Ricky Nelson From the boy next door to a Teenage Idol...  “New Years Eve of 2005 will mark the 20th anniversary of Rick Nelson’s death in a tragic plane crash and Thatz Entertainment.biz thought it would be appropriate to salute not only Rick Nelson, but also the Ozzie and Harriet show for their role in early American Television”. Researched and written by Bob Vickers

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New Years Eve of 2005 will mark the 20th anniversary of Rick Nelson’s death in a tragic plane crash and Thatz Entertainment.biz thought it would be great to salute Rick Nelson and the Ozzie and Harriet show for their role in early American Television.

Ricky Nelson was a teen idol who had something more than good looks going for him - namely, talent. On television, he acted out his real-life role as the son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson in the Fifties. As a rock-and-rolling teenager on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, he practically grew up in the nation's living rooms.

In the recording studio, having landed a contract based on his TV stardom, he more than made the grade. No mere rock and roll pretender, Nelson was the real thing: a gentle-voiced singer/guitarist with an instinctive feel for the country-rooted side of rockabilly. And he had exquisite taste in musicians, utilizing guitarist James Burton (formerly a Dale Hawkins sideman, later an Elvis Presley accompanist) as his secret weapon in the studio.
 

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Nelson's first single - "A Teenager's Romance" b/w "I'm Walkin'," the latter a Fats Domino song - made the Top Ten shortly after its release in April 1957. He was sixteen years old at the time. The next year, he reached #1 with "Poor Little Fool" (which was written by Sharon Sheeley, who was Eddie Cochran’s girlfriend). His discerning taste in material - a rare talent in one so young - also led him to "Hello Mary Lou" (his signature song) and "Travelin' Man," both of which topped the charts. All totaled, Nelson scored an incredible 33 Top Forty hits in a seven-year period. For his sixth album, titled Rick is 21, he dropped the "y" from his name. As the maturing Nelson's appeal with the teen audience waned, he turned his attention to a more country-flavored sound. One of the first country-rockers, Nelson experienced a creative renaissance at the outset of the Seventies. He formed the Stone Canyon Band, whose sweet country-rock sound anticipated the laid-back likes of the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. One of the biggest hits of his career, "Garden Party," pointedly rejected the notion that he would allow himself to be relegated to a nostalgia act. Until his untimely death in a 1985 plane crash, Nelson remained a hard-working musician who performed up to 200 dates a year.

Personal note: I met Ricky Nelson at United Recording Studio’s when I was a young teenager.  John Jones, a childhood friend’s Mother Alice worked for the Studio owner, Bill Putnam as his executive secretary.

Alice introduced me to Bill Putnam and his wife Belinda.  One of the advantages of this friendship was being able to see a number of the top recording artists who recorded at the studio, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds, Wayne Newton, The Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas, just to name a few.

One of the entertainers that I met at the studio was Ricky Nelson and what a thrill it was for a young teenager from Torrance to watch Ricky record songs in person.  I think what impressed me the most about him was how down to earth and friendly he was.

Rudy Hill, one of the employees at the studio and Alice always let me know when Rick was going to be their, so I was lucky enough to catch a few of his recording sessions.  I remember he always recorded in "Studio B".
 

The Ozzie & Harriet Story... His parents, Oswald George "Ozzie" Nelson and Harriet Hilliard were popular entertainers during the 1930s. Ozzie fronted a dance band and had a Number One hit in 1935 with "And Then Some." Harriet was a movie actress and became Ozzie's lead singer three years before she became his wife in 1935. Their marriage produced two sons, David born in Chicago on October 24, 1936 and Eric Hilliard (Ricky) born in Teaneck, New Jersey, on May 8, 1940. By the 1940s the big band era was changing. The best jazz virtuosos were performing more frequently in concert settings as opposed to dance halls. Never a great instrumentalist, Ozzie continued to pursue a living in the old vaudeville fashion. Week after week he did one-nighters on the road while Harriet and the children remained at home in Tenafly, New Jersey.

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Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky

The Nelsons, minus Ricky, moved to Hollywood in 1941 so that Ozzie could take the job of bandleader for Red Skelton's radio program. Ricky stayed in Tenafly with his grandmother. The Nelsons bought a fourteen room, two-story home at 1822 Camino Palmero that would remain their residence for the rest of their lives. Ricky joined the family in 1942.

