Relationship With:
- Born: October 24, 1936, New York, NY
- Active: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s
- Genres: Rock
- Instrument: Vocals, Liner Notes
Biography
David Nelson has contributed liner notes and background vocals to collections of recordings by his brother, who performed as both Ricky Nelson and Rick Nelson as he progressed from teen idol to mature country-rocker, respectively. A Brother Remembers, a documentary first aired in the late '80s, represented David Nelson's personal film portrait of the brother he had basically grown up with in public. His father, bandleader Ozzie Nelson, had come up with the idea of a comedy series based on the funnier aspects of his own family's life. The idea originated on radio in the '40s and evolved into one of the most popular programs in the history of television.The Nelson family reign of television, including both black-and-white and color versions and eventually co-starring the Nelson brothers' actual wives, was an obvious place to research various urban myths regarding the later career of David Nelson. Much of this confusion is obviously based on the name itself being incredibly common. "He joined the Grateful Dead," for example, is a classic combination of myth and wish fulfillment, the square '50s nerd freaking out and turning into a hippie lead guitar player. Unfortunately, this is a different David Nelson.
Eager research assistant Igor looked into other theories involving what happened to David Nelson after Ozzie & Harriet finally got replaced by Batman in 1966. He fired questions at Fonzo, a boob tube fanatic who claimed to know every Ozzie & Harriet episode by heart.
"Did you ever see him play the trumpet? New Orleans style?," asked Igor. The answer was negative; so much for the scandalous theory that Ozzie Nelson's family was connected to that of King Oliver via cousin David Nelson. Ricky Nelson's brother also did not join the original Last Poets, later changing his named to Dahveed Ben Israel.
The David Nelson of Ozzie & Harriet fame actually went into commercial advertising production, occasionally contributing to various material based on the career of his extended family. This has put him in the background instead of in front of the camera, harking back to the earliest days of his father's series concept when a pair of actors played the roles of the brothers. In 1949, after the radio program entitled The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet had been on CBS for five years, Ricky Nelson and David Nelson were finally allowed to portray themselves. While this was undoubtedly his most famous role, David Nelson has continued to act in films sporadically, including John Waters' Crybaby in the early '90s. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
