Eric Hilliard Nelson (1940-1985), known as "Rick" or "Ricky," was a popular singer, actor, and songwriter in the late 1950s and early 1960s. With 40 records reaching the charts from 1957 to 1963, Nelson became the nation's first teenage idol created by regular appearances on television.

Music and acting were an important part of the family into which Nelson was born on May 8, 1940. His paternal grandfather was an amateur singer and dancer and his paternal grandmother played ragtime piano. On the other side of the family, both his maternal grandparents were itinerant actors. Nelson's parents were also involved in the entertainment industry. His father, Oswald or "Ozzie" Nelson, was a well-known bandleader and his mother, Harriet (Hilliard) Nelson was an actress and singer. Although his mother temporarily gave up her career to care for Nelson and his older brother David, both Ozzie and Harriet could not deny their desire to perform...