I love Ricky Nelson's music. Like the Everly Brothers it may be an acquired taste but once one gets it, it tastes pretty good. The voice, the songs, the musicianship all of it is there in quality.

In 1972 Ricky Nelson played the MSG and he covered the Stones Honky Tonk Woman. He got booed by his fans for doing so. Like Keith would say, he got a song out of it;
"Garden Party". A little bit like Dylan in 1964, Ricky frustated his hardcore fan base by doing something that he liked but the fans did not.
His cover of HTW is original: no cowbell, no openG guitar riffs.Just Ricky banging out the piano keys boogie Woogie style.
I thought it was a funny anecdote, Stones related, that shows how musically influencial the Stones were in the early 70's.

Nice one. I didn't know about this. Always interesting to take a look into the unknown past. Thank you!

Those late-50's to early-60's Ricky Nelson recordings are terrific: Believe What You Say; Waiting in School; It's Late; Hello Mary Lou, Travelling Man, etc. His rendition of 'Summertime' inspired Deep Purple's Black Night. Nelson is an underappreciated talent of yesteryear. Everyone from Dylan, to Jimmy Page, were fans. Oh, and let's not forget the master of the Telecaster, James Burton!

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Big Al
Those late-50's to early-60's Ricky Nelson recordings are terrific: Believe What You Say; Waiting in School; It's Late; Hello Mary Lou, Travelling Man, etc. His rendition of 'Summertime' inspired Deep Purple's Black Night. Nelson is an underappreciated talent of yesteryear. Everyone from Dylan, to Jimmy Page, were fans. Oh, and let's not forget the master of the Telecaster, James Burton!

Agree.

Dylan was definitely a fan. "Lonesome Town" was played regularly on his tours with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

Bob namechecked himself with a cover of "Garden Party" at a recent Outlaw Music Festival stop.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-06-04 17:22 by bye bye johnny.

Good version and a nice voice. Sorry that it caused him to be booed.

Rick was great as Colorado in Rio Bravo...

i always loved this scene with dean martin in rio bravo ... waving together like keith and ron ... [www.youtube.com]

I had read, in a biography of Rick, they the booing was because he was only playing his new songs, which were all country, or country-flavored...not his teen idol hits that we mostly written by others. The MSG show was a lineup of 50's-early 60s acts - a nostalgia show with fans wanting hits. Not necessarily wanting to hear what the teen idols were doing as adults. Rick may be even been the first act of the night. His first adult hit, Garden Party, was about the reaction he received to his new music.

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Munichhilton
Rick was great as Colorado in Rio Bravo...

I remember they played this at a Sunday matinee when I was about 6 years old. I lived in Toronto at the time and I'd go with friends the same age, no parental supervision...we walked to the theatre and back home.

Parents would be arrested if that happened today. I remind my mom of that when she gets out of line.

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treaclefingers

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Munichhilton
Rick was great as Colorado in Rio Bravo...

I remember they played this at a Sunday matinee when I was about 6 years old. I lived in Toronto at the time and I'd go with friends the same age, no parental supervision...we walked to the theatre and back home.

Parents would be arrested if that happened today. I remind my mom of that when she gets out of line.

I did that too, every Saturday or Sunday for years until one by one those old theaters closed down. It was good to grow up in Toronto in the 70s. I would’ve liked to have shown my son the city that I knew but like those theatres it’s been torn down too.

These days I fly in once a year to kiss my mother and take my son to a Blue Jays game but I always keep a tight schedule cuz I can’t wait to get the hell out of Dodge. I don’t even miss the hockey anymore.

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Swayed1967

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treaclefingers

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Munichhilton
Rick was great as Colorado in Rio Bravo...

I remember they played this at a Sunday matinee when I was about 6 years old. I lived in Toronto at the time and I'd go with friends the same age, no parental supervision...we walked to the theatre and back home.

Parents would be arrested if that happened today. I remind my mom of that when she gets out of line.

I did that too, every Saturday or Sunday for years until one by one those old theaters closed down. It was good to grow up in Toronto in the 70s. I would’ve liked to have shown my son the city that I knew but like those theatres it’s been torn down too.

These days I fly in once a year to kiss my mother and take my son to a Blue Jays game but I always keep a tight schedule cuz I can’t wait to get the hell out of Dodge. I don’t even miss the hockey anymore.

Speaking of getting out of Dodge, Rick was never in Gunsmoke, but he was in the Hondo TV show which takes place in New Mexico...

A much overlooked artist. With the Stone Canyon Band he did great covers of Dylan songs. Nelson noted that Dylan showed him he could do more than play/replay pop songs. A number of his songs flow through my ongoing permanent mix. Cherry picking through his tunes on youtube and other will bring up a number of cool songs featuring James Burton on guitar on a number of them. Regarding his doing HTW, it owes a lot to Leon Russell's cover(s). The piano is all Leon in my hearing. I love Garden Party. He sings the truth regarding what people want to hear. Dylan doing this song on the recent tour says the same - please yourself and play what you want.