Zoneboy
11-10-2010, 01:49 PM
Link (http://www.waaytv.com/news/content/didyouknow/story/Did-You-Know-Ricky-Nelson/8Vd4V4bdLU2J86q5djEqPA.cspx) Video (http://clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/8178/1820269?wpid=9715)
Guntersville, AL - "Rock and roll star dies in a tragic accident." It's a scenario we've seen and heard time and time again over the years. Of all the times these tragedies have made news, only one hit as close to home.
On December 31st, 1985, former teen idol Ricky Nelson was killed in a plane crash shortly after leaving Guntersville, Alabama.
What was Ricky doing in Guntersville? Songwriter Pat Upton says Nelson flew in to see him. "They were performing in Orlando, Florida and they called me and said 'Hey, we don't want to fly all the way to Los Angeles and then 2 days later fly back to Dallas, Texas." Nelson and Upton had been friends and collaborators for years. Upton had his own taste of success in 1969 with his hit "More Today Than Yesterday".
Nelson flew into Guntersville, Alabama. He stayed here at what used to be the Holiday Inn Lake Guntersville. "For the hotel at the time, they were very excited to have him here." says Chrys King, a hotel employee. "It was last-minute, lot of people didn't even know he was coming in until the last minute. A lot of people came to the airport to try and see him. He's obviously very good friends with Pat Upton. Mr. Upton was able to work out the quick stopover for us."
Nelson played two nights in Guntersville "You know, I sang with him both shows that they did here. And that was fun, nostalgic." Upton says. "The next morning, I had a spotlight that I had rented in Huntsville, so I dropped them off at the airport and drove on to Huntsville to return the spotlight. And on my way back, they was still there, so I pulled in and stopped, walked in. And there was a military officer's cap on the wall and he was wearing that, clowning around and being funny. They were just hanging around at the airport. Finally they got the plane started, and they took off."
The plane went down in DeKalb, Texas, just outside of it's destination of Dallas. Nelson, along with six other people including his fiancee were killed. The pilots survived, but one was badly burned.
The hotel in Guntersville now has a plaque on the door of the room where Nelson spent his final night. Chrys King says it's a fitting honor. "In memory of him, we thought it would be nice to take the room he stayed in and put some information of him up on the wall. And also there's a plaque on the door recognizing him as well."
Guntersville, AL - "Rock and roll star dies in a tragic accident." It's a scenario we've seen and heard time and time again over the years. Of all the times these tragedies have made news, only one hit as close to home.
On December 31st, 1985, former teen idol Ricky Nelson was killed in a plane crash shortly after leaving Guntersville, Alabama.
What was Ricky doing in Guntersville? Songwriter Pat Upton says Nelson flew in to see him. "They were performing in Orlando, Florida and they called me and said 'Hey, we don't want to fly all the way to Los Angeles and then 2 days later fly back to Dallas, Texas." Nelson and Upton had been friends and collaborators for years. Upton had his own taste of success in 1969 with his hit "More Today Than Yesterday".
Nelson flew into Guntersville, Alabama. He stayed here at what used to be the Holiday Inn Lake Guntersville. "For the hotel at the time, they were very excited to have him here." says Chrys King, a hotel employee. "It was last-minute, lot of people didn't even know he was coming in until the last minute. A lot of people came to the airport to try and see him. He's obviously very good friends with Pat Upton. Mr. Upton was able to work out the quick stopover for us."
Nelson played two nights in Guntersville "You know, I sang with him both shows that they did here. And that was fun, nostalgic." Upton says. "The next morning, I had a spotlight that I had rented in Huntsville, so I dropped them off at the airport and drove on to Huntsville to return the spotlight. And on my way back, they was still there, so I pulled in and stopped, walked in. And there was a military officer's cap on the wall and he was wearing that, clowning around and being funny. They were just hanging around at the airport. Finally they got the plane started, and they took off."
The plane went down in DeKalb, Texas, just outside of it's destination of Dallas. Nelson, along with six other people including his fiancee were killed. The pilots survived, but one was badly burned.
The hotel in Guntersville now has a plaque on the door of the room where Nelson spent his final night. Chrys King says it's a fitting honor. "In memory of him, we thought it would be nice to take the room he stayed in and put some information of him up on the wall. And also there's a plaque on the door recognizing him as well."