Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson
Background information
Birth name Eric Hilliard Nelson
Born May 8, 1940(1940-05-08)
Origin , U.S.
Died December 31, 1985(1985-12-31) (aged 45)
, U.S.
Genres Rockabilly, Rock 'n' roll, Pop, Folk, Country
Occupations Actor, Musician, Singer
Years active 1957 – 1985
Labels Imperial, Decca (MCA), Epic
Associated acts Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Connie Francis, Carl Perkins, James Burton
Website http://www.rickynelson.com/

Ricky Nelson, or Rick Nelson (born Eric Hilliard Nelson; May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor. He placed fifty-three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973, including nineteen top-ten hits,[1] and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987.[2]

Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949 playing himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and, in 1952, appeared in his first feature film, Here Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded his first single, debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and recorded a number one album, Ricky. In 1958, Nelson recorded his first number one single, "Poor Little Fool", and, in 1959, received a Golden Globe Most Promising Male Newcomer nomination after starring in the western film, 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.

Nelson and Sharon Kristin Harmon were married on April 20, 1963, and divorced in December 1982. They had four children: Tracy Kristine, twin sons Gunnar Eric and Matthew Gray, and Sam Hilliard. On February 14, 1981, a son was born to Nelson and Georgeann Crewe. A blood test in 1985 confirmed Nelson was the child's father. Nelson was engaged to Helen Blair at the time of his death in an airplane crash on December 31, 1985.

Contents

Early life

Ricky Nelson was born the second son of big band leader Ozzie Nelson who was of Swedish descent and his wife, big band vocalist Harriet Hilliard Nelson (née Peggy Louise Snyder), on May 8, 1940 at 1:25 p.m. at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey.[3][4][5] Harriett remained in Englewood, New Jersey with her newborn and her older son, David while Ozzie toured the nation with the Nelson Orchestra.[6] The Nelsons bought a two-story Colonial in Tenafly, New Jersey,[6][7] and, six months after the purchase, moved with son David to Hollywood, California where Ozzie and Harriet were slated to appear in the 1941-42 season of Red Skelton's The Raleigh Cigarette Hour; Ricky remained in Tenafly in the care of his paternal grandmother.[8] In November 1941, the Nelsons bought what would become their permanent home: a green and white, two-story, Cape Cod Colonial at 1822 Camino Palmero in Los Angeles.[9][10] Ricky joined his parents and brother in Los Angeles in 1942.[9]

Here Come the Nelsons (1952)

Ricky was a small and insecure child who suffered from severe asthma. At night, his sleep was eased with a vaporizer emitting tincture of evergreen.[11] He was described by Red Skelton's producer John Guedel as "an odd little kid", likable, shy, introspective, mysterious, and inscrutable.[12] When Skelton was drafted in 1944, Guedel crafted the radio sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, for Ricky's parents.[12][13] The show debuted on Sunday, October 8, 1944 to favorable reviews.[14][15] Ozzie eventually became head writer for the show and based episodes on the fraternal exploits and enmity of his sons.[16] The Nelson boys were first played in the radio series by professional child actors until twelve-year-old Dave and eight-year-old Ricky joined the show on February 20, 1949 in the episode, "Invitation to Dinner".[17][18]

In 1952, the Nelsons tested the waters for a television series with the theatrically-released film, Here Come the Nelsons. The film was a hit and Ozzie was convinced the family could make the transition from radio's airwaves to the televisions's small screen. On October 3, 1952, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet made its television debut and was broadcast in first run until September 3, 1966 to become one of the long-running sitcoms in television history.

Education

Nelson attended Gardner Street Public School,[19] Bancroft Junior High,[20] and Hollywood High School between 1954 and 1958 from which he graduated with a B average.[21][22][23] He played football at Hollywood High[21][22] and represented the school in interscholastic tennis matches.[24] Twenty-five years later, Nelson told the Los Angeles Weekly he hated school because it "smelled of pencils" and he was forced to rise early in the morning to attend.[21]

Hollywood High (2008)

At Hollywood High, Nelson was blackballed by the Elksters, a fraternity of a dozen conservative sports-loving teens who thought him too wild.[25][26] Many of the Elksters were family friends and spent weekends at the Nelson home playing basketball or relaxing around the pool.[26] In retaliation, he joined the Rooks, a greaser car club of sideburned high school teens clad in leather jackets and motorcycle boots.[26][27] He tattooed his hands, wrist, and shoulder with India ink and a sewing needle, slicked his hair with oil, and accompanied the Rooks on nocturnal forays along Hollywood Boulevard randomly harassing and beating up passersby.[26][27] Nelson was jailed twice in connection with incidents perpetrated by the Rooks, and escaped punishment after sucker-punching a police officer only through the intervention of his father.[27] Nelson's parents were alarmed. Their son's juvenile deliquency did little to enhance the All-American image of Ozzie and Harriet and they quickly put an end to Ricky's involvement with the Rooks by banishing one of the most influential of the club's members from Ricky's life and their home.[24]

