Spotlight Heroes

A Photographic Retrospective By John Robert Rowlands

Rick Nelson

 

b. Eric Hilliard Nelson, 8 May 1940, Teaneck, New Jersey, USA,

d. 31 December 1985, De Kalb, Texas, USA.

 

Nelson came from a showbusiness family and his parents had sung in bands during the 30s and 40s.

They had their own US radio show, The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet, soon transferred to

television, in which Ricky and his brother David appeared. By 1957 Nelson embarked on a recording career,

with the million-selling, double-sided 'I'm Walkin''/'A Teenager's Romance'. A third hit soon followed with

'You're My One And Only Love'. A switch from the label Verve to Imperial saw Nelson enjoy further success

with the rockabilly 'Be-Bop Baby'. In 1958 Nelson formed a full-time group for live work and recordings,

which included James Burton (guitar), James Kirkland (later replaced by Joe Osborn) (bass), Gene Garf

(piano) and Richie Frost (drums). Early that year Nelson enjoyed his first transatlantic hit with 'Stood Up'

and registered his first US chart-topper with 'Poor Little Fool'. His early broadcasting experience was put to

useful effect when he starred in the Howard Hawks movie western Rio Bravo (1959), alongside John Wayne

and Dean Martin. Nelson's singles continued to chart regularly and it says much for the quality of his work that the

b-sides were often as well known as the a-sides. Songs such as 'Believe What You Say', 'Never Be Anyone Else

But You', 'It's Late', 'Sweeter Than You', 'Just A Little Too Much' and 'I Wanna Be Loved' proved that Nelson

was equally adept at singing ballads and up-tempo material. One of his greatest moments as a pop singer occurred

in the spring of 1961 when he issued the million-selling 'Travelin' Man', backed with the exuberant Gene Pitney

composition, 'Hello Mary Lou'. Shortly after the single topped the US charts, Nelson celebrated his

21st birthday and announced that he was changing his performing name from Ricky to Rick.

Several more pop hits followed, most notably 'Young World', 'Teenage Idol', 'It's Up To You', 'String Along'

(his first for his new label, Decca ), 'Fools Rush In' and 'For You'. With the emergence of the beat boom,

Nelson's clean-cut pop was less in demand and in 1966 he switched to country music. His early albums in this

vein featured compositions from such artists as Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Tim Hardin, Harry Nilsson

and Randy Newman. In 1969 Nelson formed a new outfit, the Stone Canyon Band, featuring former

Poco member Randy Meisner (bass), Allen Kemp (guitar), Tom Brumley (steel guitar) and

Pat Shanahan (drums). A version of Bob Dylan 's 'She Belongs To Me' brought Nelson back into the

US charts, and a series of strong, often underrated, albums followed. A performance at Madison Square

Garden in late 1971 underlined Nelson's difficulties at the time. Although he had recently issued the

accomplished Rick Sings Nelson, on which he wrote every track, the audience were clearly more interested

in hearing his early 60s hits. Nelson responded by composing the sarcastic 'Garden Party', which reaffirmed his

determination to go his own way. The single, ironically, went on to sell a million and was his last hit record.

After parting with the Stone Canyon Band in 1974, Nelson's recorded output declined, but he continued to

tour extensively. On 31 December 1985, a chartered plane carrying him to a concert date in Dallas caught fire

and crashed near De Kalb, Texas. Nelson's work deserves a place in rock history, as he was one of the few

'good-looking kids' from the early 60s who had a strong voice which, coupled with exemplary

material, remains durable.

 

Bobby Goldsboro

 

b. 18 January 1941, Marianna, Florida, USA.

 

Goldsboro first came to prominence as a guitarist in Roy Orbison 's touring band in 1960.

His major chart breakthrough as a solo singer occurred in 1964 with the self-penned US Top 10

hit 'See The Funny Little Clown'. During the mid-60s, he also enjoyed minor US hits with such

compositions as 'Whenever He Holds You', 'Little Things' (a UK hit for Dave Berry ), 'Voodoo Woman',

'It's Too Late' and 'Blue Autumn'. His international status was assured in 1968 with the elegiacal

'Honey', a Bobby Russell composition, perfectly suited to Goldsboro's urbane, but anguished, vocal style.

The song dominated the US number 1 position for five weeks and was arguably the most unlucky

single never to reach number 1 in the UK, twice reaching the number 2 slot, in 1968 and 1975.

Goldsboro enjoyed further hits in the early 70s, most notably 'Watching Scotty Grow' and the

risqué 'Summer (The First Time)'. In an attempt to extend his appeal,

Goldsboro subsequently turned to country music.

 

Photographs of Rick Nelson and Bobby Goldsboro by John Robert Rowlands