The guy was a genuine superstar. Probably bigger than Elvis at one time.
—
As someone who was alive back then, I don’t think so.
Rick Nelson got his start on his parent’s TV show (Ozzie and Harriet) in the 1950s. I doubt if the average adult today would know who Rick Nelson was but would know who Elvis was.
s
Which is why I typed “at one time”. Not now. “At one time.”
Sort of like Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Salieri was big in the moment but faded into obscurity while Mozart has become immortal in a sense.
Rick Nelson appeared at the old Good Time Theater (formerly John Wayne Theater) at Knott’s Berry Farm when I was working there while in college. Pretty sure it was the summer of 1976. I was heading out to the employee parking lot on Western Avenue when I overheard a ruckus at the back entrance to the park. It was Rick Nelson arguing with an employee working the gate. Seems the talent could only get so many people in free and he was pissed because he had more in his entourage.
Just a little random incident I still remember well.
He was bigger than Elvis before anyone knew who Elvis was. After that, he wasn’t.
I saw an Interview and Ricky was talking about his friendship with Elvis. They got together whenever they were in town. They were close in age, both in the biz, peers as it were.