Ozzie Nelson was a Rutgers alumnus and keen on college education,[28] but eighteen-year-old Ricky was already in the 93-percent income-tax bracket and saw no reason to attend.[22] At thirteen, Ricky was making over $100,000 per annum and, at sixteen, he had a personal fortune of $500,000.[29] Nelson's wealth was astutely managed by parents who channeled his earnings into trust funds. Although his parents permitted him a $50 allowance at the age of eighteen, Rick was often strapped for cash, and, one evening, collected and redeemed empty soda bottles to gain entrance to a movie theater for himself and a date.[30] Like many born to wealth, Nelson had a cavalier attitude toward his finances and never learned to manage money.[25]

Music career

Debut

Nelson played clarinet and drums in his tweens and early teens, learned the rudimentary guitar chords, and vocally imitated his favorite Sun Records rockabilly artists in the bathroom at home or in the showers at the Los Angeles Tennis Club.[31][32][33] He was strongly influenced by the music of Carl Perkins and once said he tried to emulate the sound and the tone of the guitar break in Perkins's March 1956 Top Ten hit, "Blue Suede Shoes".[32][33]

At sixteen, Nelson wanted to impress a friend who was an Elvis Presley fan, and, although he had no record contract at the time, told her that he, too, was going to make a record.[31][34][35][36] With his father's help, Nelson secured a one-record deal with Verve Records, an important jazz label looking for a young and popular personality who could sing or be taught to sing.[35][36][37][38] On March 26, 1957, Nelson recorded the Fats Domino standard "I'm Walkin'" and "A Teenager's Romance" (both released in late April 1957 as his first single), and "You're My One and Only Love".[38][39]

Before the single was released, Nelson made his television rock and roll debut on April 10, 1957 lip-synching "I'm Walkin'" in the Ozzie and Harriet episode, "Ricky, the Drummer".[40][41] About the same time, he made an unpaid public appearance as a singer at a Hamilton High School lunch hour assembly in Los Angeles with the Four Preps and was greeted by hordes of screaming teens who had seen the television episode.[42][43]

"I'm Walkin'" reached number four on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart, and its flip side, "A Teenager's Romance", hit number two.[35][43] When the television series went on summer break in 1957, Nelson made his first road trip and played four state and county fairs in Ohio and Wisconsin with the Four Preps who opened and closed for him.[44]

First album, band, and number one single

In early summer 1957, Ozzie Nelson pulled his son from Verve after disputes about royalties, and signed him to a lucrative five-year deal with Imperial Records that gave him approval over song selection, sleeve artwork, and other production details.[45][46] Ricky's first Imperial single, "Be-Bop Baby", generated 750,000 advance orders, sold over one million copies, and reached number three on the charts. Nelson's first album, Ricky, was released in October 1957 and hit number one before the end of the year.[47] Following these successes, Nelson was given a more prominent role on the Ozzie and Harriet show and ended every two or three episodes with a musical number.[48]

Nelson grew increasingly dissatisfied performing with older jazz session musicians who were openly contemptuous of rock and roll. After his Ohio and Minnesota tours in the summer of 1957, he decided to form his own band with members closer to his age.[49] Eighteen-year-old electric guitarist James Burton was the first signed and lived in the Nelson home for two years.[50] Bassist James Kirkland, drummer Richie Frost, and pianist Gene Garf completed the band.[51] Their first recording together was "Believe What You Say". Rick selected material from demo acetates submitted by songwriters. Ozzie Nelson forbade suggestive lyrics or titles, and his late-night arrival at recording sessions forced band members to hurriedly hide their beers and cigarettes. The Jordanaires, Presley's back up vocalists worked for Nelson but at Presley's behest were not permitted credit on Nelson's albums.

In 1958, Nelson recorded seventeen-year-old Sharon Sheeley's "Poor Little Fool" for his second album Ricky Nelson released in June.[52][53] Radio airplay brought the tune notice, Imperial suggested releasing a single, but Nelson opposed the idea, believing a single would diminish EP sales. When a single was released nonetheless, he exercised his contractual right to approve any artwork and vetoed a picture sleeve.[52][54] On August 4, 1958, "Poor Little Fool" became the number one single on Billboard's newly instituted Hot 100 singles chart,[55][56] and sold over two million copies.[52] Nelson so loathed the song he refused to perform it on Ozzie and Harriet.[52] Sheeley claimed he ruined her song by slowing the tempo.[55] More generally, Nelson stated -

“ Anyone who knocks rock 'n' roll either doesn't understand it, or is prejudiced against it, or is just plain square. ”

NME - November 1958[57]

