Thursday, May 11, 2017

"Travelin' Man" #1 6/3/1961

Back to 1961 and a #1 for Ricky Nelson written by Jerry Fuller, who gave the demo to Sam Cooke's manager, who tossed it in the trash. Ricky's bassist Joe Osborn (later a mainstay of the Wrecking Crew) heard the song from the next room, retrieved it and a hit arose from the dustbin. The B-side, "Hello Mary Lou" also made the Top 10 and featured one of the great guitar solos of early rock, played by James Burton. That solo influenced countless numbers of kids to learn how to play guitar, including yours truly. J.B. was with Ricky for years and later joined Elvis's Vegas-era stage band.


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