Matthew Nelson

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Matthew Nelson
Matthew Nelson in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Matthew Gray Nelson
Born	September 20, 1967 (1967-09-20) (age 42) Santa Monica, California, United States
Genres	Rock, Adult Contemporary, Pop, Country
Instruments	vocals, guitar Bass
Years active	1989 – present
Website	Official Nelson Website

Matthew Gray Nelson (born September 20, 1967 in Santa Monica, California) is an American singer/songwriter/musician and international multi-platinum recording artist. He is the son of actress Kristin Harmon and the late teen idol Ricky Nelson. Along with his twin brother Gunnar, Matthew has been a member of the pop/rock band Nelson since 1990. Their single, "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" was a #1 hit in September 1990^[1]

Biography

Matthew Nelson is a son of the late American teen idol Ricky Nelson and actress Kristin Harmon. He is the identical twin brother of songwriter/musician Gunnar Nelson and brother of Tracy Nelson and musician Sam Nelson.

His paternal grandparents are Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard from the long running TV series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

His maternal grandparents are football player and sports broadcaster Tom Harmon and the 1940s "B" movie actress Elyse Knox. His maternal uncle is actor Mark Harmon.

Matthew married model/actress Yvette Nelson in 1995. He filed for divorce in L.A. County Superior Court on March 10, 2009 citing irreconcilable differences. ^[2]

Music

Matthew plays a variety of instruments, including the bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, and piano. The Nelson brothers spent two years learning how to write songs and in the process met their mentor, LA artist/producer Marc Tanner. Together, Marc, Gunnar, and Matthew brainstormed and wrote what would become the triple-platinum After the Rain album in 1990 after being signed to Geffen Records in 1989.

Their singles, "(I Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection", "After the Rain", "More Than Ever", "Only Time Will Tell" and "(You Got Me) All Shook Up," all held positions on Billboard's top 40 with "Love and Affection" reaching #1 in September 1990 ^[3] after receiving airplay on MTV where they also had #1 videos.

When "Love and Affection" reached the #1 position on the charts, the Nelsons landed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the only family to have #1 records in three successive generations (their grandfather, Ozzie Nelson, had a #1 hit with "And Then Some" in 1934, and their father, Ricky Nelson, had #1 hits with "Poor Little Fool" in 1960 and "Travelin' Man" in 1962).

Nelson has also had remote success overseas (but not in the US), garnering #1 hits in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - where English is sometimes a second language. Matthew and Gunnar continue to tour the world, performing for audiences ranging from 20 close friends at Nashville's intimate Bluebird Cafe to crowds of over 60, 000 (their largest) at Erie, PA's Party at the Pier.

Magazines including Rolling Stone and People Magazine did cover stories on Matthew and Gunnar, and they have performed on popular television shows including Late Night With David Letterman and Saturday Night Live in 1986.

Matthew co-founded Stone Canyon Records label with brother Gunnar in 1995 after leaving Geffen Records. He released seven albums on that label. ^[4]

Recently Nelson has toured extensively with Peter Frampton and Styx, as well as performing full band shows and acoustic duos with his brother. The headline shows include their own hits as well as those of their late father, Ricky Nelson. A live concert CD, "Like Fathers, Like Sons", featuring Ricky Nelson's famous hit songs, as well as a tribute song they wrote to their late father called, "Just Once More", was released through Stone Canyon Records. "Just Once More" was featured on CBS' daytime drama, "The Bold & the Beautiful" in a Valentine's episode aired in February 2006.

Matthew and Gunnar Nelson released a new rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock" on Razor and Tie Record’s “Monster Ballads Xmas” album CD for Christmas 2007, a follow up to the popular ‘Monster’ rock series albums. The Nelson Brothers previously collaborated with Razor and Tie on the double platinum multi million selling “Monsters of Rock” and “Monster Ballads” albums.^[5]

In May 2007, Matthew and Gunnar Nelson released a new rendition of their father's #1 hit, "Travelin' Man", on a limited edition compilation CD, "A Song For My Father" featuring offspring of icons performing their music hits sold exclusively at Target Stores.

In addition, Matthew is a special guest performer in the celebrity all-star rock band Scrap Metal which was founded by his twin brother; they are planning a tour with famous leading front men of 80s and 90s rock metal bands such as Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger and Eric Martin of Mr. Big.^[6]

Matthew appeared on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" with twin Gunnar. Nelson's #1 hit "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" was voted and ranked #96 in the special honoring the 100 greatest hits of the nineties. ^[7] Nelson also recently recorded the 2007 American Music Awards TV show production music for Dick Clark Productions. It was the third consecutive year that he played bass guitar and recorded music for program.^[8]

References

External links

• Official Nelson Website
• Official Nelson myspace page
• Scrap Metal
• VH1 100 Greatest Songs 90s