During 1958 and 1959, Nelson placed twelve hits on the charts in comparison with Presley's eleven. During the sitcom's run Ozzie Nelson, either to keep his son's fans tuned in or as an affirmation of his reputed behind-the-scenes persona as a controlling personality, kept his son from appearing on other television shows that could have enhanced his public profile, American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show in particular.[55] In the summer of 1958, Nelson conducted his first full-scale tour and averaged $5,000 nightly. By 1960, the Ricky Nelson International Fan Club had 9,000 chapters around the world.[58]

“ Perhaps the most embarrassing moment in my career was when six girls tried to fling themselves under my car, and shouted to me to run over them. That sort of thing can be very frightening ! ”

NME - May 1960[59]

Nelson was the first teen idol to utilize television to promote hit records. Ozzie Nelson even had the idea to edit footage together to create some of the first music videos. This creative editing can be seen in videos Ozzie produced for "Travelin' Man." Nelson finally did appear on the Sullivan show in 1967, but his career by that time was in limbo. He also appeared on other television shows (usually in acting roles). In 1973, he had an acting role in an episode of The Streets of San Francisco, in which he played the part of a hippie flute-playing leader of a harem of young prostitutes. In 1979, he guest-hosted on Saturday Night Live, in which he spoofed his television sitcom image by appearing in a Twilight Zone send-up, in which, always trying to go "home", he finds himself among the characters from other 1950s/early 1960s-era sitcoms, Leave It to Beaver, Father Knows Best, Make Room for Daddy, and I Love Lucy.

Nelson knew and loved music, and was a skilled performer even before he became a teen idol, largely because of his parents' musical background. Nelson worked with many musicians of repute, including James Burton, Joe Osborn, and Allen "Puddler" Harris, all natives of Louisiana, and Joe Maphis, The Jordanaires, Scotty Moore and Johnny and Dorsey Burnette.

From 1957 to 1962, Nelson had thirty Top-40 hits, more than any other artist at the time except Presley (who had 53) and Pat Boone (38). Many of Nelson's early records were double hits with both the A and B sides hitting the Billboard charts.

While Nelson preferred rockabilly and uptempo rock songs like "Believe What You Say" (Hot 100 number 4), "I Got A Feeling" (Hot 100 number 10), "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It" (Hot 100 number 12), "Hello Mary Lou" (Hot 100 number 9), "It's Late" (Hot 100 number 9), "Stood Up" (Hot 100 number 2), "Waitin' In School" (Hot 100 number 18), "Be-Bop Baby" (Hot 100 number 3), and "Just A Little Too Much" (Hot 100 number 9), his smooth, calm voice made him a natural to sing ballads. He had major success with "Travelin' Man" (Hot 100 number 1), "A Teenager's Romance" (Hot 100 number 2), "Poor Little Fool" (Hot 100 number 1), "Young World" (Hot 100 number 5), "Lonesome Town" (Hot 100 number 7), "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (Hot 100 number 6), "Sweeter Than You" (Hot 100 number 9), "It's Up To You" (Hot 100 number 6), and "Teenage Idol" (Hot 100 number 5), which clearly could have been about Nelson himself.

In addition to his recording career, Nelson appeared in movies, including the Howard Hawks western classic Rio Bravo with John Wayne and Dean Martin (1959), plus The Wackiest Ship In the Army (1960) and Love and Kisses (1965).

On May 8, 1961 (his 21st birthday), Nelson officially changed his recording name from "Ricky Nelson" to "Rick Nelson". However, not too long before his untimely death, Nelson realized a dream of his. He met his idol, Carl Perkins, who, while musing that they were the last of the "rockabilly breed", addressed Nelson as "Ricky". In 1963, Nelson signed a 20-year contract with Decca Records. After some early successes with the label, most notably 1964's "For You", a number-6 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, Nelson's chart career came to a dramatic halt in the wake of The British Invasion.

In the mid-1960s, Nelson began to move towards country music, becoming a pioneer in the country-rock genre. He was one of the early influences of the so-called "California Sound" (which would include singers like Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt and bands like the Eagles). Yet Nelson himself did not reach the Top 40 again until 1970, when he recorded Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" with the Stone Canyon Band.

"Garden Party"

In 1972, Nelson reached the Top 40 one last time with "Garden Party", a song he wrote in disgust after a Madison Square Garden audience booed him when he tried playing new songs instead of just his old hits - or so he thought. The real reason Rick was booed was because of policemen trying to remove some drunken fans in the upper balcony. This statement is questionable as Rick's attire (purple pants,purple shirt with a white star and long hair) put off the New York crowd from the jump. His lack of charisma tested the crowd's patience and as memorialized in the song, when he performed the Stones' Honky Tonk Woman was summarily booed off the stage. Gutting it out, he was prompted by the promoter to return for an encore and received a standing ovation for Travelin' Man. He wanted to record an album featuring original material, but the single was released before the album because Nelson had not completed the entire Garden Party album yet. "Garden Party" reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and was certified as a gold single. The second single release from the album was "Palace Guard", which reached number 65 in the charts.

