Bob Welch R.I.P.

[AM Matt]

Bob Welch, guitarist & vocalist for Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974 & his solo career commits suicide at 66 years old. He made "Future Games" (1971), "Bare Trees" (1972), "Penguin" (1973), "Mystery To Me" (1973) & "Heroes Are Hard To Find" (1974) with Christine McVie, John McVie & Mick Fleetwood. Then in early 1975, Bob quit the group to form Paris who recorded 2 Capitol albums & retired the group in early 1977. Then in late 1977, Bob recorded "French Kiss" which had the recut version of "Sentemental Lady" (from 1972 "Bare Trees") as well as "Ebony Eyes" & "Hot Love, Cold World". In early 1979, Bob released "Three Hearts" which included his last Top 40 hit "Precious Love". In late 1979, Bob released "The Other One" which included a recut of 1971 "Future Games". In late 1980, Bob released "Man Overboard" (his last for Capitol Records). That same year, Bob had a TV show called "Hollywood Heartbeat" which was pre MTV music videos until early 1981. In late 1981, Bob released his self-titled album for RCA (which has now been reissued on Wounded Bird Records) as well as 1983 "Eye Contact". He also released "His Fleetwood Mac Years And Beyond" (Parts 1 & 2) somewhere around the early to mid 2000 decade but that was it. Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Wow, sad news indeed! I always enjoyed his contributions to Fleetwood Mac. He gave some of their songs an atmospheric quality that I liked. Probably his best song with them (outside of the hit "Sentimental Lady") was the great "Hypnotized," which was a big FM hit and still gets airplay to this day, even though it wasn't a big chart single. I also really liked "Keep On Going," which was written by Welch but sung by Christine McVie -- something that almost never happened in the Mac (a song being sung by someone other than its writer).

His solo work was a bit more poppy than I liked, and I tended to like some of his more offbeat work. His album THE OTHER ONE has a lot of cool tracks on it, most notably "Devil Wind."

R.I.P. Mr. Welch.

 

[Dave]

I only had his first two albums on vinyl, & later found 'em on cassette w/ the first one French Kiss even having "detailed packaging"... I had his self-titled LP he made on cassette (which I'd found in the cut-out area w/ the cassette copies of his first two albums)...

He was a multi-talented artist, and at the transitional period of Fleetwood Mac's career from a British blues band to more pop-oriented California rock... I remember waking up to "Hypnotized" on my clock-radio wondering exactly who did the song (& unfortunately a friend I'd asked if he'd heard the song when he woke, telling me his alarm just goes "Beep!"...)

But Robert Welch made some good tuneful stuff in his day, ranging from light funk to fluffy pop, from "Sentimental Lady" to "Ebony Eyes" (had it on a '45' b/w the funk of "Outskirts" on a '45' wanting it for a Christmas present & thinking "Ebony Eyes" was "Heavenly Eyes" at first, when I'd heard it on the radio before years later getting the LP)...

I think I'd heard "Little Star" play on the radio, too, before getting into Three Hearts (his 2nd album) and found a sheet music song book for, too...

Never really was into Fleetwood Mac, though, save for the Rumors-period & "Dreams", "You Make Lvong Fun" and "Go Your Own Way" being what I'd had on '45's...

A tragic end to a pretty good life for Mr. Welch...


-- Dave

 

[Dave]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac who went on to write songs and record several hits during a solo career, died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. He was 65.
Police spokesman Don Aaron said Welch's wife found him with a chest wound at their south Nashville home around 12:15 p.m.
Welch was a guitarist and vocalist for Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974. He formed the British rock group Paris in 1976, and had hits including "Sentimental Lady" in 1977 and "Ebony Eyes" in 1978. Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham did backup vocals on "Sentimental Lady."
Aaron said Welch apparently had had health issues recently. He said a suicide note was left.
Fleetwood Mac's career took off in the mid-1970s after Welch left the band. "Dreams" was a No. 1 hit in 1977 and "Don't Stop" the same year. It later became the anthem for Bill Clinton's 2002 presidential campaign. "Hold Me" was a hit in 1982 and "Little Lies" in 1987.
Welch, a native of Los Angeles, scored his biggest hit with "Sentimental Lady," which reached No. 8 on the Billboard chart. His other singles included "Precious Love" in 1979 and "Hot Love, Cold World" in 1978.
When Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, Welch was not included in the group.
"It basically comes down to the fact that they don't like me anymore," he told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland at the time. "I guess they can do what they want. I could understand it if I had been a sideman for a year. But I was an integral part of that band ... I put more of myself into that band than anything else I've ever done."
Longtime Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks told The Associated Press that Welch's death hit her hard.
"The death of Bob Welch is devastating ... I had many great times with him after Lindsey and I joined Fleetwood Mac. He was an amazing guitar player – he was funny, sweet – and he was smart. I am so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac – so, so sad ..."
Founding member Mick Fleetwood did not immediately respond to e-mails for comment Thursday.
Fleetwood Mac, started in 1967 by two former members of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, became an enormously popular pop-oriented group in the late 1970s. Nicks' haunting vocals and Buckingham's distinctive guitar work helped propel the band's 1976 album "Rumours" to multiplatinum status.
Problems with alcohol and drugs, as well as well-publicized fights between band members, led to their breakup. Money and nostalgia helped bring the band back together, leading to successful reunion tours.
As a songwriter, Welch had his songs recorded by Kenny Rogers, Sammy Hagar, the Pointer Sisters and others.
In 1999 he released a CD, "Bob Welch Looks at Bop," a salute to bebop music in the 1940s.
In an interview with The Tennessean in 2003, Welch said he never dreamed he'd be remembered for much.
"I just wanted to play guitar in a good band," he said. "I wanted to make the music I love. I wanted to travel the world and have adventures."
Welch also said "music is disposable now. It doesn't have the emotional impact anymore. That's sad."
He had lived in Nashville since the 1990s.
Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association, quoted his wife Wendy as saying Welch had spinal surgery three months ago and doctors told him he would not get better, and he did not want her to have to care for an invalid.
The couple had no children. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
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(A.P. Music Writer Nekesa Moody contributed to this story)

 

[Dave]

OK, I forgot about PARIS a power trip Welch was in w/ a bassist & a drummer (Thom Mooney & I forgot the name of the other guy; forgot what each other guy played, too)... I never bothered w/ BIG TOWNE: 2016 as it was done w/ Soupy Sales' sons, Hunt & Tony Sales and to me didn't seem to be as interesting as the first album Bob did w/ the other guys in 'that group'...


-- Dave