Nelson's parents tell everyone that he started singing and dancing as soon as he was old enough to stand. They listened to a lot of Benny Goodman, Pete Fountain, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie; Nelson was soon hooked on the clarinet, which he studied from junior high school through college, adding saxophone along the way.

Satin and silk aptly describe the notes that flow from his horns but they can get downright raunchy too. Years of vocal training give him masterful control and range, and he wears his heart on his sleeve when he sings.

Nelson, whose parents emigrated from Cuba, was born in Manhattan and raised in south Florida. He has performed in Broadway productions, vocal ensembles, symphony orchestras, Dixieland combos, drum lines and jazz/rock/blues bands, joining Bad News in December 2000.