Nelson was with MCA at the time, and his comeback was short-lived. Nelson's band soon resigned, and MCA wanted Nelson to have a producer on his next album. His band moved to Aspen and changed their name to "Canyon". Nelson soon put together a new Stone Canyon band, and began to tour for the Garden Party album. Nelson still played nightclubs and bars, but soon advanced to higher-paying venues because of the success of "Garden Party". In 1974 MCA was at odds as to what to do with the former teen idol. Albums like Windfall failed to have an impact. Nelson became an attraction at theme parks like Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland. He also started appearing in minor roles on television shows.

Nelson tried to score another hit, but was not having any luck with songs like "Rock and Roll Lady". With seven years to go on his contract, MCA dropped him from the label.

Nelson studied Karate earning a brown belt, before going on to learn Jeet Kune Do under Dan Inosanto. Inosanto described Nelson as a "good martial artist for those times".[60]

Drug use

Nelson experimented with marijuana early in his musical career, became a regular user, buried his stash in his yard, and supported marijuana's legalization. He tried mescaline,[61] was a regular cocaine user and carried the drug in an empty ginseng capsule.[62]

During the Nelson divorce proceedings, Rick was accused by his wife's attorney of using cocaine, Quaaludes, and other drugs, and of having "a severe drug problem" encouraged by his managers, his entourage, and his groupies. The attorney noted that Nelson's "personal manager" secured drugs for the star, wild parties took place in Nelson's home whether he was present or not, and his children, aware of his drug use, were in great physical danger from drugged persons entering and exiting the house at all hours.[63]

Following Nelson's divorce, he became involved with cocaine-addicted Helen Blair.[64] The two entered the classic pattern of codependency typical of addicts. The situation grew so dire friends descended on Nelson en masse and urged him to seek drug abuse treatment.[65]

Relationships

Nelson liked wholesome, clean-cut women, and dated Hollywood starlets,[66] but, inexplicably, was also attracted to and became deeply involved with troubled types from dysfunctional families.[67] Nelson had a tremendous sexual appetite and a casual attitude toward sex. He once estimated he had had sex with thousands of women.[68]

First loves

Nelson was seventeen when he met and fell in love with Marianne Gaba, a midwestern beauty queen who arrived in California for the Miss Universe Pageant. She appeared on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,[69] and auditioned for and won the role of Ricky's girlfriend in three episodes of Ozzie and Harriet.[69][70] Nelson's celebrity and recognizability made it difficult for the couple to comfortably appear in public and the two spent their time in darkened drive-in movie theaters, out-of-the-way burger joints, and scenic overlooks where Nelson played his guitar for Gaba. They went steady and Nelson gave Gaba a ring to commemorate the event.[71] Gaba was with him in October 1957 when he met Elvis Presley at a private party in Presley's Beverly Wilshire Hotel luxury suite following the superstar's concert at the Hollywood Pan-Pacific Auditorium.[72] Nelson and Gaba were too young to entertain a serious relationship and sexual intercourse did not occur, though, according to Gaba, "we used to neck for hours."[73][74]

In 1958, Nelson fell in love with fifteen-year-old Oklahoman Lorrie Collins, a country singer appearing on a weekly telecast out of Compton, California, called Town Hall Party.[75][76] The two wrote the song "My Gal" together (Nelson's first composition), and she introduced him to Johnny Cash and Tex Ritter. Collins appeared in an Ozzie and Harriet episode as Ricky's girlfriend and sang "Just Because" with him in the musical finale.[77] They went steady and discussed marriage, but their parents discouraged the idea.[77][78] Their year-long relationship ended when sixteen-year-old Collins secretly married Johnny Cash's manager, Stu Carnell, nineteen years her senior, in Las Vegas.[78][79] Nelson learned of the marriage through a newspaper gossip column.[79]

After Collins' marriage, Nelson dated many women but only became serious about a free-spirited, waif-like, heroin-addicted beatnik-type with a past in prostitution and lesbianism.[80] She was stunningly beautiful, and created a sensation when she arrived in Hollywood via New York in the late 1950s.[81][82] Their relationship lasted two years with Nelson keeping it hidden from his parents.[83] Unknown to Nelson, she became pregnant with his child and nearly died from an illegal abortion. She married another man,[84] and disappeared, leaving Nelson mystified regarding her whereabouts but hopeful she would someday return.[83] At the age of forty-five, Nelson said she was the only girl he ever really loved.[85]

Nelson sometimes dated actresses hired for the television show. After selecting young women that piqued his interest from the Player's Directory, a pictorial guide to actors and actresses searching for work, he would urge his father to hire them for the show. Nelson often entered fleeting relationships with these women,[86] but entertained sexual relationships only if he cared about his partner.[87]

