ALBUM: Album Seven by Rick (1962)
MVC Rating: 3.0/$$
He’s no Justin Timberlake. He’s no Justin Beiber either. He pioneered the teen idol phenomenon probably before the mother of the Jonas Brothers was born.
Elvis was Nelson’s competition. And by some measures Nelson did pretty well in that match-up. From 1957 to 1962, Nelson had 30 Top-40 hits, more than any other artist except Presley (who had 53) and Pat Boone (38), according to Wikipedia.
A child actor at 8 on the popular The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, he went on to a successful musical and acting career in the 1950’s and 1960’s churning out hit songs like Hello Mary Lou, Poor Little Fool, and Travelin’ Man. His music sales waned some as the 1970s rolled around and his disillusionment with the record industry fueled perhaps his best song, ‘Garden Party,’ (not on this album).
The album Seven by Rick, which I picked up in a thrift store is good, light 50’s style music (it came out in ’62.)
Nelson died in 1985 when his own plane, a Douglas DC-3 crashed after it left Guntersville, Ala., en route to a show in Dallas. All seven aboard were killed.
He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Take that Bieber!