Ozzie Nelson

Okay, anyone under the age of 60 at the end of the twentieth century may laugh at the notion of Ricky Nelson's dad getting a musical entry of his own. The fact is, however, that during the 1930's, Ozzie Nelson led what was one of the most popular swing and dance bands in the New York area--a part of the country that, in those days, represented close to 15% of the population of the United States, and the heart of the broadcasting and entertainment worlds, apart from movies. No less a journal than the jazz world bible Downbeat, in 1935, praised Ozzie Nelson band for it "subtle suggestion of melodic beauty and rhythmic patterns" and wrote that these "get under your skin." What's more, Ozzie Nelson and his Band were the first swing outfit ever booked into the legendary Glen Island Casino on Long Island, which became one of the most celebrated swing band venues in the world. Indeed, just as his youngest son, Ricky, carved a place for himself in the wake of the groundbreaking work of a singer named Elvis Presley, so Ozzie Nelson made a successful career following on in the wake of another musical idol 27 years earlier, Rudy Vallee. Ozzie Nelson was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and as a youth he excelled in sports, including boxing and football. During the 1920's, in keeping with the fad of the time, he picked up a ukelele and learned to accompany his own singing. He switched to the banjo a little later and became part of a duo with pianist Frank Leithner, and the two eventually became part of a quartet called the Syncopation Four, playing garden parties and local clubs and weddings, with Ozzie as singer. Nelson also taught himself the saxophone. He entered college in 1923, where he played football and joined the boxing team, where he earned a gold medal. By 1929, he was...