The golden boy of rock and Roll, Ricky Nelson, competed with Elvis in the late 50s, and in the early 1960s became one of the main idols of teenagers, producing pop hits one after another, representing refined rock and roll. Speaking in Crybaby terminology, Elvis was from the Greasers clan, and Ricky was from the Drapes. The adult Rick Nelson, in the years following the waning popularity of rock and roll, never received the fame he really deserved, although he continued to grow in music and created great country rock with the Stone Canyon Band. In the 80s, during the revival years, Rick participated in rock and roll shows and toured extensively.
Ricky Nelson (Eric Hilliard Nelson) was born on April 8, 1940 in the family of Ozzy and Harriet Nelson. His father was the leader of a big band, played guitar, and his mother was a singer in this orchestra. And together, the parents hosted the radio show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which later migrated to television, preceded by the pilot feature film Here Comes The Nelsons (1952).
So Ricky had all the prerequisites, because he grew up in a musical acting family, and at the age of 8 he began acting in a sitcom. Ozzy was not only a musician, but also a talented businessman, because he was able to record records, broadcast on the radio and figure out a sitcom for as long as 16 years (a record that will be broken only in 2017), and besides, help launch the musical career of his youngest son. In addition to music, Ricky had success in films: he starred in the western Rio Bravo (1958) with John Wayne and Dean Martin, as well as in the adventure film The Stupidest Ship in the Army (1960), where his partner was Jack Lemmon.
Download or listen online to Ricky Nelson TOP 20 Songs (mp3, 125 Mb)
I’m Walking (1957)
Ricky found out that his girlfriend liked Elvis and replied to her, saying that it was nothing special and that he could do it too. Said and done, Ricky made his sitcom debut at the age of 16 with a cover of Fats Domino. Ozzy Nelson was a good entrepreneur and the single with the song I’m Walking, released just before the episode, sold 1 million copies in a week after its release. It was unprecedented. In fact, it was one of the first rock and roll shows on TV, so Ricky brought youth music to American homes through the sitcom Ozzie & Harriet. Angry letters followed from those who were against the presence of black racial music in the national show. In 1985, Ricky and Fats would perform the song together on a three-week tour.
Be-Bop Baby (1957)
A simple song about a teenage girl, written by Pearl Landhurst, quickly became a hit, reaching number three on the Billboard chart. A sweet harmless text about dancing and a happy boy. Joe Maphis, the mentor of the Collins Kids, played lead guitar, and Lorrie Collins was Ricky’s girlfriend at one time, there was talk of getting married, but it didn’t work out. Nowadays, the song was covered by the girl group The Bugaloos, and later by Darrell Hayem on his album Believe What You Hear (A Tribute To Ricky Nelson).
If You Can’t Rock Me (1957)
It’s quite a threat-“if you can’t satisfy me, I’ll find someone who can.” Joe Mathis is obviously on guitar again. Not to be confused with the 1974 Rolling Stones song. One version of the text reads like this: “hang out here baby, give me a little more time, I have so many girls that I can’t decide.”
Poor Little Fool (1958)
This song by Sharon Shealy became a number 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It is based on a wittily told story – a girl played with the feelings of a guy, he fell in love like a fool and then it hurt him when she left, but before that he himself played such games with other girls and did not suspect that someone would play such a joke with him. On the backing vocals of The Jordanaires, as on many of Ricky’s songs from that period. There is a classic pop harmony I-VI-IV-V, which is also present in Dion‘s very similar “Teenager In Love”, but it will be released a year later.
Stood Up (1958)
A classic of rockabilly, this song is softened by Ricky’s calm voice, but the way James Burton’s guitar swings, it cuts like a razor! In the 80s, at Rick’s live concerts, she sounded more powerful and energetic. The Stray Cats version is almost more famous than the original.
Waitin’ In School (1958)
To wait for school to end, then to go to the store (pharmacy-cafe-snack, drugstore), where teenagers hung out, drink soda and dance with a girlfriend. The song is practically on the same chord, but how it rocks! The dense recitative and phrasing are great and perfectly match Ricky’s voice. At the 1985 concerts, Rick and the band performed this and the previous song together.
Believe What You Say (1958)
“I believe in what you’re saying” – the Burnett brothers from Memphis, the rockabilly mecca, wrote hits for Nelson. The guy believes the girl, and there’s no catch.
Lonesome Town (1958)
The song was featured in Pulp Fiction, and then the teenagers of the 90s found out about Ricky Nelson. And although this perfect ballad has become very famous, it does not give a true picture of our star, here he sounds like one of the many pop singers of the late 50s. But the song is so good that it has been covered many times, including at their concerts it was performed by Jerry Garcia, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan.
Never Be Anyone Else But You (1959)
A soft soulful ballad, Ricky sings and you believe him, there really is no other one for him and there never will be. A perfect combination of guitar and keys.
It’s Late (1959)
“It’s Getting Late” is a classic rock and roll song by Ricky Nelson, written by Johnny and Dorsey Burnett, and features a fast rhythm and catchy guitar riffs by James Burton. Dorsey recorded his song in 1956, Ricky has a more pretentious arrangement.
Old Enough To Love (1959)
From the album Ricky Sings Again. There is a favorite harmony here, this is the beginning of a blue-eyed doo-wop. The young man decided too soon that he was too old for all this love.
