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Rick Nelson

Ricky Nelson was born May 8, 1940, in Teaneck, NJ. He made his first foray into show business in 1949 when he and brother David began portraying themselves on "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," first on radio and then on television. According to legend, in the winter of 1956-57, after the explosion of Elvis Presley, sixteen-year old Ricky Nelson turned to his father, Ozzie, and said, "Dad, I want to make a record." The record featured "A Teenager's Romance" on the A side and "I'm Walkin'" on the B side. Both sides made the top twenty, selling a million copies. Ricky Nelson was suddenly a teen idol.

He went on to record many other hit records such as "Travelin' Man" and "Hello, Mary Lou." In the mid-sixties, Rick's music moved toward a synthesis of country, rockabilly and rock and roll that ultimately led to the seventies sound of West Coast country rock. In 1971, Rick agreed to perform at a charity concert at Madison Square Garden. The audience wanted a nostalgia show and when Rick showed up with his long-hair and country rock sound, the audience booed him off the stage. He wrote a song about the experience, "Garden Party," which was a huge hit. In the song he answers the critics that wanted to keep him frozen as the teen idol who sang "Hello, Mary Lou" with the refrain "If memories were all I sang, I'd rather drive a truck."

He married Kris Harmon, daughter of football great Tom Harmon and brother of Mark Harmon. They had four children, actress Tracy Nelson, twins Gunnar and Matthew, who are successful recording artists in their own right with their group The Nelsons, and Sam.

Biographies for: |Ozzie | Harriet | David | Ricky