Drummer".About the same time, he made an unpaid public appearance as a singer at a Hamilton High School lunch hour assembly in Los Angeles with the Four Preps and was greeted by hordes of screaming teens who had seen the television episode.
"I'm Walkin'" reached number four on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart, and its flip side, "A Teenager's Romance", hit number two. When the television series went on summer break in 1957, Nelson made his first road trip and played four state and county fairs in Ohio and Wisconsin with the Four Preps who opened and closed for him.
