MAKE FANS DO SOME CRAZY THINGS. RICKY NELSON, THE ORIGINAL TEEN IDOL WAS ONE OF THOSE STARS. IN
FACT, DOWN RIVER WOMAN NABS
SOMETHING THAT ONE OF HIS SHOWS
FOR DECADES AGO. THAT RIGHT NOW
HAS THE TOWN OF WYANDOTTE
TALKING. JASON COLTHORPE HAS THE
STORY. RIGHT WHY, IN DAD’S MAIN
DRAG HAS A LITTLE BIT OF
EVERYTHING, INCLUDING A POPULAR
HAMBURGER JOINT. YEAH THAT’S AN
ORIGINAL. 1984 GHOSTBUSTERS
POSTER DECOR INSIDE JOE’S
HAMBURGERS IS ECLECTIC, TO SAY
THE LEAST. BUT ITS OWNER, JEREMY
SULLIVAN, NICK’S NEWEST EDITION
THAT’S BEEN TURNING HEADS,
PEOPLE COME UP TO THE WINDOW ALL
THE TIME, AND I’M CONSTANTLY
WIPING THE WINDOWS DOWN BECAUSE
THERE’S NOSE PRINTS AND
FINGERPRINTS, AND THEY’RE
STARING AT A JACKET WORN BY THE
LATE SINGER RICKY NELSON. IT’S
BEEN REALLY WARM AND WELCOMING.
PEOPLE JUST TALK ABOUT THE
MEMORIES AND ALL THE
INSPIRATIONS THAT RICKY’S MUSIC
YOU KNOW, PRESENTED IN WAS THE
CATALYST FOR THEM. WHAT THEY MAY
NOT KNOW IS THAT JACKET IS ONE
THAT WENT MISSING FROM ONE OF
NELSON’S LAST SHOWS. I WANT TO
SAY WHAT WAS 1985. WE WERE AT
THE CIMARRON LOUNGE. IT WAS
DECEMBER 17TH TO BE EXACT. THEN
26 YEAR OLD NINA SOLIS AND A FEW
FRIENDS CROWDED INTO THE CLUB IN
BROWN’S TOWN TO SEE ONE OF OUR
ALL TIME FAVORITES. FORMER CHILD
STAR OF OZZIE AND HARRIET, THE
ORIGINAL TEEN IDOL TURNED SINGER
RICK NELSON DID I DON’T KNOW
PROBABLY FOUR OR FIVE. NUMBERS.
AND THEN I COULD SEE HIM
BREAKING OUT IN A SWEAT, AND HE
TOOK A MINUTE AND WENT OFF
STAGE. WALKED RIGHT BY ME OPEN
THIS DOOR. THROUGH HIS COAT IN
THERE, AND HE CAME BACK OUT AND
STARTED PERFORMING AGAIN. DON BY
HER FRIENDS AND MAYBE A LITTLE
ALCOHOL. NINA SAW HER CHANCE AT
SOME ROCK AND ROLL MEMORABILIA.
IT WAS A SPUR OF THE MOMENT
DECISION. I CAN’T REALLY BLAME
IT ON THE ALCOHOL AND MY
FRIENDS. I MEAN, I DID DO IT. UM
BUT I JUST OPENED THE DOOR AND
WENT IN AND TOOK THE JACKET AND
PUT IT IN MY CAR AND I CAME BACK
IN AND WATCH THE SHOW, AND WE
JUST ALL HAD A GRAND TIME BEGAN
AS A DARE GOT A LITTLE MORE REAL
AS THE SHOW WAS ENDING. RICKY
NELSON. SECURITY WAS EYEBALLING
EVERYBODY AS THEY WERE WALKING
OUT THE DOOR. MY FIRST STARTED.
OH, MY GOSH. THERE’S THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS IN CHECK, AND I’M
GOING TO JAIL TO DIDN’T GO TO
JAIL. BUT THE THRILL OF IT ALL
ENDED ABRUPTLY 14 DAYS LATER ON
NEW YEAR’S EVE, HEADING UP THE
NEWS THIS MORNING ROCK AND ROLL
SINGER RICK NELSON WAS KILLED
LAST NIGHT IN A PRIVATE PLANE
CRASH IN TEXAS OFFICIALS SAY
THAT HIS CHARTER DC THREE FIRE
IN FLIGHT AND CRASHED WHILE
TRYING TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY
LANDING. THE 45 YEAR OLD NELSON
ALONG WITH SEVEN OTHERS,
INCLUDING MEMBERS OF HIS BAND
AND HIS FIANCEE DIED IN THAT
CRASH IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING
DETROIT MEDIA REPORTS NOTED WHAT
HAD HAPPENED AT HIS SHOW IN
BROWN’S TOWN. AND AT THE TIME WE
SUBSCRIBE TO THE DETROIT FREE
PRESS, AND THERE WAS AN ARTICLE
IN THERE. UM JANUARY 1ST OR
SECOND ONE OR ONE OR TWO DAYS
AFTER HE PASSED AWAY. AND THEY
ACTUALLY HAD IT IN THERE ABOUT
AN OVERZEALOUS FAN THAT HAS A
VALUABLE UM DO YOU WANNA CALL
SOUVENIR? FROM ONE OF HIS LAST
SHOWS, AND THEY WERE TALKING
ABOUT THE JACKET. THEY WERE
TALKING ABOUT ME. FROM THEN ON,
NINA DECIDED IT BEST NOT TO MAKE
A SPECTACLE OF THE JACKET. HER
HUSBAND, NOT SO MUCH MY HUSBAND
HAD OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS HAD
SO MUCH FUN WITH THAT JACKET. HE
WORE IT EVERY SPECIAL FUNCTION.
WE WENT TO EVERY WEDDING EVERY
ANYTHING. AFTER HER HUSBAND
PASSED THE JACKET EVENTUALLY
FOUND ITS WAY INTO A BOX IN THE
BACK OF THE CLOSET, AND IT FELL
INTO DISREPAIR. BUT THEN YEARS
LATER, NINA RAN INTO HER NEPHEW,
FRANK. I MEAN, I DID, LIKE RICKY
NELSON, OZZIE AND HARRIET, YOU
KNOW, AND GARDEN PARTY. I WAS
ALWAYS A FAN OF HIS, AND HE’D
ALWAYS BEEN ENTRANCED BY THE
STORY. I MEAN, YOU THINK ABOUT
IT’S BEEN ON A JOURNEY. THERE’S
JACK. IT COULD HAVE BEEN ON THAT
FLIGHT. FRANK AUTHENTICATED THE
JACKET AND HAD IT FULLY RESTORED
BY ALEXANDER’S DRY CLEANERS IN
ALLEN PARK AND IS NOW ON A
MISSION TO GET IT INTO THE ROCK
AND ROLL HALL OF FAME FOR
DECADES AFTER IT DISAPPEARED
WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE IT IN
THERE BECAUSE IT IS A PIECE OF
ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY. AND IT’S
ON DISPLAY HERE IN THE DOWN
RIVER BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE
STORY ORIGINATED FROM. I LOVE
IT. I LOVE IT, AND I THINK MY
HUSBAND IS UP THERE JUST HAVING
A BLAST WATCHING ALL THIS AND
JUST LAUGHING. OBVIOUSLY THE
GOAL IS TO GET THE JACKET IN THE
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. BUT
THE NEXT STOP ON THE ROOKIE
NELSON JACKET TOUR IS GOING TO
BE THE ELVIS PRESLEY MUSEUM IN