Marriage and divorce: Kris Harmon

At Christmas 1961, Nelson began dating Sharon Kristin "Kris" Harmon (born June 25, 1945), the daughter of football legend Tom Harmon and actress Elyse Knox (née Elsie Kornbrath), and the older sister of Kelly and Mark.[88][89] The Nelsons and the Harmons had long been friends and a union between their children held great appeal.[90] Rick and Kris were in love and had much in common: quiet dispositions, Hollywood upbringings, and high-powered, domineering fathers.[91]

During the winter holiday season of 1962-63, they announced their engagement,[81][92] and were married on April 20, 1963, in St. Martin of Tours Church in Hollywood before 400 guests in a 30-minute Catholic ceremony.[92][93] Kris was pregnant,[92] and Rick later described the union as a "shotgun wedding".[93] Nelson, a non-practicing Protestant, received instruction in Catholicism at the insistence of the bride's parents,[93][94] and signed a pledge to have any children of the union baptized in the Catholic faith.[92] The newlyweds honeymooned in the Bahamas.[92] Kris Nelson joined the television show as a regular cast member in the 1963 episode, "Rick's Wedding Ring".[85][95]

In 1975, the Nelsons were on the verge of breaking up but Kris would have had no parental support – the Harmons strongly disapproved of divorce. Rick and Kris each had affairs outside the marriage.[96] Rick engaged in one night stands on the road and Kris's closer-to-home liaisons included athletes and musicians.[97][98] In 1976, Kris and seventeen-year-old Ronald Reagan, Jr. were discovered making love in his parents' bed by Secret Service agents.[97] When Rick returned from a tour in 1977, he discovered Kris had moved him out of their home and into a rented house.[99] In less than a month, she found him there cavorting with two Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders. Rick later said she set him up to use the incident against him in court.[100]

In October 1977, Kris filed for divorce and asked for alimony, custody of their four children, and a portion of community property. The couple temporarily resolved their differences but Kris retained her attorney to pursue a permanent break.[99] Kris was contentious and jealous. Both spent enormous sums of money: Kris on parties, Rick on renting a private Lear jet.[101]

In April 1980, the Nelsons bought Errol Flynn's 1941 Mulholland Drive estate for $750,000.[102][103][104] Kris wanted Rick to give up music, spend more time at home, and focus on acting, but the family enjoyed a recklessly expensive lifestyle, and Kris's extravagant spending left Rick no choice but to tour relentlessly.[105] The impasse over Rick's career created unpleasantness at home. Rick toured as often as possible. Kris descended into drink and left the children in the care of household help.[106]

In October 1980, Kris moved into an upstairs room at Mulholland Drive house, and again filed for divorce.[107][108] She was hell-bent on taking everything she possibly could and leaving Rick ruined.[108][109] Attempts to negotiate a preliminary settlement agreement were unsuccessful.[108] In January 1981, Kris's attorney noted that Rick's assets were insufficient to warrant lengthy proceedings, and recommended a quick settlement. Kris replaced him with a more aggressive attorney. In February 1981, Kris was temporarily granted custody of the children and $3,600 in spousal support. Rick was required to pay a number of family expenses such as property taxes, doctor bills, and school tuitions.[110] Kris and her lawyers believed Rick had a hidden cache of wealth but such a thing was nonexistent.[111] Rick was almost broke. He refused to file for bankruptcy because it would negatively impact his career.[112] Accusations of drug and alcohol use and poor parenting flew back and forth between the Nelsons, and, after two years of acrimony, they were divorced in December 1982. The divorce was financially devastating for Nelson with attorneys and accountants taking over $1 million.[113] Years of legal wrangling would follow.[114][115]

Georgeann Crewe

On May 16, 1980, Nelson met Georgeann Crewe at the Playboy Resort in Great Gorge, New Jersey.[116][117] She was in her mid-thirties and separated from her husband. They spent the night together, with Crewe later claiming Nelson wanted her to stay and she couldn't refuse because she felt "an attachment, an immediate attraction".[116][117] A couple of months later, she learned she was pregnant. She tracked Nelson to Connecticut where he was performing, and tried to contact him, but was threatened by Nelson's manager Greg McDonald with a restraining order.[118] Her subsequent attempts to contact Nelson were consistently thwarted by McDonald.[119]

On February 14, 1981, Crewe gave birth to Nelson's son, Eric Jude Crewe.[116] When the infant was six months old, Crewe took him to a Nelson concert and planted herself in the front row where Nelson had no choice but to gaze upon his progeny.[119] Shortly after, she began court proceedings, and, in 1985, a blood test confirmed Nelson was the father.[116] Whenever Nelson was performing in Crewe's vicinity, his manager would telephone to invite her to Nelson's hotel suite. She refused the invitations, fearing she would be drugged and her death attributed to an overdose.[120]

