Ricky Nelson

He was the second son of entertainment couple Harriet Hilliard Nelson (born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) and Ozzie Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975).

His father Ozzie was of half Swedish descent.

The Nelsons' older son was actor David Nelson (October 24, 1936 – January 11, 2011).

Harriet, normally the vocalist for Ozzie's band, remained in Englewood, New Jersey, with her newborn and toddler.

Meanwhile, bandleader Ozzie toured with the Nelson orchestra.

Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor.

From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

Nelson was born on May 8, 1940, in Teaneck, New Jersey.

The Nelsons bought a two-story colonial house in Tenafly, New Jersey, and six months after the purchase, moved with son David to Hollywood, where Ozzie and Harriet were slated to appear in the 1941–42 season of Red Skelton's The Raleigh Cigarette Hour; Ricky remained in Tenafly in the care of his paternal grandmother.

In November 1941, the Nelsons bought what would become their permanent home: a green and white, two-story, Cape Cod colonial home at 1822 Camino Palmero in Los Angeles.

Ricky joined his parents and brother in Los Angeles in 1942.

Ricky was a small and insecure child who suffered from severe asthma.

At night, his sleep was eased with a vaporizer emitting tincture of evergreen.

He was described by Red Skelton's producer John Guedel as "an odd little kid", likable, shy, introspective, mysterious, and inscrutable.

When Skelton was drafted in 1944, Guedel crafted the radio sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet for Ricky's parents.

The show debuted on Sunday, October 8, 1944, to favorable reviews.

Ozzie eventually became head writer for the show and based episodes on the fraternal exploits and enmity of his sons.

Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949, playing himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

The Nelson boys were first played in the radio series by professional child actors until twelve-year-old Dave and eight-year-old Ricky joined the show on February 20, 1949, in the episode "Invitation to Dinner".

In 1952, he appeared in his first feature film, Here Come the Nelsons.

In 1952, the Nelsons tested the waters for a television series with the theatrically released film Here Come the Nelsons. The film was a hit, and Ozzie was convinced the family could make the transition from radio's airwaves to television's small screen.

On October 3, 1952, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet made its television debut and was broadcast in first run until September 3, 1966, to become one of the longest running sitcoms in television history.

Nelson attended Gardner Street Public School, Bancroft Junior High, and, between 1954 and 1958, Hollywood High School, from which he graduated with a B average.

He played football at Hollywood High and represented the school in interscholastic tennis matches.

Twenty-five years later, Nelson told the Los Angeles Weekly he hated school because it "smelled of pencils" and he was forced to rise early in the morning to attend.

In 1957, he began a long and successful career as a popular recording artist.

He placed 54 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and its predecessors between 1957 and 1973, including "Poor Little Fool" in 1958, which was the first number one song on Billboard magazine's then-newly created Hot 100 chart.

In 1957, he recorded his first single ("I'm Walkin' b/w "A Teenager's Romance", Verve 10047X4S), debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and released the No. 1 album titled Ricky. In 1958, Nelson released his first #1 single, "Poor Little Fool", and in 1959 received a Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" after starring in Rio Bravo. A few films followed, and when the television series was cancelled in 1966, Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star on various television programs. In his twenties, he moved away from the pop music of his youth and began to perform in a country rock style. After recording several albums with mostly session musicians, most of which flopped, he formed the Stone Canyon Band in 1969 and experienced a career resurgence, buoyed by the live album In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969 and had a surprise hit with 1972's "Garden Party", which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

His comeback was short-lived, however, as his record label was bought out and folded, and his followup albums were not well promoted by his new label.

His fame as both a recording artist and television star also led to a motion picture role co-starring alongside John Wayne, Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, and Angie Dickinson in Howard Hawks's western feature film Rio Bravo (1959).

In January 1960 the athletic Nelson brothers formed a trapeze act with stunts in the 1/27/1960 episode of "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" titled 'THE CIRCUS'.

Ozzie Nelson was a Rutgers alumnus and keen on college education, but eighteen-year-old Ricky was already in the 93 percent income-tax bracket and saw no reason to attend.

At age thirteen, Ricky was making over $100,000 per annum, and at sixteen he had a personal fortune of $500,000.

Nelson's wealth was astutely managed by his parents, who channeled his earnings into trust funds.

Nelson was married once, to Sharon Kristin Harmon, from 1963 until their divorce in 1982.

They had four children: actress Tracy Nelson, twin sons and musicians Gunnar and Matthew, and actor Sam.

He continued to perform live and take small television roles through the 1970s, though his label dropped him by the end of the decade.

He released two more albums, with unimpressive results, before his death in a plane crash on New Year's Eve, 1985.

He recorded 19 additional top ten hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987.

In 1996 Nelson was ranked No. 49 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.