Ozzie Nelson Biography
20 March 1906, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA, d. 3 June 1975. While studying for a career in the legal profession, Nelson ran a dance band as a hobby, but it was so successful that he abandoned law for music. He played many of the east coast's more prestigious venues, including Glen Island Casino and the New Yorker Hotel. Nelson's extremely relaxed singing style proved remarkably popular, as did the work of the band's female singer, Harriet Hilliard. Ozzie and Harriet married in 1935 and their romantic duets, coupled with their real-life romance, gave fans something to coo over. In the early 40s Nelson and the band appeared in a number of movies, and he made a great impact with a US radio series, The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet, which began in 1944. In 1952, the show transferred to television and ran until 1966. Nelson's interests expanded into other areas of showbusiness; he worked on the stage and also produced and directed on television. Also in the cast of the television show, when they were old enough, were Ozzie and Harriet's sons, David and Rick Nelson. After the show's run finished, Ozzie Nelson continued to work in many different facets of showbusiness.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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