“Easy To Be Free” #48 4/4/1970

The last chart single from Rick Nelson until “Garden Party” a couple of years later. His decision to go with a mellower country-rock sound, which opened the door for acts like the Eagles (Randy Meisner was in Rick’s band at this time), unfortunately didn’t sell a lot of records for him. This style ushered in what became known as California rock, popularized by Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and others.