During Local Spins’ inaugural year in 2012, we showcased Drew Nelson, a rising Americana star from Grand Rapids who had just released an album on a national label. We catch up to him 14 years later.
‘Much Has Happened’ Over the Past 14 Years: Drew Nelson (Photo/Anna Sink)
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As Drew Nelson puts it now, 2012 was “a crazy year” — in more ways than one.
The emerging and regionally popular Americana singer-songwriter at that time had landed a long-sought-after record deal with the national Red House Records label, performed a jam-packed album-release show for “Tilt-A-Whirl” with an all-star band in Grand Rapids (an album that eventually won ‘album of the year’ honors at the WYCE Jammie Awards), toured the United States, United Kingdom and The Netherlands, and was one of the year’s featured artists at Local Spins, with headlines splashed across stories about his performances and notoriety.
One of those headlines from April 2012? Michigan’s Drew Nelson joins Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars in Goldmine’s ‘Five folk acts you need to hear.’
“Drew Nelson is keeping some mighty heady, impressive company these days,” the Local Spins story began. “Goldmine Magazine just put the Grand Rapids singer-songwriter at No. 4 on its list of the top five can’t-miss folk acts that ‘you need to hear,’ just behind Grammy stars Mumford & Sons and The Civil Wars, and singer Sarah Jarosz. Blue Note recording artist Amos Lee rounds out the list at No. 5.”
The international magazine, touted as “the world largest marketplace for collectible records, CDs and music,” called Nelson’s 2012 debut on Red House Records, “Tilt-A-Whirl,” as “stacked back to back with songs that rail on about just how screwed up our country’s priorities are. His guitar-driven songs are no doubt influenced by his life in Michigan, the most economically troubled state in the union.”
Americana's Drew Nelson ranked among folk acts fans needed to hear back in 2012, according to Goldmine.
At the time, Nelson — a Navy veteran and consummate storyteller — called the honor “very humbling indeed.” Of course, several of the artists on that list have gone on to international acclaim over the intervening 14 years.
The story for Nelson, however, took an unexpected and trying turn.
“I finally got the record contract I had been chasing from the label I had wanted to be on for years,” he recalls now in a recent interview with Local Spins for the ‘Whatever Happened To’ series.
“During this time, I was newly sober, going through a divorce, and very sick. I was sick for almost three years, having a hard time swallowing, and was losing so much weight. Finally, doctors diagnosed me with a rare, incurable disorder called Achalasia. I had surgery to help me manage symptoms. So, 2012 was the best year of my career and the most challenging year for me personally.”
Since then, Nelson — now 54 years old and living in Mattawan — has gone through a host of career and family transitions.
“So much has happened. I have a wonderful life with my wife, Jen, and our big blended family — five kids betwen us,” he says. “I started a woodworking business that closed just after COVID and now work for Special Olympics Michigan. I am inspired every day by our athletes.”
Nelson also just completed an intensive, year-long meditation instructor course with Tergar International and is preparing to teach his first class.
While he doesn’t perform as regularly as he once did, Nelson does have a few upcoming concerts, including May 3 at ArtRat Gallery in Grand Rapids, and June 13 at the Nor-East’r Music & Art Festival in Mio with his band, Hwy-2.
And he still has fond recollections of that whirlwind 2012, when he was touring the globe and rubbing elbows with other well-known musicians.
“I got to do a gig with Gregory Alan Isakov,” he says. “We did a Springsteen cover that’s still on YouTube. That’s a really good memory.”
View that video of the duo’s take on Springsteen’s “Highway 29” performed in The Netherlands below. And learn more about Nelson in his own words in this 2013 Musicians’ Soundboard column.
VIDEO: Drew Nelson and Gregory Alan Isakov, “Highway 29”
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