Travelin' Man Video
Ricky's #1 song from 1961
The Travelin' Man Video was an original idea by Ozzie Nelson and the song produced a #1 hit for his son Ricky in 1961.
The song was written by Jerry Fuller.
He wanted to write a song about a man who traveled all over the world.
There was a park near where his wife worked and he would take his guitar and write songs while he waited for her. Fuller would eventually write more than twenty songs for Ricky Nelson.
One day he took a world atlas with him to the park and began researching all the different countries.
The song was written in about 20 minutes.
Sam Cooke's manager turned it down after the song was first offered to him. Rick's bass player, Joe Osborne, had been in the next room of the record company and heard the song.
He asked Cooke's manager, J.W. Alexander, if he could hear it again and the man said, "Here, you can have it," after he pulled it from the trash.
The song became a #1 hit for Rick and stayed on the charts for 4 months.
Was The Travelin' Man Video
The First Music Video?
Below are two sets of videos. In the first video Ricky is shown singing the Travelin' Man song with two different versions. The first version was an episode on one of "The Adventures Of Ozzie and Harriet" shows in 1961.
Ozzie Nelson realized that record sales soared whenever Ricky sang one of his new songs on their show. Ozzie became overwhelmed trying to work Ricky's songs into the plot so he came up with an idea for Ricky's Travelin' Man song.
He superimposed some travelogue scenes over the film and added the video to the end of a show episode. Viola! The music video was born. That is shown as the second song in the first video.
Continue to the second video below taped at a concert in 1985. You're gonna love this second video of Ricky late in his career.
Travelin' Man Video - 1961
Written by Jerry Fuller
#1 song for Ricky Nelson
I'm a travelin' man
And I've made a lot of stops
All over the world...
And in every port
I own the heart
Of at least one lovely girl...
I've a pretty Seniorita waitin' for me
Down in old Mexico...
If you're ever in Alaska stop and see
My cute little Eskimo...
Oh my sweet Fraulien down in Berlin town
Makes my heart start to yearn...
And my China doll down in old Hong Kong
Waits for my return...
Pretty Polynesian baby...
over the sea..
I remember the night...
When we walked in the sands of Waikiki
And I held you oh so tight...
Oh, I'm a travelin' man..
Yes, I'm a travelin' man..
Oh, I'm a travelin' man...
Mmmmm....
Now, enjoy Ricky's live performance in this Travelin' Man video taped in 1985 , just four months before Ricky's death.
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Ricky Nelson was just sixteen years old when he cut his first record in 1957. But his cover of Fats Domino's I'm Walkin' quickly outsold the original version and set Ricky Nelson up for a career which would see him become a major Teen Idol, second only to Elvis during the 50s.
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