Gunnar Nelson
Encyclopedia
Gunnar Eric Nelson is an American
musician
, singer, and songwriter
and international multi-platinum recording artist.
Ricky Nelson
and actress Kristin Harmon. He is the identical twin brother of Matthew Nelson
, and brother of Tracy Nelson
and musician Sam Nelson. His paternal grandparents are Ozzie Nelson
and Harriet Hilliard from the television program
, 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
.
record producer
Marc Tanner. Tanner and the twins 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, 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). However, as the British
music magazine, NME
, pointed out in October 1990, this feat was also achieved by Red Foley
, Pat Boone
and Debby Boone
.
Yet, because Pat Boone
was the son-in-law of Red Foley
, the Nelson family still holds the "Guinness Book of World Records" as Ozzie Nelson
, Ricky Nelson
, and Matthew Nelson
and Gunnar Nelson are of the same bloodline family.
Gunnar Nelson co-founded the Stone Canyon Records label
with his brother in 1995 after leaving Geffen Records
. He released seven albums on that label.
Gunnar Nelson plays a variety of musical instrument
s, including the drums, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, piano, and bazouki.
He has toured extensively with Peter Frampton
and Styx
, as well as performing full band shows and acoustic duos with his brother. The headline shows included their own hits, as well as those of their late father. A live album
, Like Fathers, Like Sons, featured Ricky Nelson's hit songs, as well as a tribute song they wrote to their late father called, "Just Once More". "Just Once More" was featured on CBS
' daytime drama, The Bold & the Beautiful in a Valentine's episode aired in February 2006.
He also sings the theme of Team Chaotix in the video game, Sonic Heroes
.
left due to drug related problems. The show began airing on VH1
in 2006.
Even though to most observers - including the other cast members - Nelson was not extremely overweight (he was only a few pounds from the ideal weight for someone of his stature according to the show's "experts"), Nelson said he wanted to exchange fat for muscle during his first appearance on the show. He noted that he had already been losing weight on his own before being asked to become a cast member.
He appeared to have issues with his mother which the show's psychologist, Linda Papadopoulos
, helped him during a televised trip to see his mother in New Mexico. On the trip home, Nelson told Papdopoulos he felt validated by his mother for the first time.
During the show, he lost 23 pounds and he continued to lose weight after the show ended. Gunnar started the show at 175 and weighed 152 at the finale, losing 13.1% of his body weight. After the show ended, he gained a few more pounds. He now maintains a weight around 160 pounds.
", on Razor and Tie Record's Monster Ballads Xmas album, for Christmas 2007. The Nelson brothers previously collaborated with Razor and Tie on the Monsters of Rock and Monster Ballads albums. In May 2007, they released a new rendition of their father's #1 hit, "Travelin' Man
", on a limited edition compilation album
, A Song For My Father. In addition, Gunnar has assembled the celebrity rock band, Scrap Metal. They planned a tour with famous leading frontmen of 1980s and 1990s bands such as Kelly Keagy
of Night Ranger
and Eric Martin of Mr. Big
.
Nelson appeared on VH1
's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s with his twin. 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. Nelson also recorded the 2007 American Music Awards TV show production music for Dick Clark Productions
. It was the third consecutive year that they recorded music for the program.
Nelson released the song "Rockin' Little Roadster" on the Cars
soundtrack
. In 2008 Disney asked him to record another song on the follow-up CD with Fred Mullens.
He currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee
.
Gunnar and Matthew perform periodically on cruise ships, including recently on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas (January 2011).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, singer, and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and international multi-platinum recording artist.
Family
Nelson is the son of teen idolTeen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
and actress Kristin Harmon. He is the identical twin brother of Matthew Nelson
Matthew Nelson
Matthew Gray Nelson 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, he has been a member of Nelson since 1990. Their single, " Love and...
, and brother of Tracy Nelson
Tracy Nelson (actress)
Tracy Kristine Nelson is an American actress.-Early life:Tracy Nelson is a third generation performer; her parents were Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Nelson and actress/artist Kristin Nelson . She has three younger siblings: Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson of the '90s rock group Nelson,...
and musician Sam Nelson. His paternal grandparents are Ozzie Nelson
Ozzie Nelson
Oswald George "Ozzie" Nelson was an American entertainer and band leader who originated and starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet radio and television series with his wife and two sons.-Early life:...
and Harriet Hilliard from the television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, Ozzie and Harriet. His maternal grandparents are football player and sports broadcaster Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
and the 1940s b-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
actress Elyse Knox
Elyse Knox
-Early life:Born Elsie Lillian Kornbrath to Frederick and Elizabeth Kornbrath in Hartford, Connecticut, she studied at the Traphagen School of Fashion in Manhattan then embarked on a career in fashion design...
. His maternal uncle is actor Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon
Mark Harmon is an American actor who has been starring in American television programs and films since the mid-1970s, after a career as a collegiate football player with the UCLA Bruins. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the CBS series NCIS.-Early life:Harmon was born Thomas...
.
Music
The Nelson brothers spent two years learning how to write songs and, in the process, met their mentor, Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Marc Tanner. Tanner and the twins wrote what would become the triple-platinum After the Rain
After the Rain (Nelson album)
After the Rain is the debut album of the American rock group Nelson, released by Geffen Records in 1990. It contained the #1 hit, " Love and Affection" and the follow-up single, "After the Rain", which reached #6....
album in 1990, after being signed to Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
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
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top 40 with "Love and Affection" reaching #1 in September 1990, after receiving airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
where they also had #1 videos
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
.
