Ricky Nelson - Biography

Last Editor: stephanie.habich				Ricky Nelson Biography -   Name : Ricky Nelson Date of birth : 8 May 1940 Place of birth : Teaneck, New Jersey, USA Date of death : 31 December 1985 Place of death : De Kalb, Texas, USA. (plane crash) Birth name : Eric Hilliard Nelson Height : 6' 1

Ricky Nelson Trivia -

Brother of actor/director, David Nelson Rick was engaged to Helen Blair at the time of his death. She was killed in the plane crash with him and his band. Father of Tracy Nelson, Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson and Sam Nelson. Son of Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard. Interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, USA, on the right as you walk in, on the steep slope under the third tree, two rows above Ozzie and Harriet. Johnny Cash wrote the song "Restless Kid" for Ricky to sing in Howard Hawks's "Rio Bravo." However, music director Dimitri Tiomkin insisted that Nelson perform the folk song "Cindy" and Tiomkin's own "My Rifle, My Pony and Me." Cash's evocative "Restless Kid, " which sums up Ricky's "Rio Bravo" character Colorado in less than two minutes, never appeared in the film. Instead, it was released on Nelson's third album, "Ricky Sings Again" (Imperial LP 9061 [mono]/Imperial LP 12090 [stereo], 1959). Brother-in-law of Mark Harmon When Rick Nelson appeared at The Rock Revival at Madison Square Garden in 1971, he was unaware that he was to appear in clothing from the era of the height of his popularity. Not aware of this he appeared in contemporary clothing and was booed because of this. Afterwards, and as a result of this, he wrote the hit song, "Garden Party". Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall Fame in 1987. One of the most popular teen idols on the late 1950s and early 1960s, his many hit records, primarily on the Imperial and American Decca labels, include "I'm Walkin'," "Travelin' Man," "Poor Little Fool," "For You," "Fools Rush In," "It's Late," and "Garden Party." Most of these songs were originally introduced on the "Ozzie and Harriet" TV show. Ever since Rick his death in a private plane crash on New Year's Eve, 1985, it has long been speculated that the fire that caused the crash was the result of drug use, either by Nelson himself or by one of his crew. This theory has since been discredited by, among other sources, the Civil Aeornautics Board in their official report on the crash. Their evidence shows that the cause originally given for the crash (an on-board heater short-circuiting and catching fire) is the correct one. Ranked #2 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" (23 January 2005 issue). He was voted the 91st Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone. Was the first teen idol to use television as a way to promote hit records. His version of "I'm Walkin' " made #4 on the Billboard singles chart and sold over a million copies after he performed it on TV. His hit single "Garden Party," which in the fall of 1972 reached #6 and went gold, was about his experience during a Madison Square Garden concert. In fact, when in that song he sang "But if memories were all I sang, I'd rather drive a truck," he meant it.

Ricky Nelson Detailed Biography -

Ricky Nelson (also Rick Nelson) (May 8, 1940 - December 31, 1985) was one of the first American teen idols. Born Eric Hilliard Nelson (Hilliard was his mother's maiden name), he began his career on the radio, with his family on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. The show soon moved to television. Ricky began a rock and roll career in 1957. Apocryphally, he recorded his debut single, the Fats Domino song I'm Walkin', in order to impress his girlfriend; the song was a hit. It was clear, however, that he knew and loved music before breaking out as a performer. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Unlike most teen idols of the time, Nelson worked with some great musicians, including James Burton, Joe Maphis, and Johnny and Dorsey Burnette. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nelson was one of the highest-selling singers, second only to Elvis Presley. In 1963, Nelson signed a 20-year contract with Decca Records, but he had no further major hits after 1964's For You. 1972's Garden Party, a self-penned country song bewailing his fans' unwillingness to hear him play new music, was a moderate success, but he never regained his career's momentum. Ricky Nelson also appeared in films such as Rio Bravo (1959) and Love and Kisses (1965). He died in a plane crash in De Kalb, Texas in 1985, on his way to a New Year's Eve concert in Dallas, Texas and was interred in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. The crash was due to mechanical problems. Ricky Nelson has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1515 Vine Street. His father, Ozzie Nelson, had a big band and his mother was his singer. His twin sons, Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, also were teen idols, performing as Nelson, and his daughter Tracy Nelson is an actress.