Maps of Music

Rick Is 21 (1961)

Where the lyrics of Rick Is 21 take you, and where it was really made.

Rick Nelson's sixth studio album was the first to credit him as "Rick" instead of Ricky Nelson.

Key places

Most of the album recorded in Los Angeles (1961)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Rick Is 21 was almost entirely recorded at the United Western Recorders studios in Los Angeles from February to April 1961. The point uses city-center coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The one song recorded in Hollywood (1960)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Only one song on Rick Is 21 was recorded at Master Recorders in Hollywood, the 1960 session for Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans. The point uses city-center coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Rick Is 21: sixth studio album by rock and roll and pop idol Rick Nelson
• Released May 8, 1961 by Imperial Records
• Features songs by Dorsey Burnette, Jerry Fuller, Gene Pitney, Johnny Rivers and Dave Burgess
• Jimmie Haskell was the arranger; Charles "Bud" Dant was the producer
• Twelve tracks in the track listing

Background

• First album to credit his first name as "Rick"
• Previous albums were credited to Ricky Nelson
• Released on compact disc by Capitol Records on June 19, 2001, paired with Nelson's 1960 album More Songs by Ricky on one CD
• Bear Family included the album in The American Dream box set in 2001

Recording

• Almost entirely recorded in Los Angeles, California, at the United Western Recorders studios from February to April 1961
• Only one song, "Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans", was recorded at Master Recorders studios in Hollywood, California, in February 1960

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor.
• From age eight, he starred with his family in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
• In 1957 he began a long, successful recording career, placing 54 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and its predecessors between 1957 and 1973.
• "Poor Little Fool" (1958) was the first number one single on Billboard's newly created Hot 100 chart.
• He appeared with John Wayne and Dean Martin in Howard Hawks's western Rio Bravo (1959).
• He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987.
• In 1972 he returned to the Top 40 with "Garden Party", which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
• He died in a plane crash on December 31, 1985.

Personal Life

• He was married to Kristin Harmon from 1963 until their divorce in 1982.
• They had four children: actress Tracy Nelson, twin sons Gunnar and Matthew, and actor Sam.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said Nelson returned to a modified rock sound and brought in new writers such as Jerry Fuller and Gene Pitney
• AllMusic also praised the guitar rock arrangements of songs by Dorsey Burnette and the rocker "Break My Chain", and said the band played well
• Billboard described the album as a tribute to Nelson reaching his majority
• Cashbox praised the teen-oriented treatments of "Stars Fell On Alabama" and "That Warm Summer Night"
• Jimmy Watson of New Record Mirror described the album as entertaining

Records

• Billboard Top LPs: debuted in the issue dated May 29, 1961, stayed on the chart for 49 weeks, peaked at number eight
• Cashbox albums chart: reached number six and stayed 45 weeks
• "Travelin' Man": debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 24, 1961, spent two weeks at number one in a 14-week run
• "Travelin' Man" on Cashbox singles: three weeks at number one in an 18-week run; number two in the UK over 18 weeks
• "Hello Mary Lou", the B-side of "Travelin' Man": reached number nine on the Hot 100 in a 15-week run
• "Hello Mary Lou": number two in the UK over 18 weeks, and number nine on the Cashbox singles chart over 16 weeks

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• This was the first album credited to "Rick" rather than Ricky Nelson.
• Capitol Records released it on CD in 2001, paired with the 1960 album More Songs by Ricky.
• Bear Family placed the album in The American Dream box set in 2001.
• Four Classic Albums Plus Box Set, released on July 1, 2016, contains all four of Nelson's studio albums.
• "Hello Mary Lou" was the B-side of the single "Travelin' Man".

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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