Hello Mary Lou (1961)
Ricky Nelson’s business card with James Burton’s signature telecaster sound. The song was written by Gene Pitney and was first performed by Johnny Duncan with the band The Sparks, but in his pop style it doesn’t sound like a youth version and is much more interesting than the 21-year-old Rick. Of the other covers of it, it is worth noting the version by John Fogerty (with whom Rick will work again, singing the song “Big Train from Memphis” for the album “Class of ’55” by Carl Perkins).
Travelin’ Man (1961)
It was a number 1 hit in the USA and Australia. Johnny Suede plays the moment when he plays a Ricky Nelson record to a girl, after “Travelin’ Man” she asks him to play something else, and he just turns the record over to the other side, and she says it’s the same song again. Well, the TV episode for “Travelin’ Man” was almost the first music video in history. Jerry Fuller wrote this song for Sam Cooke, along with Glen Campbell, they made a demo and handed it over to Cooke’s manager, who threw the recording in the trash after listening.
My One Desire (1961)
The Burnetts are back, and Burton’s guitar sets the accents. Stray Cats included the hit in their first concert program and, in the wake of their success, spread the theme around the world, giving the song a second life, making it rougher and sexier.
It’s Up to You (1962)
“Come on, make up your mind and do what you have to do, I’ve told you everything about my feelings, so the answer is yours.” James’ magnificent guitar solo is, alas, short. A trumpet singing Spanish motifs was added to the arrangement. Becky Jordanaris also decides.
Teenage Idol (1962)
A big hit for Nelson, he had already officially changed from Ricky to Rick. A song about the underside of show business. People may envy him, but they have no idea how lonely a teen idol can be. And if he’s tired, then he can’t rest, because he has to pack up and go, smile and do a show.
Fools Rush In (1963)
A fast version of the ballad, where Burton’s guitar was given a proper turn and he decorated it with his double stops and bands. The song was also performed by Elvis in his Nashville sessions in the 70s, and here the two stars creatively crossed paths, because James Burton went to the King and continued to play his best parts. I also remember the slow version with Nelson Riddle’s orchestration, to which I sang an excerpt of Vincent Gallo’s “Papa” in the movie Buffalo 66.
I Will Follow You (1963)
This mid-tempo song perfectly evokes the image of the early 60s. A sumptuously arranged pop ballad. And then came the Beatles’ “Hold My Hand.” And many American musicians suddenly found themselves in the shadows.
There’s Nothing I Can Say (1964)
A simple song with a more complex arrangement to match the current trends at that time.
Since I Don’t Have You (1965)
From the album Best Always, which is a collection of jazz and pop standards performed by Ricky. In this song, Ricky reveals his vocal talent from a new angle, taking notes from a higher range, which, however, he easily succeeds.
Promenade In Green (1967)
A quiet acoustic folk ballad from the album Another Side Of Rick about the main joy in life – about your children. Tracy, Gunnar, and Matthew are mentioned there.
Garden Party (1972)
In 1971, Ricky participated in the rock and roll celebration at Madison Square Garden. He played some of his old hits, and then moved on to new songs like the Rolling Stones’ “Honkytonk Women” and Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me” and was booed by the audience. Perhaps the noise and outrage of the audience was dictated by the fact that the police were too active in calming the dancing fans, but Ricky took it personally. And on this occasion he wrote one of the most iconic songs of the early 70s and his only hit of this decade.
True Love Ways (1985)
Ironically, this version of Buddy Holly’s song will be the last song recorded by Rick. There are no strings in his version, there is only an acoustic guitar and a bass. He’ll be gone in five days.
Rick Nelson – True Love Ways
…It was a 1944 Douglas DC-3 aircraft that had previously belonged to Jerry Lee Lewis and had a faulty gas heater. One day, the heater started smoking during acceleration on the runway, and therefore the musicians missed participation in the Farm Aid concert, canceling the flight. And just before New Year’s Eve on December 31, 1985, it caught fire in the air, so the pilots had to land the plane urgently, they landed it in a Texas field and escaped with serious injuries themselves, but none of the passengers managed to escape. The plane burned down, all six remaining on board died. Rick’s last words at the last concert were “Rave On For Me!” – ironically, they ended their set with a Buddy Holly hit.
The Cramps‘ album “Date With Elvis”, released in 1986, was dedicated to the memory of Ricky Nelson.
Ricky accompanied me at a certain period of my life, about 15 years ago. I recorded his album on a USB stick and we listened to this early rock’n’roll in a VAZ-2104 with my then-girlfriend in the summer on the way to some distant lake in the region to sunbathe and swim there. My best friend also drove a BMW E34 at the time, and we were accompanied on the highway by Ricky’s All My Best collection, which perfectly matched the speed and night.
Ricky was already a legend during his lifetime. They became good friends with Glen Campbell. Just like with Bob Dylan. With George Harrison, they were neighbors in LA. He was one of the creators of California country rock, and during the heyday of the Stone Canyon Band, he wrote a lot of songs himself. And this period of Rick’s work deserves a separate article.
That’s just the best)) And how did you manage to choose them)) Of course, there are a lot more of them, and by the way, many of them are not on the list. But thanks anyway!!!) Offhand, there’s Just a little too much, You’re the only one, Shirley Lee, Sweeter than you, Everlovin’, MC Blues, Gipsy Woman, Yes Sir that’s my baby, My babe…..