Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson, later known as Rick
Nelson was born on May 8, 1940, in Teaneck, New Jersey. He was the
younger son of Ozzie Nelson, the leader of a big band, and Harriet
Hilliard Nelson, the band's singer. Along with brother David Nelson, the
family starred in the long-running radio and television series. The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1944 to 1954 on the radio, and 1952
to 1966 on television. However, David and Ricky Nelson did not join the
cast until 1949; for the first five years of the radio show, the sons
were played by professional actors. From 1957 to 1962, Nelson had thirty
Top-40 hits, more than any other artist at the time except Elvis Presley
(who had 53) and Pat Boone (38). Nelson and his band boarded a plane
after a show at a small club in Guntersville, Alabama headed to the
KLUV-FM New Year's Eve Sock-Hop concert in Dallas, Texas on December 31,
1985. The plane crashed northeast of Dallas in De Kalb, Texas killing
Nelson and six others. Nelson was buried in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood
Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Nelson was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and also to the Rockabilly Hall of
Fame. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1515 Vine Street.
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