Nelson was born in
Jacksonville,
Florida, and a member of family group Nelson Five. She was later a backup singer for Major Harris and Philly Cream. She worked and
recorded for several years from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. Her
records were mostly
dance oriented. She also recorded numerous records during the
disco era. In 1984, she recorded a
self-written ballad entitled "
Move Closer". It was a complete departure from the type of music she had been recording. The
lyrics of "Move Closer" were based on a long-term love affair she had with a much younger man in
Philadelphia, who was struggling to start his own computer business. They lived together for several years, raising Nelson's two children (
Marc and Kenya) that she had from previous relationships. While "Move Closer" failed to find an audience in her native United States, it was successful in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at the top of the
UK Singles Chart in April 1985. Based in
France, she recorded a
single with the
French actor Alain Delon: "I Don't Know". It was included in the original
soundtrack of the 1985 French
film Parole De Flic (Cop's Honor). Her subsequent releases failed to make any impression (except "
I Like You" which made No. 81), and she is remembered as a
one-hit wonder. "Move Closer" returned to the
UK chart in 1994, reaching the top 40, ==Death==