Last Thursday Colombia Theatre attendees were in for a true rock and roll experience and received an intimate look into the life of legendary actor, singer and songwriter Ricky Nelson.
Nelson died in a plane crash with his bandmates in 1985, but his legend lives on in his twin sons Matthew and Gunnar Nelson who paid tribute to his 40 year career with performances of his hit songs including “Hello Mary Lou,” “Garden Party” and “Travelin’ Man.”
Nelson starred alongside his brother David and his parents Ozzie and Harriet in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” from 1952-1966 on ABC. Nelson lived the life of the original teen idol for fourteen years. Nelson reinvented himself over and over all for the love of music. Gunnar Nelson always admired his father for many reasons, but mainly because of his determination and passion to make music.
“He taught us to march to the beat of our own drum and never quit,” said Gunnar Nelson. “Our dad was the comeback kid. He was really the first popular musician to completely reinvent himself a second time around and go number one again in a completely different genre. He really made a conscious decision to make music because he viewed himself as a musician first. In his case, he literally lived and died for music.”
Nelson paved the way for future teen idols and entertainers of the 1960s and 70’s like Elvis, Bob Dylan and The Beatles who all claimed to have been influenced by him. He starred in over 20 movies and television shows since 1952 and his family’s television show claims the title of the longest running live action American sitcom in television history. His father Ozzie was head writer so episodes were based off their real life; when Ricky began writing music and making it big on the silver screen it quickly translated to the charts. His hits string from 1957 with “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” until his reinvention in 1972 with “Garden Party.”
“It was an awesome show,” said Colombia Theatre Interim Director Roy Blackwood. “The first time I heard them I wanted to bring them here, and I’m glad it happened. It’s exciting whenever we can put a lot of people in the house.”
Though there were not many college students in the crowd, Gunnar Nelson had some words of wisdom for students looking to make a successful career with their music.
“We were raised in a time when you went through a process,” said Gunnar Nelson. “You decided to do it, you wrote songs and worked really hard, you put a band together, built a following, learned your way and then made it to the top and got a record deal. Then you got paid for all that hard work you put into the record.”
After his father’s death in 1985, Gunnar realized the music industry had two opposite worlds: you either work hard on your craft and become rewarded with fame because you’re talented, or take the easy way out and be marketed by a reality television show. He encourages passionate students to avoid taking the easy way out.
“The way my father raised my brother and I was that celebrities were rewarded with fame for having an outstanding skill, for having a craft that made them extraordinary,” said Gunnar Nelson. “Reality shows have made the ordinary extraordinary. I’ve got a whole different philosophy than the Kardashians where they’re watching how many tweets they get, and I have no respect for the American Idol culture. So you have to make a decision as a student, are you more into being a product or an artist? The reasons why you’re studying music should be strong enough to get you through the rejections.”
To find out more about the upcoming Columbia Theatre season visit www.columbiatheatre.org.