Ricky Nelson (2) – Hello Mary Lou

[b]Born:[/b] May 8th, 1940, Teaneck, New Jersey, United States.
[b]Died:[/b] December 31st, 1985, De Kalb, Texas, United States.

[b]Nelson[/b] was a child prodigy, born into a showbiz family, his father [b]Ozzie[/b] was a bandleader and his mother [b]Harriet[/b] was the singer. They had their own radio show & subsequent TV show, [b][i]The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet[/i][/b], in which [b]Nelson[/b] featured with his brother [b]David[/b]. [b]Nelson[/b] appeared in his first film aged 7.

A 'Teenage Idol' of the late 1950s and early 1960s, [b]Nelson[/b] gained 9 gold records by the age of 21 in 1961. His single, [b]'Travelin' Man'[/b], was a huge #1 hit that year, selling over 2 million copies. The flip-side [b]'Hello, Mary Lou'[/b] went on to be his biggest hit ever, reaching #1 in 32 countries.

In April 1963, [b]Nelson[/b] married [b]Kristin Harmon[/b] and they had a daughter, [b]Tracy[/b], and 3 sons, [b]Gunner[/b], [b]Matthew[/b] (who formed the music duo, [b][a=Nelson (4)][/b]) and [b]Sam[/b]. They were later divorced. [b]Nelson[/b]'s career gained a high spot in 1972 with the release of [b]'Garden Party'[/b], which went gold and also won a [b]Grammy Award[/b] in 1986 for [b][i]Best Spoken Word Recording.[/i][/b]

On New Year's eve 1985, en route from Alabama to a gig in Dallas, [b]Nelson[/b]'s plane crash-landed near DeKalb, TX and burst into flames. Only the pilot & co-pilot escaped. Posthumously inducted into the [b]Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[/b] in 1987 (Performer), and the [b]Rockabilly Hall of Fame[/b], [b]Nelson[/b]'s grave is close to those of his parents at [b]Forest Lawn Memorial Park[/b], Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, L.A. County, California, USA.

All the early albums from 1957 to 1961 were recorded at [l=Master Recorders], engineered by [a=Bunny Robyn] and produced by [a=Jimmie Haskell].

[b]Nelson[/b] had the #1 song on the first ever [b]Billboard Hot 100[/b] chart with [b]'Poor Little Fool'[/b] in August 1958.