The Life of Beloved Star Ricky Nelson and His Tragic Demise

Written by Sharon Sheeley, “Poor Little Fool” became one of Ricky’s biggest early recordings. On August 4, 1958, it reached the top of Billboard’s newly introduced Hot 100 chart, making Ricky the first artist ever credited with a No. 1 single on that famous ranking.

The achievement came barely a year after “I’m Walkin’” had launched his recording career. Ricky was no longer simply competing with other television-born teen idols; he had become one of the biggest recording stars in America. The next test was whether that popularity could survive outside the safety of television studios.