Hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed Capitol box set RICK NELSON: LEGACY, Capitol Records, on June 19 will release 5 new CDs, 4 of which will contain Rick Nelson's entire output for Imperial Records from the late 50's and early 60's. On June 24, in support of the release, VH1 will air the premiere of Rick Nelson BEHIND THE MUSIC.

Historically, Ricky Nelson was television's original teen idol, but he was not just another pretty face with a guitar. Within the span of years covered by these CDs, Nelson became a well-respected pioneer of classic rock'n'roll and rockabilly on par with his idols Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. While Elvis was considered by many adults to be vulgar and threatening, 17-year-old Ricky, as part of the all-American Nelson family, managed to sneak rock'n'roll into millions of living rooms every week via his family's TV show, The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet. To a large degree he made it acceptable to his contemporaries AND their parents. Most of these tracks have been unavailable for over 40 years and have been digitally remastered from session tapes obtained directly from the Nelson estate. They have never sounded better than on this new set of discs. Each CD will contain two original Imperial LP's plus 7 to 8 bonus tracks recorded during the same period. Included among these bonus tracks are single-only' releases, newly discovered alternate takes, and songs that remained unreleased until the recent box set. (One of the latter was judged so shocking that his father, Ozzie, refused to let him release it!) In addition to his legendary Imperial catalog recorded from 1957 to 1962, Capitol will also release PLAYING TO WIN, a rare album Nelson recorded for the label in 1980 and released in 1981. Out of print for twenty years, it was produced by Phil Spector protégé Jack Nitzsche, and contains songs not only written by Nelson himself, but by some of the best songwriters of the era.

The highlights of these CDs are many, so let's break them down individually:

RICKY / RICKY NELSON - His first two albums for Imperial. When RICKY was released in 1957, it immediately shot up to #1 making the 17-year-old Nelson the youngest artist to ever hold that lofty position. It included versions of his #3 single "Be Bop Baby" and it's flip side "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," but strangely enough the album versions were alternate takes. The more famous single versions are included here as bonus tracks. RICKY NELSON (#7 on LP chart) featured the young singer's emergence as an innovator of the rockabilly genre and included his first #1 single "Poor Little Fool." Three other top 20 songs, "Waitin'In School,"(#18) "Stood Up"(#2) and "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It,"(#18) are also included in the bonus section.

RICKY SINGS AGAIN / SONGS BY RICKY - Considered by many to be one of the finest rock'n'roll albums ever released, RICKY SINGS AGAIN (#14 LP chart) contained three songs that not only reached the Top 10, but became Rick Nelson signature songs. "Lonesome Town," (#7) "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (#5) and "It's Late" (#6) all achieved gold record status and became rock'n'roll standards. Highlighting the bonus track section are two cuts that have attained legendary status over the years. The first is a uniquely different earlier take of "Lonesome Town" while the second, "Gloomy Sunday," is the aforementioned forbidden' track that Ozzie Nelson refused to let Imperial release. The elder Nelson felt it was just too dangerous to have his 18-year-old teen idol offspring release a song about suicide. It's a sparkling, but chilling performance. SONGS BY RICKY (#22 LP chart) presented the most polished production to date by Ricky and his recording team, and featured the genius guitar work of one the most highly regarded guitarists in rock'n'roll history, the amazing James Burton. It also contained two #9 songs, "Sweeter Than You" and "Just A Little Too Much," represented here in their original and alternate versions.

MORE SONGS BY RICKY / RICK IS 21 - Always keen to try something different, Ricky abandoned his pure rockabilly roots for 1960's MORE SONGS BY RICKY (#18 LP chart) and concentrated on a more adult-oriented program of standards and brass-laden rockers. Although seven single-only' tracks are included as bonus selections, the real bonus' here is the first world wide release of MORE SONGS BY RICKY in true stereo. Although labeled "stereo" the original LP was released in inferior electronic stereo and the original 2-track master was thought to be lost until recently discovered in a garage containing many of Rick's session tapes. As the titled announced, RICK IS 21 ushered in the more mature Rick Nelson. Rick's love for country music is heavily reflected in this collection and most importantly it contained the biggest record of his career, "Travelin' Man," which became his last #1 single. Coupled with "Hello Mary Lou," which itself went to #9, the double-sided hit has accounted for in excess of seven million in sales. RICK IS 21 was also the biggest selling album of his career, reaching #8 and staying on the charts for almost one full year!

ALBUM SEVEN BY RICK / RICKY SINGS SPIRITUALS - His last album before moving on to Decca Records, ALBUM SEVEN was even more country influenced than its predecessor. It more than anything points to the direction Rick was heading in when he formed his famed Stone Canyon Band in the late 60's. The bonus section contains four songs that would all become million sellers; "A Wonder Like You," (#11) "Young World," (#5) "Teen Age Idol" (#5) and his last Imperial single, "It's Up To You," (#6). Rounding out the CD is one of the rarest and most valuable Rick Nelson releases, the 4 song EP RICKY SINGS SPIRITUALS. Released in 1960, it was only on the market for a short time and has been unavailable ever since. Ably supported by the soulful backings of the legendary Blossoms led by Darlene Love, it was the only time Rick covered this type of material in his career. One of the most highly sought after items in collecting circles, not only is this the first appearance of the RICKY SINGS SPIRITUALS EP on CD but it is the first time it has been reissued in its entirety anywhere in the world.

PLAYING TO WIN - After becoming one of the pioneers of county-rock, the 1980's Rick Nelson was ready to return to his rockabilly beginnings and recorded an eclectic album that contained songs by John Fogerty "Almost Saturday Night," Graham Parker "Back To Schooldays," and John Hiatt "It Hasn't Happened Yet." Bonus tracks here include an incredible version of Rocky Burnette's #8 smash, "Tired Of Toein' The Line" which Rick actually recorded before Burnette's version was released, but couldn't get the label to release. Add to this a raucous version of Buddy Holly's "Rave On" and the first release anywhere of "Radio Girl" and you have virtually every song recorded and finished by Rick under his Capitol contract. PLAYING TO WIN reached #153 on the best selling LP chart making Rick Nelson the only performer in rock'n'roll history to chart albums of original material in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's!

Issued with original cover art and many rare pictures, each CD will include new essays by musicologist James Ritz who himself was a long-time acquaintance of Rick. Ritz conducted extensive interviews with original Nelson producer Jimmie Haskell who supplies valuable insight to not only Rick Nelson the performer but also Rick Nelson the man.

Rick Nelson was an artist who influenced a myriad of other artists, from Creedence founder John Fogerty to Beatle Paul McCartney to British musical composer Tim Rice. These new CD releases provide a fabulous overview of one of the seminal and most important figures in rock'n'roll history.