Nelson, the pop-rock band featuring twin frontmen Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, will bring some early-1990s nostalgia to Penn’s Peak, located on Maury Road, Jim Thorpe, on Oct. 21.

The group, whose hit singles include “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection” and “After the Rain,” will share the bill with rocker friend Lita Ford. The latter’s an alum of the twins’ long-running Scrap Metal project, featuring lead singers from 1980s hair bands.

While the twins, in the last decade-plus, have performed one-off gigs and a tribute to dad, Rick Nelson, they had not toured as Nelson in 30 years. That changed this past summer.

“Our agent said, ‘Look, times are changing,’” Gunnar recalled. “’We’re coming out of COVID. People want good-time music to remind them of a time they felt 10 feet tall and bulletproof, when life was amazing. Friends want to do gigs with you. Try this out.’”

An opportunity arose when Miljenko Matijevic, Steelheart lead singer, fell ill. With just three weeks of preparation, Nelson picked up Steelheart’s scheduled dates.

Aside from vocalists Gunnar and Matthew on guitar and bass guitar, respectively, Nelson’s current lineup features David Keith on drums, plus Neil Zaza and JJ Farris on guitar. Ford’s current band, meanwhile, includes original Nelson drummer Bobby Rock.

Born in Santa Monica, California, in the late 1960s, the Nelson twins’ showbiz lineage includes father, Rick. The musician/actor was a 1950s/1960s teen idol, starring on the family sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” with his parents and older brother, David.

The twins’ acting family also included mother, Kristin; maternal grandmother, Elyse Knox; uncle, Mark Harmon; aunt, Kelly Harmon, and siblings, Tracy and Sam.

Gunnar, who as a kid thought everybody came from famous families, realized he wanted to pursue music after watching his dad perform at a theme park. “I thought, he looks happy. The audience is happy. I made this connection, that I wanna do that.”

The twins, currently living in Tennessee, acquired their first instruments around age 6. They played along to records and wrote songs in the hayloft above their parents’ farm. Around their 12th birthday, the boys received a special gift from dad: their first recording session.

Recalling that first session, Gunnar repeated his father’s advice, which the twins embraced. “Be undeniably good. Always keep your sense of humor. And don’t be a (expletive).”

Furthermore, Rick advised his sons to avoid covers and write personal songs. “It’s one of our biggest joys, being songwriters,” Gunnar said. “It’s been our key to happiness.”

Growing up, Gunnar’s musical favorites included Nick Gilder’s 1978 hit “Hot Child in the City,” the 1970s power pop of the Eric Carmen-led Raspberries, and The Outfield.

The twins, who played in the trio Strange Agents in the early 1980s, performed on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in February 1986, shortly after a plane crash claimed their dad’s life.

At this point, the twins’ band was The Nelsons, the first unsigned act to perform on “SNL.” After the show, Gunnar told his brother he wanted to mothball The Nelsons, ditch drums to learn guitar and move upfront as colead singer.

After landing a record deal with Geffen, Nelson released “Love and Affection” in May 1990. MTV exposure boosted the single before the video even premiered. The song stemmed from Gunnar recording Matt’s guitar playing while zoned out to a Cindy Crawford Vogue cover.

“It was cool meeting her years later. When you write a No. 1 song about a girl and that girl finds out, it’s the world’s greatest aphrodisiac. I highly recommend it.”

Nelson’s ascent to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100, which Gunnar learned of on his birthday, landed the family in the Guinness Book of World Records. Three successive generations of Nelsons - Ozzie and Rick did it prior - had scored No. 1 records.

Though Nelson did not fit snugly into one genre - Gunnar categorized the band as metal, pop and rock - debut album “After the Rain” topped 2 million in domestic sales. The set’s other hits included “More Than Ever” and “Only Time Will Tell.”

Nelson, a participant in 1991 Operation Desert Storm charity single “Voices That Care,” recorded a second album that Geffen rejected. The group’s Geffen-approved sophomore set, 1995’s “Because They Can,” failed commercially, leading to Nelson’s split from the label.

Gunnar feels Nelson and other “confidence-rock” artists fell victim to an “engineered” paradigm shift. Labels, looking to cut costs, shifted focus to the then-rising grunge genre.

Considering the twin’s output, which includes seven Nelson albums, Gunnar chose 2010s “Lighting Strikes Twice” as his favorite. Frontiers Records, he said, gave him creative freedom and support to record the album he feels should have followed “After the Rain.”

The Nelson brothers’ discography, which also includes a country set, should expand soon. The twins have hundreds of songs written for First Born Sons, a Joe Walsh/Eagles-meets-Lynyrd-Skynyrd project, while three new Nelson albums await mixing.

Music “is all I ever wanted to do,” Gunnar said. “I was focused, had the desire, drive, and a commitment to something I love more than anything. I’m never just going to go out, do the fair dates, and play the memories.”