No Comparison Whatsoever

When Ricky Nelson first burst onto the scene as a singer on the old "Ozzie and Harriet" show, the assumption was that this was going to be just another white kid of privilege (a la, Pat Boone) stealing some thunder from black musicians (his first hit was actually a very credible remake of the Fats Domino classic, "I'm Walkin'"). Boy, did that prediction ever pan out to be inaccurate. Young Mr. Nelson went on to be one of the greatest rock and roll artists of the late '50s and early '60s and eventually was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Some of his better hits were "Travelin' Man", "Hello Mary Lou", "Poor Little Fool", and "Lonesome Town" (the latter being featured in Quentin Tarantino's, "Pulp Fiction"), and even though he wasn't quite as cutting-edge as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, or the killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, his plaintiff vocals and knack for delivering catchy melodies and honest rock and roll were a much, MUCH, welcome respite from the other teenage heartthrobs of that era; Paul Anka, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, etc......................................................................The dude also became a very creative and restless artist as well (his cover of Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me", for example, in 1968), eventually becoming one of the early pioneers of country rock (his Stone Canyon Band actually preceded CCR, The Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Grateful Dead, etc.). And, again, while he may not have been quite the visionary of a Gram Parsons or a Chris Hillman (co-founders of the Burritos), his contributions were exceedingly solid. What a shame that the man had to depart at such an early age.