From 1957 to 1962, Nelson had 30 top 40 hits, more than any other artist at the time, except Elvis. Many of Nelson's early records were double hits with both the A side and the B side hitting the billboard charts.
While Nelson preferred "Rockabilly" and uptempo rock songs like "Hello Mary Lou," "It's Late," "Stood Up," and "Be-Bop Baby," his smooth, calm voice made him a natural to sing ballads. He had major success with "Travelin' Man," "Poor Little Fool," "Young World," "Lonesome Town," and "Teenage Idol," which clearly could have been about Ricky himself at the time. 1964's "For You" would be his last top 40 hit until 1970, when he recorded Bob Dylan's "She Belongs To Me" with the Stone Canyon Band. In 1972, he would hit the top 40 one last time with "Garden Party," a song he wrote in disgust after a Madison Square Gardenaudience booed him when he tried playing new songs instead of just his old hits from the 1950s and 1960s.
Despite the promotional aspects of his career, it is clear that Nelson knew and loved music, and was a credible performer before he became a teen idol, largely due to his parents' musical background.
Unlike many teen idols of the time, Nelson showed his personal taste in working with strong musicians, including James Burton, Joe Maphis, The Jordanaires, and Johnny and Dorsey Burnette. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nelson was one of the highest-selling singers, second only to Elvis Presley. His single, "Poor Little Fool," was in the #1 position on Billboard Magazine's first Hot 100 chart on August 4, 1958. In 1963, Nelson signed a 20-year contract with Decca Records, but he had no further major hits after 1964's "For You". In the mid-1960s, he began to move towards country music. "Garden Party" 1972, a self-penned country song bemoaning his fans' unwillingness to hearhim play new music, was a moderate success, but he never regained his career's momentum.
The crash was probably due to mechanical problems. An examination indicated the fire originated in the right hand side of the aft cabin area at or near the floor line. The ignition and fuel sources could not be determined, although many believe that the most likely cause was a defective cabin heater. The pilot indicated that the crew tried to turn on the cabin heater repeatedly shortly before the fire occurred, but that it failed to respond. After the fire, the access panel to the heater compartment was found unlatched. The theory is supported by records which showed that DC-3's in general, and this aircraft in particular, had a previous history of problems with the cabin heaters.
