Ricky Nelson - Shirley Lee video free download

Jonjo Powers

Forgive the long post, but today is kind of a big deal for me.When I was just five or six years old, I was watching television and this guy came on at the end of the weekly sitcom he was on and sung a song. And I clearly remember thinking, "That's what I do. I do what Rick does."75 years ago today, Rick Nelson was born. Eight years later, he joined his parents and his brother Dave on the family's weekly radio sitcom, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," which would later move to TV and become the longest running live action sitcom in the history of the medium. But, as a kid, I waited for the end of the show when, every few weeks or so, Rick would sing.In my young life, he was the symbol of everything I wanted to be - actor, singer, guitarist. He was my hero. In a time when heroes seem hard to come by, I wonder if you can know what that meant to a little kid who had just lost his dad to cancer.Later, I would become those things that I saw in Rick. I've acted and sung and played the guitar to audiences across the country, but certainly not to the acclaim that Rick knew. Before it was over, he would amass 35 top 40 hits, 11 double-sided hit singles (only Elvis and the Beatles would have more), and become the second-biggest selling rock and roll artist of the 50s.One snowy, brisk night in Chicago, in the early 70s, I went to see Rick live in a small little club in a suburb near me. Afterward, I went round back to the stage door. When he emerged, I shook his hand and started to babble to him about what his work had meant to my life. He listened without a hint of impatience. When one of his team called out to him from the heated limousine waiting for him, he just held up his index finger. But, he never took his eyes off me. He understood what the moment meant.He continued to do what he did for all those years after the chart success faded for people like me. He never forgot us.Rick's life ended on New Years Eve 1985, when his private plane, while taking him to the next gig, caught fire and crashed. A year and a half later, on May 8, 1987, I had the good fortune of hosting a radio special on his life and work. I was amazed at the people who consented to interviews for my little show on AM daytime radio - John Fogerty, Carl Perkins, James Burton, Randy Meisner, and Rick's brother David were just some of the people who wanted to talk about Rick, because, like me, he meant something important to their lives.To this day, there isn't a week that goes by that I don't listen to Rick's music, not just out of nostalgia but - and this is important - because he made so many great, great records.He has been somewhat disrespected in the critical community when it comes to the history of Rock and Roll. They can't believe this kid from a well-to-do show business family could make valid Rock and Roll records. But, make no mistake, Rick Nelson advanced the acceptance of the music greatly. He brought it to your front door, introduced it to your parents, and sat it down on the living room sofa.Anytime someone tells me he didn't know how to rock, I tell them to listen to this...Happy Birthday, Rick "Ricky" Nelson. And thank you.

Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson - Garden Party 1985

Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson - Rhythm of the Falling Rain