Who Are The Nelons? What to Know About the Gospel Group Struck by Tragedy
The Nelons lived, breathed and sang their faith.
Kelly Nelon Clark, husband Jason Clark and her daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Streetman had been recording together for a decade, the latest incarnation of the family-rooted gospel group started in the 1970s by Kelly's father Rex Nelon.
They'd been on a tear at the Absolutely Gospel Awards since Kelly—who started performing with her dad as a child—was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Jason was named Producer of the Year in 2021, and in 2022 Autumn was named Female Vocalist of the Year, an award won by her sister in 2014.
She's now the only surviving member of the Georgia-based quartet following a plane crash July 26 that killed Kelly, 64, Jason, Amber, 35, and her husband Nathan Kistler, 34, the band's assistant Melodi Hodges, pilot Larry Haynie and his wife, Melissa Haynie.
"Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason's parents, Dan and Linda Clark," Autumn, who's expecting her first child, said in a statement the next day. "We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days."
Kelly, Jason and Amber had been on their way to Seattle to join the Alaska-bound Gaither Homecoming Cruise. They were traveling with four others, including the pilot, in a single-engine Pilatus PC-12 that took off from Georgia on the morning of July 26, according to flight records. The plane stopped in Nebraska City, Neb., and was en route to Billings, Mont., when it crashed in a remote area of Gillette, Wyo.
Autumn and husband Jamie Streetman were traveling separately and upon arrival at their hotel, according to Gaither Management Group, fellow artists and company founders Bill and Gloria Gaither gathered "to pray, sing and embrace them in their grief" before the couple flew back home "to begin the hard tasks that lie ahead."
Chief among those tasks is deciding how to pay tribute to Autumn's mom, sister and stepfather, the family who lived to make music together and who died on the way to spending more time doing what they loved.
Here are more details about The Nelons:
Who are The Nelons?
Southern gospel artist Rex Nelon sang bass for 20 years with the historic group The LeFevres, another family outfit with roots in Tennessee dating back to the 1920s.
Rex, who was born in Asheville, N.C., but settled down in Georgia, bought out the retiring LeFevres and changed the name of the group to the Rex Nelon Singers in 1977.
Rex and first wife Shirley's daughter Kelly, born in 1959, started singing with her father when she was 13. As the Rex Nelon Singers, they were joined by Janet Paschal from 1977 until 1981, after which Karen Peck was their soprano until 1990.
Meanwhile, Kelly married Jerry Thompson in 1979 and at the time he became the fifth member of the Rex Nelon Singers.
In the mid-1980s they started performing and recording as The Nelons. After Karen left the group, Kelly's brother Todd Nelon, who had previously played bass, moved into a singing role.
Considered progressive in the Southern gospel music world, their biggest songs from that era included "We Shall Behold The King," "When I Receive My Robe And Crown" and "Walk Right Out Of This Valley."
In 1991, The Nelons' Let the Redeemed Say So was nominated for a Grammy for Best Southern Gospel Album.
Rex retired from his namesake group in 1998.
In January 2000, he died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 68 while in London to record for the Gaither Homecoming Tour.
Who was Kelly Nelon Clark?
While touring with The Nelons, Kelly put out several solo albums as well, including Her Father's Child in 1983, Praise Him Now in 1985, Called By Love in 1988, KNT in 1990 and 1992's Steadfast Heart.
Kelly had daughters Amber and Autumn with Jerry before their divorce in 1998. (Jerry died in 2020.)
Meanwhile, Jason Clark had joined the Nelons as their bass player in 1995, followed by his singer father Dan Clark in 1998.
Kelly and Jason married in 2001 and, as Dan left the band, Amber joined as their soprano in 2002. The Nelons were a trio, with Autumn performing with them occasionally before becoming a full-time member in 2014.
Among the honors she received over the years, Kelly was named Favorite Alto at the Christian Voice Awards in 2009 and Favorite Female Vocalist in 2010.
Who was Amber Nelon Kistler?
Though she was a devoted member of The Nelons from the age of 13, like her mom, Amber also had solo aspirations, auditioning for American Idol in 2011.
During a church service in 2012, Kelly told the congregation about seeking spiritual counsel when Amber first wanted to try out for the series.
"I called our pastor," she said, "and he said, 'You know what, you just go till god puts a stop in it.' So that's what we did. We found out we could go to Austin, Texas, so we loaded up like the Clampetts [of Beverly Hillbillies fame]."
Lining up with 10,000 other hopefuls in Austin, Kelly continued, Amber "was the first one to try out, the first one to hold up the golden ticket to Hollywood. We thought that was it."
That was far from it, but eventually Amber got to the point in the process where she was singing in front of judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, according to her mom.
But ultimately, Kelly said, Amber didn't make it to Hollywood because, while the aspiring Idol said she'd be willing to "sing songs that have a positive message," she refused to compromise her religious values in any way for the sake of being on the show.
Heading into the studio on her own, Amber's solo album Just Sing won Progressive Album of the Year at the 2014 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards and she won Female Vocalist of the Year.
Amber announced her engagement to Nathan Kistler, the executive director of politically minded minstry Hope to the Hill, in May 2018. She posted two photos—one with ring, one without—on Facebook, writing, "Let’s play a game…#surprise” and "spot the difference."
Stepdad Jason said in a statement, per Absolutely Gospel: "Kelly Nelon Clark and I want to congratulate our daughter and Nathan Kistler on their engagement. Our family has know Nathan since he was 13 years old when his family would come to our church as evangelists. Nathan is a kind, humble young man with a wonderful work ethic. We are very honored to have him join our family.”
The couple tied the knot on April 22, 2019.
While they shared updates on social media throughout their journey, Nathan and Amber said in a February 2023 YouTube video that, after years of struggling with infertility—Amber lost twins due to an ectopic pregnancy in 2021—they wanted to begin IVF.
They had applied for grants, they said, because insurance in the state of Georgia wouldn't help pay for the costly process.
"The doctors have told us that we're kind of on a time clock, unfortunately," Nathan said, "and that at our ages they want to get this done in the next few months, or at least as quickly as we possibly can."
Amber posted in June 2023 that she'd just had her last injection.
"To all the women who struggle with infertility, I understand and empathize with you," she wrote." No one gets it, unless they’ve been through it."
Amber's most recent Instagram posts relayed that she brought home a puppy named George on July 4—"Happy 4th!! Best day ever!"—and announced The Nelons' latest single, "There's a Hole in the Heart."
Who is Autumn Nelon Streetman?
Autumn, an alto like her mom, married fellow singer Jamie Streetman on Sept. 19, 2023.
The couple are expecting their first child together, a son they've already named Rhett James.
"Last year we were engaged," Autumn wrote in a June 28 post, "this year we are halfway to meeting our baby boy...how quick things change."
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