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Nelly (Ward) Greisen (born on December 11, 1955) is best known a part of the Jesus music and contemporary Christian music group 2nd Chapter of Acts. She joined her older sister, Annie Herring, and younger brother, Matthew Ward, to form the group which began singing together in 1970 and disbanded in 1988. Greisen then turned her attention to being a full-time mother to her two sons, and to supporting her husband, Steve Greisen, in his video business.
Early years
Nelly was born in North Dakota, the eighth of nine children born to Walter and Kathrine “Elizabeth” Ward. Because of her mother’s deteriorating health, Nelly's family moved to Rancho Cordova, near Sacramento, California, when she was 7, to be closer to relatives and to obtain better medical care for her mother. Her mother died in 1968 as the result of an operation on a benign brain tumor. Her father died in 1970 of leukemia. Nelly was then 14 years old.
When she was orphaned, Nelly and her younger brother, 12-year-old Matthew, went to live with their older sister, Annie Herring, and her new husband, disc jockey and audio engineer Buck Herring. Buck and Annie had been praying for her younger siblings for quite a while, so for the two children to come live with the couple was “a foregone conclusion." There was some conflict as the two families tried to merge.
Career years
Soon after Nelly and Matthew came to live with the Herrings, the three siblings began singing together. Annie usually sang lead, Matthew harmonized, and Nelly's rich alto voice found the missing notes between the two. Although she rarely sang lead, Greisen's harmonies tended to be more complicated than her brother’s. From time to time, Nelly would also add to the lyrics of the songs that Annie wrote. The three continued in these roles throughout their career as a music group, although they each also took a turn at singing lead during concerts. Some of the group’s best loved songs, including"Something Tells Me", “Mountain Tops”, "Which Way The Wind Blows", “Make My Life a Prayer to You”, "Sing Over Me", "Takin The Easy Way", "My Jesus I Love Thee" were performed with Greisen singing lead. Nelly was also featured as a background singer on dozens of recordings during the '70,'80 and '90's.
Personal life
In 1975, she met Steve Greisen, a young singer who was touring worldwide with his band. They were married in 1978. Later, two sons, Andrew and Jesse, were born to the Greisens. They moved from California to Texas in 1981, and later to Monument, Colorado in 1983.
Nelly has never embarked on a solo musical career. Instead, she supports her husband's film production (reelproductions.net) and distribution business Exploration Films (explorationfilms.com). They currently live in the mountains of Colorado. Nelly remains active on boards of non-profit organizations, volunteering, pursuing her new love of oil painting, connecting with her adult sons who live nearby and occasionally singing locally.
Notes
- ''Encyclopedia of American gospel music'' By W. K. McNeil. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
- ^ Rewind: Second Chapter of Acts CCMmagazine.com
- ^ Ward, Matthew (2006). My 2nd Chapter: The Matthew Ward Story. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press. ISBN 1-4000-7080-5.
- ^ ""The Frame Never Outdid the Picture: The 2nd Chapter of Acts Story" by 2nd Chapter of Acts". 2ndchapterofacts.com. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
- "About 2nd Chapter of Acts by 2nd Chapter of Acts". 2ndchapterofacts.com. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
References
- McNeil, W.K. (2005). Encyclopedia of American gospel music. New York: Routledge. p. 332. ISBN 978-0-415-94179-2. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- Donaldson, Devlin. "Rewind: 2nd Chapter of Acts". CCM Magazine. Nashville, TN. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- "The Frame Never Outdid the Picture: The 2nd Chapter of Acts Story". Retrieved December 25, 2011.
- "About 2nd Chapter of Acts". Retrieved December 25, 2011.
- Ward, Matthew (2006). My 2nd Chapter: The Matthew Ward Story. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press. ISBN 1-4000-7080-5.