Editing Ricky Nelson (section)

===Debut===
Nelson played clarinet and drums in his [[tween (demographic)|tweens]] and early teens, learned the rudimentary guitar chords, and vocally imitated his favorite [[Sun Records]] [[rockabilly]] artists in the bathroom at home or in the showers at the [[Los Angeles Tennis Club]].{{sfn|Bashe|1992|p=66}}{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=62}}{{sfn|Holdship|2005|p=2}} He was strongly influenced by the music of [[Carl Perkins]], and once said he tried to emulate the sound and the tone of the guitar break in Perkins's March 1956 [[Top 40|Top Ten]] hit "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]".{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=62}}{{sfn|Holdship|2005|p=2}}

At age sixteen, he wanted to impress his girlfriend of two years, Diana Osborn(e), who was an [[Elvis]] fan and, although he had no record contract at the time, told her that he, too, was going to make a record.{{sfn|Bashe|1992|p=66}}{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=60}}{{sfn|Bronson|2003|p=154}}{{sfn|Holdship|2005|p=1}} With his father's help, he secured a one-record deal with [[Verve Records]], an important jazz label looking for a young and popular personality who could sing or be taught to sing.{{sfn|Bronson|2003|p=154}}{{sfn|Holdship|2005|p=1}}{{sfn|Bashe|1992|p=69}}{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=64}} On March 26, 1957, he recorded the [[Fats Domino]] standard "[[I'm Walkin']]" and "[[A Teenager's Romance]]" (released in late April 1957 as his first single),<ref name="pc11" /> and "[[You're My One and Only Love]]".{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=64}}{{sfn|Bashe|1992|p=71}}

Before the single was released, he made his television rock-and-roll debut on April 10, 1957, singing and playing the drums to "I'm Walkin'" in the ''Ozzie and Harriet'' episode "Ricky, the Drummer".{{sfn|Bashe|1992|p=72}}{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=66}} About the same time, he made an unpaid public appearance, singing "[[Blue Moon of Kentucky]]" with [[The Four Preps]] at a Hamilton High School lunch-hour assembly<ref name="pc11" /> in Los Angeles and was greeted by hordes of screaming teens who had seen the television episode.{{sfn|Bashe|1992|p=75}}{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=68}}

"[[I'm Walkin']]" reached No. 4 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'''s Best Sellers in Stores chart, and its flip side, "[[A Teenager's Romance]]", hit No. 2.{{sfn|Bronson|2003|p=154}}{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=68}} When the television series went on summer break in 1957, Nelson made his first road trip and played four state and county fairs in [[Ohio]] and [[Wisconsin]] with the Four Preps, who opened and closed for him.{{sfn|Selvin|1990|p=70}}