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
Ozzie Nelson
Oswald George "Ozzie" Nelson was an American entertainer and band leader who originated and starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet radio and television series with his wife and two sons.-Early life:...
, had a #1 hit with "And Then Some" in 1934, and their father, Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
, had #1 hits with "Poor Little Fool" in 1960 and "Travelin' Man" in 1962). However, as the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music magazine, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, pointed out in October 1990, this feat was also achieved by Red Foley
Red Foley
Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....
, Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
and Debby Boone
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
.
Yet, because Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
was the son-in-law of Red Foley
Red Foley
Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....
, the Nelson family still holds the "Guinness Book of World Records" as Ozzie Nelson
Ozzie Nelson
Oswald George "Ozzie" Nelson was an American entertainer and band leader who originated and starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet radio and television series with his wife and two sons.-Early life:...
, Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
, and Matthew Nelson
Matthew Nelson
Matthew Gray Nelson 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, he has been a member of Nelson since 1990. Their single, " Love and...
and Gunnar Nelson are of the same bloodline family.
Gunnar Nelson co-founded the Stone Canyon Records label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
with his brother in 1995 after leaving Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
. He released seven albums on that label.
Gunnar Nelson plays a variety of musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s, including the drums, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, piano, and bazouki.
He has toured extensively with Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
and Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
, as well as performing full band shows and acoustic duos with his brother. The headline shows included their own hits, as well as those of their late father. A live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, Like Fathers, Like Sons, featured Ricky Nelson's hit songs, as well as a tribute song they wrote to their late father called, "Just Once More". "Just Once More" was featured on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' daytime drama, The Bold & the Beautiful in a Valentine's episode aired in February 2006.
He also sings the theme of Team Chaotix in the video game, Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes
is a 2004 platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in...
.
Celebrity Fit Club 3
In 2005, Gunnar Nelson became a cast member of Celebrity Fit Club (US TV series) 3, after actor Jeff ConawayJeff Conaway
Jeffrey Charles William Michael "Jeff" Conaway was an American actor best known for his roles in the movie Grease and the US television series Taxi and Babylon 5. Conaway was featured on the first season of reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew...
left due to drug related problems. The show began airing on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
in 2006.
Even though to most observers - including the other cast members - Nelson was not extremely overweight (he was only a few pounds from the ideal weight for someone of his stature according to the show's "experts"), Nelson said he wanted to exchange fat for muscle during his first appearance on the show. He noted that he had already been losing weight on his own before being asked to become a cast member.
He appeared to have issues with his mother which the show's psychologist, Linda Papadopoulos
Linda Papadopoulos
Linda Papadopoulos is a Cypriot-Canadian psychologist based in England. She is the author of numerous academic texts such as "Psychodermatology", "Becoming a Therapist", "Psychological Approaches to Dermatology" and several popular psychology texts including The Man Manual, "What Men Say what...
, helped him during a televised trip to see his mother in New Mexico. On the trip home, Nelson told Papdopoulos he felt validated by his mother for the first time.
During the show, he lost 23 pounds and he continued to lose weight after the show ended. Gunnar started the show at 175 and weighed 152 at the finale, losing 13.1% of his body weight. After the show ended, he gained a few more pounds. He now maintains a weight around 160 pounds.
Television and radio
Besides Celebrity Fit Club 3, both twins have hosted and appeared on numerous E! and VH1 television programs. Gunnar Nelson was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio morning show, Lifetime Radio for one year with Jones Radio.Recent work
Gunnar and Matthew Nelson released a new rendition of "Jingle Bell RockJingle Bell Rock
"Jingle Bell Rock" is the name of a popular Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas time since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal , and James Ross Boothe...
", on Razor and Tie Record's Monster Ballads Xmas album, for Christmas 2007. The Nelson brothers previously collaborated with Razor and Tie on the Monsters of Rock and Monster Ballads albums. In May 2007, they released a new rendition of their father's #1 hit, "Travelin' Man
Travelin' Man
"Travelin' Man" is a single by Ricky Nelson, an American singer. It was written by songwriter Jerry Fuller. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100; its b-side, "Hello Mary Lou", reached number nine on the same chart.-Plot:...
", on a limited edition compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, A Song For My Father. In addition, Gunnar has assembled the celebrity rock band, Scrap Metal. They planned a tour with famous leading frontmen of 1980s and 1990s bands such as Kelly Keagy
Kelly Keagy
Kelly Keagy is an American drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Night Ranger. Keagy sang lead vocals on several of their hits, such as "Sister Christian", "Sing Me Away", and "Sentimental Street".-Early years:...
of Night Ranger
Night Ranger
Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide...
and Eric Martin of Mr. Big
Mr. Big (band)
Mr. Big is an American rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. The band is a quartet composed of Eric Martin , Paul Gilbert , Billy Sheehan , and Pat Torpey ; Mr. Big also included Richie Kotzen, a reputable blues-based guitarist who replaced Gilbert in 1999...
.
Nelson appeared on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s with his twin. 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. Nelson also recorded the 2007 American Music Awards TV show production music for Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions is an entertainment production company founded by entertainer Dick Clark...
. It was the third consecutive year that they recorded music for the program.
Nelson released the song "Rockin' Little Roadster" on the Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. In 2008 Disney asked him to record another song on the follow-up CD with Fred Mullens.
He currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Gunnar and Matthew perform periodically on cruise ships, including recently on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas (January 2011).