Search the Community

Got to speak with Matthew Nelson, who along with his twin brother Gunnar (Greg interviewed him last year), makes up the group Nelson. They're back on tour with the show Ricky Nelson Remembered, which celebrates the life and music of their famous father. Ricky Nelson had his first #1 hit ("Poor Little Fool") when he was 18; Matthew and Gunnar were 23 when they had theirs ("Love And Affection"). Ricky Nelson never wrote a #1 song though, and didn't get going as a songwriter until the '70s when he put together his Stone Canyon Band. Songwriting became a very fulfilling endeavor, and he passed that on to his sons. Here's what Matthew had to say on the subject: Matthew and Gunnar were 18 when they lost their dad in a 1985 plane crash. One vivid memory Matthew shared I found quite moving. When he was 11 years old, he wrote a song and played it for his dad. Ricky Nelson didn't say anything about it, but when the twins turned 12, he surprised them by taking them into the studio to record the song. The backup singers who helped out turned out to be the Pointer Sisters. I haven't seen the Ricky Nelson Remembered show, but it sounds incredible. Kent Kotal at Forgotten Hits wrote this as part of his review: Here's Kent with the guys: At one point, Matthew said that doing the show is "obviously selfish," but there has to be some kind of push to get these songs back into the zeitgeist. A great example are the broadway shows that have reinvigorated the music of acts like Abba and The Four Seasons. Here's the full interview with Matthew Nelson http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/matthew_nelson/ Another Forgotten Hits review of the show is here: http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2014/12/another-forgotten-hits-concert-review.html