Rick Nelson performed his last show in Alabama before his tragic 1985 death: New film tells the story

A new film premiering this weekend documents how the final chapter of a music legend played out in Alabama almost 40 years ago.

“Rick Nelson: Guntersville” tells the story of the final gig for the singer of “Garden Party,” which happened on Dec. 30, 1985.

Director Kenny Scott Guffey, 37, wasn’t even alive then.

Guffey, a native of Kentucky, discovered Rick Nelson in the pages of a magazine. He conceived the idea of a documentary after visiting Guntersville following a family vacation.

“It was the last place that he really ever touched earth,” he said.

“The hotel where he stayed is still there, the building where he played is still there. I noticed the stage was still there. How much longer was it always going to be there? The Guntersville portion of Rick’s story needed to be told.”

K