In August 1985, accompanied by her priest, Crewe went to one of Nelson's Jersey Shore concerts,[119] and, although Nelson wanted nothing to do with the boy,[116] agreed to provide $400 a month in child support beginning the following September.[119][121] However, once Nelson gained his hotel room, he told his manager Crewe was a "nutcase" chasing him, and ordered him to refuse future New Jersey concert dates. Many lucrative offers in Atlantic City were then turned down.[121] Crewe continued to solicit aid from Nelson and, after his death, his estate.[122] He did not provide for Eric Jude Crewe in his will.[123]

Last years: Helen Blair

In 1980, Nelson met Helen Blair, a part-time model and exotic animal trainer, at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.[124] She was a sweet, pretty woman sixteen years his junior originally from South Orange, New Jersey who followed his show around its various Southern California concert stops.[112][125] Within months of their meeting, she became his road companion, and, in 1982, his live-in lover. She was the only woman he dated after his divorce.[112][124]

Blair tried to make herself useful in Nelson's life by organizing his day and acting as a liaison for his fan club,[124] but Nelson's mother, brother, business manager, and manager disapproved of her presence in his life.[126] She used cocaine, she stole, she shoplifted.[127] Rick asked family and friends to be patient and understanding with Blair because she had had a difficult childhood.[128] In 1984, when Nelson gave Blair a diamond engagement ring,[129] Harriet Nelson threatened to cut him out of her will.[67] Nevertheless, he made plans for a wedding at the Hilton Hawaiian Village,[128] but had second thoughts, backed out, and never mentioned marriage again.[130]

Blair died with Nelson and members of his band in an airplane crash in De Kalb, Texas on December 31, 1985. Her name was never mentioned at Nelson's funeral.[131] Blair's parents wanted their daughter buried next to Nelson at Forest Lawn Cemetery but Harriet Nelson dismissed the idea.[67] The Blairs refused to bury Helen's remains and filed a $2 million wrongful death suit against Nelson's estate.[131] They received a small settlement. Nelson did not provide for Blair in his will.[123]

Children

Nelson's legitimate children

Rick and Kris Nelson had one daughter, blue-eyed, blonde-haired Tracy Kristine Nelson born six months after the wedding on October 25, 1963, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.[132][133] She weighed four pounds, one ounce and was slightly premature.[133] As a preschooler, she appeared in Yours, Mine, and Ours with Lucille Ball.[134][135] In her teens, she attended Westlake School for Girls and did well academically. She considered careers in ballet, veterinary medicine, and writing. During her parents' marital difficulties, she did not get along with her mother and stayed with her father in the Flynn house on Mulholland Drive despite the temporary divorce agreement.[136][137] She briefly attended college and left school in 1982 when she received the role of Jennifer DeNuccio in the television sitcom, Square Pegs.[98][134] She had a small role in the film Footloose,[98] appeared in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and had a regular role in television's Father Dowling Mysteries.[138] In 1982, she told People her parents were too young when they started a family. She recalled dressing up like a mermaid for an entire week as a child in an attempt to attract their attention.[139] Tracy married actor Billy Moses on July 25, 1987.[140] Her father left his estate to his four children.[123]

Nelson's twin sons Gunnar Eric Nelson and Matthew Gray Nelson were born on September 20, 1967.[141][142] Gunnar and Matthew performed as the band Nelson.[143]

Nelson's fourth child, Sam Hilliard Nelson, was born August 29, 1974.[144][145] At six years, he was placed in the care of his maternal grandparents, Tom and Elyse Harmon of Brentwood, because of his mother's alcohol abuse, unpredictable behavior, and sporadic suicidal tendencies.[136][137] Sam came to call his grandfather, "Pop".[146] In 1987, Kris Nelson was undergoing drug rehab when her brother Mark Harmon tried to gain custody of Sam based on grounds Kris was incapable of good parenting. Sam's psychiatrist testified the thirteen-year-old boy depicted his mother as a dragon, and complained about her mood swings and how she prevented him from being with his siblings. Harmon dropped his custody bid when Kris's lawyer insinuated witnesses could be produced who had snorted cocaine with Harmon's wife, Pam Dawber.[147][148] At his father's funeral, Sam read a Native American poem.[149] Sam founded and performed with the group H Is Orange in the early 2000s.[150]

Death

Nelson dreaded airplane flying but refused to travel by bus. In May 1985, he decided he needed a private plane and purchased a luxurious, fourteen-seat, 1944 DC-3 for private use that once belonged to the DuPont family and later to Jerry Lee Lewis. The plane was plagued with annoying mechanical mishaps.[151] In one incident, the band was forced to push the plane off the runaway after an engine blew, and in another incident in September, a malfunctioning sparkplug prevented Nelson from participating in the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois.[152] Rumors that the band dreaded boarding the $138,000 aircraft were later refuted however, and Nelson's private copilot Ken Ferguson stated there were no areas of "major safety concern" with the plane.[153]

The day after Christmas 1985, Nelson and the band left for a three-stop tour of the Southern United States. Following shows in Orlando, Florida and Guntersville, Alabama, Nelson and band members boarded the vintage DC-3 in Guntersville and took off for a New Year's Eve extravaganza in Dallas, Texas.[154] The plane crashed northeast of Dallas in De Kalb, Texas at approximately 5:14 p.m. CST on December 31, 1985. Seven were killed: Nelson and his fiancée, Helen Blair; bassist Patrick Woodward; drummer Rick Intveld; keyboardist Andy Chapin; guitarist Bobby Neal; and road manager/soundman Donald Clark Russell. Pilots Ken Ferguson and Brad Rank escaped via cockpit windows though Ferguson was severely burned.

