Musician. He was a prolific, in-demand session drummer who played on some of the biggest rock hits of the 1950s and 1960s, such as: "To Know Him Is to Love Him" by the Teenage Teddy Bears (written by one of its members, Phil Spector), "A Thousand Stars" by Kathy Young, and "Alley Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles. His best friends in high school were future rock stars Jan Berry and Dean Torrence (later to become the singing duo of Jan & Dean) and Kim Fowley, who became one of the most influential record producers in rock history. In 1959, when he was 20 years old, his first record "Geronimo," recorded with a band called The Renegades, was chosen to be on the soundtrack of the teen exploitation movie "Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow." That same year, his song "Teen Beat" hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, selling over 1,000,000 copies, which earned it a gold record. Shortly thereafter he signed with Imperial Records and released "Let There Be Drums," which would become his best-known hit. In 1963, Nelson was injured in a motorcycle accident so seriously that his right foot and part of his right leg were amputated, which did not end his career. He would go on to record more than 30 solo albums, including: "Sandy Nelson Plays Teen Beat," "He's A Drummer Boy," "Drums Are My Beat," "Drummin' Up A Storm," "The Best of the Beats," "Beat That Drum," "Boss Beat," "Cheetah Beat," "Boogaloo Beat," "Rebirth Of The Beat," "Groovy" and "Disco Dynamite.'
Musician. He was a prolific, in-demand session drummer who played on some of the biggest rock hits of the 1950s and 1960s, such as: "To Know Him Is to Love Him" by the Teenage Teddy Bears (written by one of its members, Phil Spector), "A Thousand Stars" by Kathy Young, and "Alley Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles. His best friends in high school were future rock stars Jan Berry and Dean Torrence (later to become the singing duo of Jan & Dean) and Kim Fowley, who became one of the most influential record producers in rock history. In 1959, when he was 20 years old, his first record "Geronimo," recorded with a band called The Renegades, was chosen to be on the soundtrack of the teen exploitation movie "Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow." That same year, his song "Teen Beat" hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, selling over 1,000,000 copies, which earned it a gold record. Shortly thereafter he signed with Imperial Records and released "Let There Be Drums," which would become his best-known hit. In 1963, Nelson was injured in a motorcycle accident so seriously that his right foot and part of his right leg were amputated, which did not end his career. He would go on to record more than 30 solo albums, including: "Sandy Nelson Plays Teen Beat," "He's A Drummer Boy," "Drums Are My Beat," "Drummin' Up A Storm," "The Best of the Beats," "Beat That Drum," "Boss Beat," "Cheetah Beat," "Boogaloo Beat," "Rebirth Of The Beat," "Groovy" and "Disco Dynamite.'
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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