It was impossible to escape in the summer of 1990.  It blared out of car radios and boom boxes everywhere you went.  Even more amazing was the fact that it was the first song ever released by the twin sons of a 50's & 60's rock legend.

"(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" by Nelson soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 that summer.  Nelson was at its core Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, the sons of teen heartthrob Ricky Nelson.  They were born to be rock stars.  They had it all--talent, good looks, and an incredible pedigree. But like a lot of bands that start out with such promise, Love and Affection would be Nelson's only #1 hit.  They had a couple of follow-ups, but nothing approached the success of their first single.  Soon Matthew and Gunnar faded from the spotlight.

But that's not the end of their story.  Matthew and Gunnar Nelson have never stopped writing and playing music and Gunnar will be in Shreveport next week to perform at a concert on July 4th.  The event was made possible because of a local guitar hero's friendship with Gunnar's dad.

Shreveport guitar legend and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member James Burton played guitar on most of Ricky Nelson's songs that were released in the first 11 years of the late star's career.  This association led to a friendship between the two rock legends that lasted until Nelson's untimely death in a plane crash in 1985.

Burton recently opened his "Art Of The Guitar" exhibit at artspace in downtown Shreveport.  The exhibit features 50 guitars, memorabilia, music awards,
and albums representing the life of James Burton.  Now Burton is inviting some of his friends to come to town to perform and talk about their music.

Burton and Nelson will perform at KTBS' "Celebrate Our Freedom" Riverfront concert on July 4th.  The following day Nelson will sit down with Burton at artspace for an intimate conversation about his life and music, and he'll take questions from the audience.  Admission is just $10.

 

More From Highway 98.9