Time to hop into the Wayback Machine. Back to the 1950s a time when wholesomeness and good clean looks were a prerequisite to stardom. Teenage heart throbs abound and one of the earliest was Ricky Nelson. Ricky the youngest member of the Nelson family starred in radio and TV on the popular show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Ricky was often featured singing his latest song on the show. It wasn’t long before Ricky became a popular recording artist placing over 50 songs on the Billboard Top 100 chart.
Rock and Roll was still in its infancy and not everyone took the new genre seriously. Ricky was once quoted as saying “Anyone who knocks rock 'n' roll either doesn't understand it, or is prejudiced against it, or is just plain square”. I couldn't agree more.
In 1959 Ricky’s good looks and popularity led him to a co-starring role along John Wayne in the western movie Rio Bravo.
In 1961 “Ricky” officially changed his name to Rick Nelson. Changes to the rock and roll order were dealing a crippling blow to his youthful sound and Rick wanted audiences to take him more seriously. Rick maintained some popularity on the country charts until 1972 when he released a song titled Garden Party. The impetus for the song was a concert that he played at Madison Square Garden. Rick was playing some of his current music and was booed by the audience. Later it was revealed that they weren’t booing him but other activities that were happening in the concert hall. Garden Party was his last top 40 hit.
Like so many rock stars Nelson left us way too early. In December 1985, Nelson and several members of his band the band were killed in a plane crash near Dallas, TX.
Ricky Nelson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Today’s song was one of Ricky’s last big singles, It’s Up To You.
Joe Domino is a Realtor® serving the Phoenix & Scottsdale metro area. You can find more great information by visiting his website at www.Scottsdale-AZHomes.com.
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