Rick Nelson

Ricky Nelson followed the lead of other pop stars of his day, particularly Elvis Presley, by recording this four-song, 45-rpm EP of religious material. The only oddity about it was that the songs were all originals. The term "spiritual" is usually thought to mean traditional material, but the songs on Ricky Sings Spirituals were written by his in-house songwriter, Baker Knight ("Glory Train," "I Bowed My Head in Shame"); his pianist, Ray Johnson ("March With the Band of the Lord"); and his father, Ozzie Nelson ("If You Believe It"). Nevertheless, the songs were in the style of old-time gospel music, in arrangements that emphasized a driving rhythm, Johnson's piano, and a female chorus. Nelson sang the songs with assurance, but not with the feeling that Presley put into his gospel recordings. As with Nelson's rock & roll performances, his gospel recordings were sincere imitations of music he seemed to like. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide