Rick Is 21

Rick Is 21 is the sixth studio album by rock and roll and pop idol Rick Nelson, and was released on May 8, 1961, by Imperial Records. The album was almost entirely recorded in Los Angeles, California, United States at the famous United Western Recorders studios from February to April, 1961. it features songs by Dorsey Burnette, Jerry Fuller, and Dave Burgess. Only one song was recorded at Master Recorders studios in Hollywood, California, United States. That song was: Do You Know What it Means To Miss New Orleans recorded in February, 1960. The album was the first to credit his first name as "Rick"; previous albums were credited to Ricky Nelson. Jimmie Haskell was the arranger and Charles "Bud" Dant was the producer.

The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated May 29, 1961, and remained on the chart for 49 weeks, peaking at number eight. It reached number six on the Cashbox albums chart where stayed there for 45 weeks. Successful singles from the album include "Travelin' Man" and "Hello Mary Lou"

"Travelin' Man," made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 24, 1961, eventually spending two weeks at number one during its 14-week stay. on the Cashbox singles weeks it spent three weeks at number one during its 18-week stay. and number two in The U.K during its 18-weeks stay. Its B-side, "Hello Mary Lou" reached number nine on the Hot 100 during its 15-weeks stay, number two in The U.K during its 18-weeks stay. and number nine on the Cashbox single charts during its 16-weeks stay.

The album was released on compact disc by Capitol Records on June 19, 2001, as tracks 19 through 30 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of Nelson's 1960 album, More Songs by Ricky. In 2001, Bear Family included the album in The American Dream box set. Rick is 21 was included in a box set entitled Four Classic Albums Plus Box Set, which contains all 4 of his studio albums, and was released on July 1, 2016.