Ricky Nelson Hello Mary Lou (with solo by James Burton)

Rick Nelson was one of the very biggest of the 50s teen idols, so it took awhile for him to attain the same level of critical respectability as other early rock greats. Yet now the consensus is that he made some of the finest pop, rock recordings of his era. Sure, he had more promotional push than any other rock musician of the 50s; no, he wasn t the greatest singer; and yes, Elvis, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, and others rocked harder. But Nelson was extraordinarily consistent during the first five years o