The Nelsons, minus Ricky, moved to Hollywood in 1941 so that Ozzie could take the job of bandleader for Red Skelton's radio program. Ricky stayed in Tenafly with his grandmother. The Nelsons bought a fourteen room, two-story home at 1822 Camino Palmero that would remain their residence for the rest of their lives. Ricky joined the family in 1942.

In 1944 when Red Skelton left the radio show, Ozzie and Harriet were offered the program. The "Adventures Of Ozzie and Harriet" started slow, but gained momentum. The show centered around the real life personalities of the couple. Ozzie always seemed befuddled and out of sync with the happenings going around him and Harriet was the calm in the eye of the storm.
 

Young Ricky Nelson

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The characters of David and Ricky were present from the beginning. The first season they were only mentioned in passing and weren't part of the cast. When the time came to introduce the children, young actors were hired. David and Ricky pressured their parents to play them selves. During this time the show moved from CBS to NBC, and then to ABC. On February 20, 1949, David and Ricky made their first appearance on the show in an episode called "Invitation To Dinner." David was described as down-to-earth, sincere, professional, quiet. Ricky is recalled as cocky, full of pranks, and insecure. Ricky was the natural born entertainer. In 1950, ABC offered the Nelsons a television show based on  the radio format. Ozzie decided to test the idea with a low

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" moved to ABC-TV in the fall of 1952. The show ran fourteen seasons with four hundred and thirty five episodes. uring his childhood, Ricky suffered with asthma attacks, and grew up thin and sickly.  However beginning with his 1952 television debut he went from a scrawny twelve-year old prankster to rakishly charming young man in 1956. A modest young man Ricky was remembered as quiet and well behaved at Bancroft Junior High. In 1954, he enrolled at Hollywood High School and was an average student. By this time, he was earning a $100,00 weekly salary from the TV show. In 1956, rock and roll was sweeping the country and old styles of music out of the way. Ricky was a member of the Rooks, a clique at Hollywood high that liked to cause trouble for authority figures. Ozzie and Harriet were as average as one could be and still be TV stars. Ricky resented their life style and authority. In retaliation, he immerse himself into rock and roll music, the antithesis of Ozzie's smooth big band sound. He grew sideburns, slicked his hair back, wore shirts with the collars turned up and even tried to tattoo himself on the shoulder and wrist. Mostly, he played rock and roll music - loud.

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David and Ricky Nelson

On what he was certain was going to be their last date, an Elvis song was playing on the car radio. Arlene swooned over Elvis. Ricky quickly said that
he was about to make his own record. Arlene responded by laughing.
 

Ricky pleaded with Ozzie to help him make a record after all Ozzie had been a recording star in his own right. Ozzie finally agreed and through his connections Ricky became part of the entertainment at Knott's Berry Farm. Ricky acquitted himself very well.
 

Next, Ricky sang on the show. Ricky choose Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin." The public’s response was positive and a demo tape was made. The Nelson's talent agency, MCA, sent the tape out to more than twenty labels. Each turned it down until Barney Kessel heard it. Kessel was an acclaimed jazz guitarist and chief A&R man for Verve Records. He had also been Ozzie's guitarist in the 1940s. Kessel realized that Ricky's image had already been pre-sold through the weekly TV shows. A deal was made for one three-hour recording session for Verve. Three songs "I'm Walkin''," "A Teenager's Romance," and "You're My One and Only Love" were completed. On April 10, 1957 "I'm Walkin'" debuted on the TV show. Within a week "I'm Walkin'" backed by "A Teenager's Romance," was released by Verve.  Through the summer "I'm Walkin'" moved up the charts.  In mid-summer "A

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Ricky, Recording artist

Lew Chudd of Imperial Records, Fats Domino's label, was one of the first to notice Ricky. After all, Imperial held part of the publishing rights to "I'm Walkin'." Chudd approached Ozzie about Ricky's contract. After he learned of Ozzie's unhappiness with Verve and that Verve only had an agreement for one session, Chudd and Ozzie made a deal. Ricky moved to Imperial with a five-year contract guaranteeing $50,000 against royalties. Verve retaliated by releasing "Your My One and Only" with an instrumental by Kessel on the flip side.