nelson

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Nelson
Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, 2007
Background information
Origin	Santa Monica, California, United States
Genres	Glam metal, hard rock, AOR
Years active	1990-present
Labels	Geffen Records, Stone Canyon Records, Frontiers Records
Associated acts	Ricky Nelson
Members
Matthew Nelson Gunnar Nelson

Nelson is a glam metal band founded by Matthew and Gunnar Nelson (the twin sons of Ricky Nelson). They had a No. 1 hit in the United States with "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" during the week of September 29, 1990. They are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only family to reach number one record status in three successive generations (beginning with grandparents Ozzie and Harriet Nelson).

The band split with Geffen Records record label after 1995, but they have continued to produce and release albums independently under their label, Stone Canyon Records. However, they have yet to revisit the level of success they experienced during their 1990 debut.

Band history

Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, the twin sons of Rick Nelson, were always involved in music. In the early 1980s, they joined a band called Strange Agents. Later that decade, they put together their own band and got a recording contract with Geffen Records. Their debut album, 1990's After the Rain, was a success, and the band went on tour to support it. The album produced the No. 1 hit "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection."

Following that tour, the band immersed itself in the recording of their next project. The result was a harder and heavier concept album called Imaginator. However, when they played the album for Geffen, the label considered it too heavy. According to Nelson members, Geffen even threatened to drop the band from the label if they did not produce another record more to their tastes.

The band spent another year recording another album called Because They Can. The label finally approved and released it in 1995. Still, the pop music landscape had undergone a dramatic change in the five years following After the Rain, and Geffen chose not to promote the new album and quickly dropped Nelson entirely from its roster. The Nelson brothers then set up their own label, Stone Canyon Records, and released Imaginator in 1996.

Despite not receiving the same level of success in the United States, the band has been a consistent seller in Japan. With their label, they have released four other albums, including a tribute to their father.

As of Spring 2008, Nelson has become featured band on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Circuit, playing on Brilliance of the Seas among other ships. They performed for the sixth-consecutive year in Epcot's Flower Power Concert Series as part of the annual International Flower & Garden Festival.^[1]

In addition to touring as Nelson, the brothers also perform a separate tribute act for their father, called "Ricky Nelson Remembered."

In 2009 the band signed a new, worldwide contract with Frontiers Records, with a new studio album to be entitled Lightning Strikes Twice, planned for later in the year. Other releases, scheduled with the Italian label, will be a live album, recorded during the After the Rain tour and a CD including the original demos from the After the Rain writing sessions.

Discography

Albums

• After the Rain (Geffen 1990)
• Because They Can (Geffen 1995)
• Imaginator (Stone Canyon 1996)
• The Silence Is Broken (Stone Canyon 1997)
• Brother Harmony (Stone Canyon 1998)
• Life (Stone Canyon 1999)
• Like Father, Like Sons (Stone Canyon 2000)

Compilations

• 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Nelson (Geffen 2004)

Band members

Current members

• Matthew Nelson - lead vocals, bass guitar, guitars
• Gunnar Nelson - lead vocals, guitars, drums
• Cary Park - guitar
• David Morgan - keyboards
• Brian Burwell - drums
• Bobby Rock - guitar

Former members

• Brett Garsed - guitars
• Joey Cathcart - guitars, background vocals
• Paul Mirkovich - keyboards, background vocals
• Bobby Rock - drums

Television

• They inspired a cartoon called "Nelson: Rock & Roll Detectives".

See also

• Gunnar Nelson
• Matthew Nelson
• Ricky Nelson
• Kristin Nelson - artist

References

External links

• Nelson Official MySpace Site
• Nelson at Allmusic
• Nelson Brothers Official Website
• The Nelson Brothers Photos