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Ricky Nelson, handsome teen idol and early rock & roller was born Eric Hilliard Nelson on May 8, 1940 in Teaneck, NJ. His first hit was released in 1957, and he would go on to be second only to Elvis Presley in rock & roll popularity during the 1950's and 1960's.

Nelson's brand of music, often called rockabilly, was perfect for his smooth, mellow voice and his relaxed style of guitar playing. He cited his most important influences as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. The influence of each of these artists can be heard in Nelson's music.

In 1949, Ricky and his brother, David, began their careers by joining their parents' radio show. His father, Ozzie, was a popular bandleader, and his mom, Harriet, was the singer in his band. After the radio show, from 1952-1966, the Nelson family starred in a weekly sitcom called "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet." After Nelson's first record was released, he, along with his band, began doing a song at the end of each show. These performances added to the popularity of both the show and Nelson's band. In addition to radio and television, Nelson also starred in seven movies between 1952 and 1976.

Nelson enjoyed huge hits with songs such as "Hello Mary Lou," "Travelin' Man," "Poor Little Fool," and "Lonesome Town" during this early career. However, in the early 1970's, his performance was booed during a Madison Square Garden show. The audience expected that he had become an oldies nostalgia act and that he would play only the old songs. They did not like the fact that he was obviously not ready to stop creating, and that he was playing new songs. This prompted Nelson's song, "Garden Party," which turned out to be one of his biggest hits. The lyrics addressed performing to an audience that was unhappy that his appearance had changed, he had grown his hair long, and that his audience only wanted to hear the old stuff. The chorus of the song explains by saying, "It's alright now/I learned my lesson well/You can't please everyone/So you've got to please yourself."

As the 1970's and 1980's continued, Nelson, who already had many personal problems, developed an addiction to cocaine, but he was still performing 200 dates per year. Tragically, he was killed in a plane crash, along with six others, including his fianc, in 1985. The plane caught fire and crashed in Dekalb, Texas while on its way to Dallas for a New Year's Eve show. There were rumors that the plane crash had been caused by a fire started by the passengers while freebasing cocaine, but the findings of the NTSB investigation indicated that the cause was mechanical problems. Unfortunately, damage to Nelson's reputation was done, based strictly on speculation.

Nelson and his former wife, Kristin, had four children. The oldest is a daughter, Tracy, who is a successful actress. There were three sons, Gunnar, Matthew, and Sam, who are all in the music industry.

Nelson's contributions to the creative arts were numerous. He was a radio star, television and movie star, and musician. He is also considered to be the pioneer of the type of country rock performed later by artists like The Eagles, Poco, and Linda Ronstadt. In addition, he was named #94 on a list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time by "Rolling Stone Magazine."

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