''Ricky'' is the debut studio album by American actor and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

musician

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

, released in November 1957 by Imperial Records. it features a mix of pop and rock and roll songs, it also features a covers of Carl Perkins, Cole Porter's, and Jerry Lee Lewis The album made its first appearance on the ''Billboard'' Best Selling Pop LPs chart in the issue dated November 11, 1957, and remained on the album chart for 33 weeks, spending two consecutive weeks at number one, becoming the first solo artist to chart under the age of 18. It also debuted on the '' Cashbox'' albums chart in the issue dated November 16, 1957, and remained on the chart for a total of 25 weeks, spending 2 consecutive weeks also at number 1. Three singles were released from the album: " Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?", " Be-Bop Baby", They peaked at No. 29, No. 5, and No. 100 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart., " Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?", " Be-Bop Baby",also reached numbers 21, and 6, respectively, on the Cashbox Singles Chart "If You Can't Rock Me was issued as a single 6 years later to coincide with the release of the 1963 Imperial compilation ''It's Up To You'' and entered the Hot 100, spent a week on the Hot 100 chart in the issue dated April 20, 1963, and peaked at number 100. The album was released on compact disc by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

on June 19, 2001, as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 16 through 27 consisting of Nelson's 1958 album ''

''. Bear Family included also the album in the 2001 The American Dream box set. ''Ricky'' was included in a box set entitled ''Four Classic Albums Plus Box Set,'' which contains all 4 of his studio albums, and was released on July 1, 2016''.''

Reception

A contemporary review by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described the album as "derivative" but that Nelson sings "rhythmically in his smooth voice, negotiating the rock & roll beat with far greater ease than

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

" and that he "display the combination of natural pop instincts and genuine rock & roll feel that set him apart from the burgeoning pack of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

imitators" Jackie Moore of ''Disc'' mentions "Nelson only really comes to life on the older numbers like 'I'm Confessin'' and 'Am I Blue'."

Track listing

# "

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" (

Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. Merrill was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. His ...

) 2:54 # " Boppin' the Blues" (

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

, Howard Griffin) 1:56 # " Be-Bop Baby" (Pearl Lendhurst) 2:00 # " Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?" ( Scotty Wiseman) 1:58 # "Teenage Doll" (George Lendhurst, Pearl Lendhurst) 1:40 # "If You Can't Rock Me" (Willie Jacobs) 1:53 # "

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (sometimes rendered "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On") is a song written by Dave "Curlee" Williams and sometimes also credited to James Faye "Roy" Hall. The song was first recorded by Big Maybelle, though the best-k ...

" (Sunny David, Dave Williams) 2:11 # "Baby I'm Sorry" (Kenneth Scott) 2:21 # " Am I Blue?" ( Harry Akst,

Grant Clarke Grant Clarke (May 14, 1891, Akron, Ohio – May 16, 1931, California) was an American songwriter. Clarke moved to New York City early in his career, where he worked as an actor and a staff writer for comedians. He began working on Tin Pan Alley, ...

) 1:39 # " Confessin'" (Doc Daugherty, Al Neiburg, Ellis Reynolds) 2:16 # " Your True Love" (Carl Perkins) 1:58 # " True Love" (

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

) 2:17

Charts

Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1957 debut albums Ricky Nelson albums Imperial Records albums