Nelson's remains were lost in transit from Texas to California, delaying the funeral for several days. On January 6, 1986, 250 mourners entered the Church of the Hills for funeral services while 700 fans gathered outside. Attendees included 'Colonel' Tom Parker, Connie Stevens, Angie Dickinson, and dozens of actors, writers, and musicians. Nelson was privately buried days later in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Kris Nelson threatened to sue the Nelson clan for her former husband's life insurance money and tried to wrest control of his estate from David Nelson, its administrator. Her bid was rejected by a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge. Nelson bequeathed his entire estate to his children and did not provide for Eric Crewe, Helen Blair, or Kris Nelson. Only days after the funeral, rumors and newspaper reports suggested cocaine freebasing was one of several possible causes for the plane crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a year-long investigation and finally stated that the crash was probably due to mechanical problems. The pilots attempted to land in a field after smoke filled the cabin. An examination indicated that a fire had originated in the right hand side of the aft cabin area at or near the floor line. The passengers were killed when the aircraft struck obstacles during the forced landing; the pilots were able to escape through the cockpit windows and survived. The ignition and fuel sources of the fire could not be determined, although there was speculation that Nelson was freebasing cocaine in flight. Traces of cocaine and the painkiller, Darvon, were found in Rick's body. The pilot indicated that the crew tried to turn on the gasoline cabin heater repeatedly shortly before the fire occurred, but that it failed to respond. After the fire, the access panel to the heater compartment was found unlatched. The theory is supported by records that showed that DC-3s in general, and this aircraft in particular, had a previous history of problems with the cabin heaters.

Tributes, honors, recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2006)

Nelson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1515 Vine Street.

Along with the recording's other participants, Nelson earned the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "Interviews from the Class of '55 Recording Sessions."

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Nelson number 91 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[155]

At the 20th anniversary of Nelson's death, PBS televised Ricky Nelson Sings, a documentary featuring interviews with his children, James Burton, and Kris Kristofferson. On December 27, 2005, EMI Music released an album titled Ricky Nelson's Greatest Hits that peaked at number 56 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Bob Dylan wrote about Nelson's influence on his music in his 2004 memoir, "Chronicles, Vol. 1".

Nelson's estate (The Rick Nelson Company, LLC) owns ancillary rights to the Ozzie and Harriet television series, and, in 2007, Shout! Factory released official editions of the show on DVD. Also in 2007, Nelson was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Appraisals

At the time of his death, Nelson was universally acknowledged to be the musical artist who kept rock and roll alive after Elvis Presley entered the United States Army in 1958 and whose musical contributions to the genre in the late 1950s and early 1960s were the most significant of the period. Nelson made wise choices in material by good writers and was supported by the most competent studio musicians. His artistry resided in using his "smooth, monotone tenor" to subtly and feelingly convey a wide range of teen angst emotions.[156]

