Flower
retired
Ricky Nelson
Nelson signed with Epic Records in 1976, producing one album, "Intakes" (1977) and the charting single "Dream Lover" 1979), but the union was unsuccessful. His brief stay with Capitol, 1980-83, was similarly unhappy, with one album release "Playing to Win" (1981), and the single "Give 'Em My Number" (1982). Despite this, he maintained a busy touring schedule, keeping him on the road roughly 200 dates a year. Nelson and his band were a top attraction at state fairs and showcase clubs, even without hit records. His final album release, "All My Best", consisted of re-recordings of his hits, along with one new song featured in his concerts, "You Know What I Mean". In 1985, Nelson joined a nostalgia rock tour of England. After returning home, he began a tour of the South. Nelson and his band boarded a plane after a show at a small club in Guntersville, Alabama headed to the KLUV-FM New Year's Eve Sock-Hop concert in Dallas, Texas. The plane crashed northeast of Dallas in De Kalb, Texas killing Nelson; his fiancée, Helen Blair; bassist Patrick Woodward, drummer Rick Intveld, keyboardist Andy Chapin and two others. Nelson was buried in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
The NTSB investigation stated that the crash was probably due to mechanical problems. The pilots attempted to land in a field after smoke filled the cabin. An examination indicated that a fire had originated in the righthand side of the aft cabin area at or near the floor line. The passengers were killed when the aircraft struck obstacles during the forced landing; the pilots were able to escape through the cockpit windows and survived. The ignition and fuel sources of the fire could not be determined, although many believe that the most likely cause was a defective cabin heater. The pilot indicated that the crew tried to turn on the gasoline cabin heater repeatedly shortly before the fire occurred, but that it failed to respond. After the fire, the access panel to the heater compartment was found unlatched. The theory is supported by records that showed that DC-3s in general, and this aircraft in particular, had had a previous history of problems with the cabin heaters.
Nelson signed with Epic Records in 1976, producing one album, "Intakes" (1977) and the charting single "Dream Lover" 1979), but the union was unsuccessful. His brief stay with Capitol, 1980-83, was similarly unhappy, with one album release "Playing to Win" (1981), and the single "Give 'Em My Number" (1982). Despite this, he maintained a busy touring schedule, keeping him on the road roughly 200 dates a year. Nelson and his band were a top attraction at state fairs and showcase clubs, even without hit records. His final album release, "All My Best", consisted of re-recordings of his hits, along with one new song featured in his concerts, "You Know What I Mean". In 1985, Nelson joined a nostalgia rock tour of England. After returning home, he began a tour of the South. Nelson and his band boarded a plane after a show at a small club in Guntersville, Alabama headed to the KLUV-FM New Year's Eve Sock-Hop concert in Dallas, Texas. The plane crashed northeast of Dallas in De Kalb, Texas killing Nelson; his fiancée, Helen Blair; bassist Patrick Woodward, drummer Rick Intveld, keyboardist Andy Chapin and two others. Nelson was buried in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
The NTSB investigation stated that the crash was probably due to mechanical problems. The pilots attempted to land in a field after smoke filled the cabin. An examination indicated that a fire had originated in the righthand side of the aft cabin area at or near the floor line. The passengers were killed when the aircraft struck obstacles during the forced landing; the pilots were able to escape through the cockpit windows and survived. The ignition and fuel sources of the fire could not be determined, although many believe that the most likely cause was a defective cabin heater. The pilot indicated that the crew tried to turn on the gasoline cabin heater repeatedly shortly before the fire occurred, but that it failed to respond. After the fire, the access panel to the heater compartment was found unlatched. The theory is supported by records that showed that DC-3s in general, and this aircraft in particular, had had a previous history of problems with the cabin heaters.
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