Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson
(May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985)
was an
American
musician and actor.
From age eight,
he starred alongside
his family
in the radio
and television series
The Adventures of
Ozzie and Harriet.
In 1957,
he began a
long and successful career
as a popular
recording artist.
His fame as both
a recording artist
and television star
also led to a
motion picture role
co-starring alongside
John Wayne,
Dean Martin,
Walter Brennan,
and
Angie Dickinson
in Howard Hawks's
western feature film
Rio Bravo
(1959).
He placed 54 songs
on the
Billboard Hot 100
and its
predecessors between
1957 and 1973,
including
"Poor Little Fool"
in 1958,
which was the
first number one song
on Billboard
magazine's
then-newly created
Hot 100 chart.
He recorded 17
additional top ten hits
and was inducted
into the
Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame
on
January 21, 1987.
In 1996,
Nelson was
ranked No. 49
on TV Guide's
50 Greatest
TV Stars
of All Time.
Nelson began his
entertainment career
in 1949,
playing himself
in the radio
sitcom series
The Adventures of
Ozzie and Harriet.
In 1952,
he appeared in his
first feature film,
Here Come the Nelsons.
In 1957,
he recorded
his first single
("I'm Walkin'" b/w "A Teenager's Romance"),
debuted as a singer
on the television version
of the sitcom,
and released the
No. 1 album Ricky.
In 1958,
Nelson released his
first No. 1 single,
"Poor Little Fool",
and in 1959
received a
Golden Globe nomination
for
"Most Promising Male Newcomer"
after starring in
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.
In his twenties,
he moved away
from the pop music
of his youth
and began to perform
in a country rock style.
After recording
several albums
with mostly session musicians,
most of which flopped,
he formed
the Stone Canyon Band
in 1969
and experienced a
career resurgence,
buoyed by
the live album
In Concert at the Troubadour,
1969 and had a
surprise hit with
1972's
"Garden Party",
which peaked at number six
on the Billboard Hot 100.
His comeback was
short-lived,
however,
as his record label
was bought out
and folded,
and his follow up albums
were not well promoted
by his new label.
He continued to
perform live
and take
small television roles
through the 1970s,
though his label
dropped him by
the end of the decade.
He released
two more albums,
with unimpressive results,
before his death
in a plane crash
on
New Year's Eve, 1985.
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