‘50s pop idol, Rick Nelson was born on May 08 1940 in Teaneck, New Jersey, to entertainer, singer and funny man Ozzie Nelson and his wife, vocalist Harriett. His first experience in show business was in 1947 when his family joined together to create the motion picture comedy, Here Come The Nelsons. The movie was such a big hit that it was turned into a television show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and became a long-running family comedy. His avid attachment to music, along with eventually becoming one of the main attractions of the show, fueled Ricky's interest in becoming an entertainer.

Rock n' Roll began to take America by storm in the ‘50s. Legend, which may have some truth to it, claims that Nelson had never actually intended to become a recording artist but decided to on a whim to impress a girl. His first release was a single, the cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin" which went to number four. He had performed an amazing feat for someone so young; at 16 he had managed to recruit some of the best backup musicians in the business, the Jordanaires, to record with him.

He quickly became one of Elvis Presley's biggest competitors, rising to the top through his skill and stage presence. He appeared on his family's TV show playing his music, and was an overnight hit. He moved smoothly into manhood, despite his overwhelming fame, in the ‘60s bringing with him his wife Kristin and a daughter born in '63. They both joined him on his family's TV show a couple years before it was finished in '65. His song "Garden Party" was his first million dollar seller in '71, and Rick continued as a successful musician throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. In 1985, still a successful artist, Rick Nelson was killed in a plane crash near DeKalb Texas. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.