BARRY LEVINE: Ricky Nelson had easy road to stardom

Of all of the early performers from the modern rock ‘n’ roll era, none had an easier road to superstardom than Ricky Nelson. That, in part, was because he was already a star, albeit as a TV performer and not a singer.

He starred with his family, his parents Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and older brother, David, in the TV series “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” from 1952 to 1966. He played the role of a mischievous son and wisecracking brother on the sitcom..

At age 16 in 1956, young Ricky wanted to impress his girlfriend, who was an Elvis Presley fan. Although he had no record contract, Nelson told her that he, too, was going to cut a record.

With his father’s assistance, he secured a one-record deal with Verve Records, an important jazz label looking for a young and popular personality who could sing.

On March 26, 1957, he covered Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin’” and “A Teenager’s Romance” for Verve. It was released the following month as his first single.

Before the single was released, Nelson made his television rock-and-roll debut on April 10, 1957, singing and playing the drums to “I’m Walkin’” during an “Ozzie and Harriet“ episode.

“A Teenager’s Romance” quickly rose to No. 2 on the charts and “I’m Walkin’” to No. 4, matching Domino’s version.

Nelson was the second-most successful teen idol rocker during the period from 1957 through 1959.

In that span, Nelson had 16 Top 40 hits, 12 of which reached the Top 10. One of his 1958 hits, “Poor Little Fool,” became his first No. 1 hit. His second, and last, No. 1 smash was “Travelin’ Man” in 1961.

Elvis Presley was the most successful rocker during that span with 20 Top 40 hits, 13 of which climbed into the Top 10.

Three other teen idols during that period failed to match Nelson’s success.

Paul Anka had 12 Top 40 songs, five of which rose into the Top 10.

Frankie Avalon notched 10 Top 40 hits, six of which reached the Top 10.

The Everly Brothers had eight Top 40 hits, six of which jumped into the Top 10.

Nelson placed 53 songs on the Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973, including “Poor Little Fool,” which holds the distinction of being the first No. 1 song on Billboard magazine’s newly created Hot 100 chart.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. The other members of what was the second class to be inducted were The Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, B.B. King, Bill Haley, Clyde McPhatter, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson, Big Joe Turner, Muddy Waters and Jackie Wilson. (Now, compare the talents of the Class of ’87 to the Class of 2017. YUK, but that’s a column for another day.)

Nelson was ranked 49th on TV Guide’s 1996 list of the 50 Greatest TV Stars of All-Time.

Nelson married Kris Harmon in 1963, and they divorced in 1982. They had met on the set of “Ozzie & Harriet.”

She is the daughter of former college football star Tom Harmon and the sister of NCIS star Mark Harmon. They had four children: Tracey, twin sons Gunnar and Matthew, and Sam.

The twins formed a band called Nelson, and they had a No. 1 hit in 1990 with “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection.”

Nelson’s No. 1 hit enabled the family to set a record with three generations from one family having No. 1 hits. Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra had a No. 1 hit in 1935 with “And Then Some.” Ricky Nelson had top hits with “Poor Little Fool” and “Travelin’ Man.”

Ricky Nelson was booed at Richard Nader’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Concert at Madison Square Garden in October 1971 because the crowd did not like his new long-haired look and selection of songs. He became so outraged that he decided to quit touring and wrote the song “Garden Party,” bad mouthing the fans and the other performers.

Much to his surprise, the song became a massive hit, his last.

Nelson allegedly was free-basing cocaine, causing a fire on the private airplane on which he was traveling, when the plane crashed. He died on Dec. 26, 1985.

RICKY NELSON’S

TOP 10 HITS

1957 — “A Teenager’s Romance,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Be-Bop Baby”

1958 — “Stood-Up,” “Believe What You Say,” “Poor Little Fool,” “Lonesome Town,” “I Got a Feeling”

1959 — “It’s Late,” “Never Be Anyone Else But You,” “Sweeter Than You,” “Just a Little Too Much”

1961 — “Travelin’ Man,” “Hello, Mary Lou”

1962 — “Young World,” “Teenage Idol,” “It’s Up to You”

1963 — “For You”

1972 — “Garden Party”

This week in rock history: An “American Bandstand” viewer’s poll listed Fabian, 15, as the Most Promising New Talent on March 12, 1959. He was enjoying success with “Turn Me Loose,” which became a Top 10 hit. … Ricky Nelson recorded “Travelin’ Man” on March 13, 1961. It became his second, and final, No. 1 hit. … Perry Como’s “Catch A Falling Star” became the first recipient of a Gold record awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America on March 14, 1958. The achievement represented sales of 1 million discs.

Winners of the eighth annual Grammy Awards were announced on March 15, 1966. Record of the Year was “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass. Album of the Year was Frank Sinatra’s “September of My Years.” Roger Miller won six awards, giving him a total of 11 in two years. … “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” by Bill Hayes reached No. 1 on March 16, 1955, where it stayed for five weeks. The song sold more than 7 million records. … Also on this date, Epic Records released Roy Hamilton’s “Unchained Melody,” which climbed to No. 6. Hamilton is a native of Leesburg. The Righteous Brothers would update the song 10 years later and take it to No. 4.

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].