The Nelson Brothers honor father with musical tribute tour

Ricky Nelson was a teen idol, and now his sons, Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, are currently touring as a musical tribute to their dad. The Nelson Brothers stopped by YNN before Friday's show.

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- Early rock and roll pioneer Ricky Nelson recorded such hits as "Travelin' Man" and "Garden Party," and now his two sons, Gunnar and Matthew - now known as The Nelson Brothers - are paying tribute to their dad with the "Ricky Nelson Remembered" tour.

"It was kind of a spark of something that built into 100 shows a year. We actually wanted to make our own mark first, and we were lucky enough to sell about ten million records to kids who didn't even know who Ricky Nelson was," said Gunnar Nelson.

Ricky Nelson died in a plane crash in 1985, but his musical spirit lives on. And for The Nelson Brothers, there was more in common than just the music.

Matthew Nelson said, "We went through the whole teen idol thing ourselves. We went through kind of going through a phase where people kind of expect you to stay at a certain place, and what we learned is, you can't please everybody, you've got to please yourself, you've got to do what you like to do."

Many fans remember the brothers as simply "Nelson" when they had a string of hits in the early 1990s. They said they didn't realize at the time, but their father's music actually influenced their own.

Matthew said, "If you listen to 'Hello Mary Lou' for instance, our dad double tracks himself. That really was pretty much the foundation for our sound, the natural brother harmony type of thing."

During the "Ricky Nelson Remembered" tour, this becomes more than just a musical tribute for The Nelson Brothers, it's a connection that brings father and sons back together.

"Then I look over and I see my twin actually right there with me, and right behind me on a giant screen, my dad, and in a very real sense it doesn't feel like he's gone," said Gunnar.

And in many ways he isn't. If you're interested in "Remembering Ricky Nelson" for yourself, The Nelson Brothers are bringing their musical memories to Troy Savings Bank Music Hall at 8 p.m. Friday.