Discography

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Whitburn
  2. ↑ Bashe 284
  3. ↑ Bashe 2,16-7
  4. ↑ Selvin 25
  5. ↑ Nelson was called "Ricky" from birth (Bashe 16).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bashe 17
  7. ↑ Selvin 26
  8. ↑ Bashe 18
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bashe 19
  10. ↑ Selvin 28
  11. ↑ Bashe 19-20
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Bashe 20
  13. ↑ Selvin 29
  14. ↑ Bashe 21
  15. ↑ Selvin 30
  16. ↑ Bashe 22
  17. ↑ Bashe 24-5
  18. ↑ Dennis 15
  19. ↑ Bashe 23
  20. ↑ Selvin 47
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Selvin 53
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Bashe 52
  23. ↑ Selvin states Nelson never graduated Hollywood High (Selvin 85).
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Selvin 55
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Bashe 55
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Selvin 54
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Bashe 56
  28. ↑ Selvin 15
  29. ↑ Bashe 53
  30. ↑ Bashe 54
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Bashe 66
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Selvin 62
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Holdship 2
  34. ↑ Selvin 60
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Bronson 154
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Holdship 1
  37. ↑ Bashe 69
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Selvin 64
  39. ↑ Bashe 71
  40. ↑ Bashe 72
  41. ↑ Selvin 66
  42. ↑ Bashe 75
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Selvin 68
  44. ↑ Selvin 70
  45. ↑ Bashe 78-9
  46. ↑ Selvin 73-4
  47. ↑ Selvin 76
  48. ↑ Bashe 80
  49. ↑ Bashe 81
  50. ↑ Bashe 82-3
  51. ↑ Bashe 83
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 Bashe 90
  53. ↑ Selvin 89
  54. ↑ Selvin 89-90
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 Bashe 91
  56. ↑ Selvin 90
  57. ↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 60. CN 5585. 
  58. ↑ Bashe 92-3
  59. ↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 82. CN 5585. 
  60. ↑ Kelly 145
  61. ↑ Selvin 113,185
  62. ↑ Selvin 240
  63. ↑ Selvin 257
  64. ↑ Bashe 243-4
  65. ↑ Selvin 261
  66. ↑ Selvin 114
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 Bashe 244
  68. ↑ Bashe 205
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 Bashe 136
  70. ↑ Selvin 72
  71. ↑ Bashe 136-7
  72. ↑ Bashe 117
  73. ↑ Bashe 137
  74. ↑ Selvin 73
  75. ↑ Bashe 106
  76. ↑ Selvin 81
  77. ↑ 77.0 77.1 Selvin 83
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 Bashe 138
  79. ↑ 79.0 79.1 Selvin 84
  80. ↑ Selvin 114-5
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 Bashe 142
  82. ↑ Selvin 115
  83. ↑ 83.0 83.1 Bashe 143
  84. ↑ Selvin 116
  85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 Bashe 145
  86. ↑ Selvin 135
  87. ↑ Selvin 141
  88. ↑ Bashe 138,140-1
  89. ↑ Selvin 140
  90. ↑ Bashe 139
  91. ↑ Bashe 140
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 92.2 92.3 92.4 Selvin 149
  93. ↑ 93.0 93.1 93.2 Bashe 144
  94. ↑ Selvin 137,149
  95. ↑ Selvin 150
  96. ↑ Selvin 184-5
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 Bashe 206
  98. ↑ 98.0 98.1 98.2 Selvin 237
  99. ↑ 99.0 99.1 Selvin 230
  100. ↑ Bashe 207
  101. ↑ Selvin 236, 238
  102. ↑ Bashe 214-5
  103. ↑ Selvin 246
  104. ↑ It would remain Rick's home until his death in 1985 (Selvin 246).
  105. ↑ Selvin 251
  106. ↑ Bashe 218
  107. ↑ Bashe 219
  108. ↑ 108.0 108.1 108.2 Selvin 252
  109. ↑ Bashe 220
  110. ↑ Selvin 254
  111. ↑ Selvin 259
  112. ↑ 112.0 112.1 112.2 Selvin 260
  113. ↑ Bashe 221
  114. ↑ Bashe 237
  115. ↑ Selvin 262
  116. ↑ 116.0 116.1 116.2 116.3 116.4 Bashe 229
  117. ↑ 117.0 117.1 Selvin 277
  118. ↑ Selvin 277-8
  119. ↑ 119.0 119.1 119.2 119.3 Selvin 278
  120. ↑ Bashe 228
  121. ↑ 121.0 121.1 Bashe 230
  122. ↑ Bashe 231
  123. ↑ 123.0 123.1 123.2 Bashe 271
  124. ↑ 124.0 124.1 124.2 Bashe 242
  125. ↑ Bashe 241-2
  126. ↑ Bashe 242,244
  127. ↑ Bashe 244-5
  128. ↑ 128.0 128.1 Bashe 245
  129. ↑ Bashe 243
  130. ↑ Bashe 246
  131. ↑ 131.0 131.1 Bashe 273
  132. ↑ Bashe 144,225
  133. ↑ 133.0 133.1 Selvin 151
  134. ↑ 134.0 134.1 Bashe 250
  135. ↑ Selvin 171
  136. ↑ 136.0 136.1 Bashe 224
  137. ↑ 137.0 137.1 Selvin 255
  138. ↑ Selvin 299
  139. ↑ Bashe 225
  140. ↑ Selvin 297
  141. ↑ Bashe 158
  142. ↑ Selvin 173
  143. ↑ Selvin 267
  144. ↑ Bashe 187
  145. ↑ Selvin 217
  146. ↑ Bashe 249
  147. ↑ Bashe 282
  148. ↑ Selvin 296-9
  149. ↑ Bashe 272
  150. ↑ Band Profile
  151. ↑ Bashe 259
  152. ↑ Bashe 260
  153. ↑ Bashe 261
  154. ↑ Bashe 261-2
  155. ↑ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone (946). April 15, 2004. ISSN 0035-791X. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty. Retrieved December 12, 2007. 
  156. ↑ Brackett 574
  157. ↑ "K-N — University of North Texas Libraries". Library.unt.edu. 2008-07-24. http://www.library.unt.edu/resolveuid/37d2a581e31df743d9a3fd80b49e28cb. Retrieved 2010-09-02.