Editing Bob Welch (musician)

{{Short description|American musician (1945–2012)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Bob Welch
| image             = Bob Welch at the Record Plant in Sausilito CA.jpg
| caption           = Welch at the [[Record Plant]] in Sausalito, California in 1973
| birth_name        = Robert Lawrence Welch Jr.
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1945|8|31}}
| birth_place       = [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2012|6|7|1945|8|31}}
| death_place       = [[Antioch, Tennessee|Antioch]], [[Tennessee]], U.S.
| genre             = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| occupation        = Singer, musician, songwriter
| instrument        = Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
| years_active      = 1964–2012
| label             = {{hlist|[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]|[[RCA Records|RCA]]|[[Curb Records|Curb]]|Edsel|[[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]]|One-Way}}
| past_member_of    = {{flatlist| 
* Seven Souls
* Head West
* [[Fleetwood Mac]]
* [[Paris (band)|Paris]]
}}
| website           = {{URL|bobwelch.com}}
}}
'''Robert Lawrence Welch Jr.''' (August 31, 1945 – June 7, 2012) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was a member of [[Fleetwood Mac]] from 1971 to 1974. He had a successful solo career in the late 1970s. His singles included "Hot Love, Cold World", "[[Ebony Eyes (Bob Welch song)|Ebony Eyes]]", "[[Precious Love (Bob Welch song)|Precious Love]]", "[[Hypnotized (Fleetwood Mac song)|Hypnotized]]", and his signature song, "[[Sentimental Lady]]".

==Early life==
Welch was born in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[California]], into a [[show business]] family. His father, Robert L. Welch Sr., was a producer and screenwriter at [[Paramount Pictures]], producing films starring [[Bob Hope]] and [[Bing Crosby]]. Welch Sr. produced the 25th Annual [[Academy Awards]] TV special in 1953 and ''[[The Thin Man (TV series)|The Thin Man]]'' TV series from 1958 to 1959. Bob's mother, [[Templeton Fox]], was a singer and actress who worked with [[Orson Welles]]' [[Mercury Theatre]] in [[Chicago]] and appeared in TV and movies from 1962 to 1979.

Welch learned [[clarinet]] in his childhood, switching to [[guitar]] in his early teens. His interests were [[jazz]], [[rhythm and blues]], and [[rock music]]. He was accepted into [[Georgetown University]], but instead moved to [[Paris]], planning to attend the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]]. Welch told ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' in a 1979 interview that, in Paris, "I mostly smoked [[hashish|hash]] with bearded guys five years older" and spent most of his time "sitting in the [[Les Deux Magots|Deux Magots café]]". He returned to Southern California, where he briefly studied French at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] but did not complete a degree.<ref name=humming>{{cite magazine|last=Jerome|first=Jim|title=Bob Welch is Humming Again After the Costliest Miscalculation in Rock: He Quit Fleetwood Mac|magazine=People |date=May 7, 1979}}</ref>

In 1964, Welch joined the Los Angeles-based vocal group The Seven Souls.<ref>{{cite web|title=Seven Souls Page|url=http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/seven%20souls.html|publisher=Soul Walking|access-date=August 28, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017083234/http://soulwalking.co.uk/Seven%20Souls.html|archive-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> The Seven Souls lost a [[battle of the bands]] competition, the prize being a contract with [[Epic Records]], to [[Sly and the Family Stone]]. The Seven Souls' 1967 single "I'm No Stranger" made no impact at the time of its release, despite subsequent issue in France and Italy. Its B-side, "I Still Love You", has since become a Northern Soul anthem, with original copies selling up to £400. The Seven Souls broke up in 1969.

Welch subsequently returned to Paris and started a trio, Head West, which was not a success. He later told ''People'' that his time in Paris (1969-1971) was "living on rice and beans and sleeping on the floor."<ref name=humming/>

==Fleetwood Mac==
In 1971, Welch auditioned for Fleetwood Mac at Benifold, their retreat and communal home in England. The band had recently lost one of its front-line members, guitarist [[Jeremy Spencer]], and were looking for a replacement. Judy Wong, a friend and part-time secretary for the band, recommended her high school friend Welch. The band had a few meetings with Welch and decided to hire him, despite not having previously played with him, after listening to some of his songs on tape.<ref name="Brunningpp29-30">Brunning, B (1998): Fleetwood Mac&nbsp;– The First 30 Years. London: Omnibus Press. p37</ref> Welch was assigned [[rhythm guitar]], backing up [[lead guitarist]] [[Danny Kirwan]]. Welch also moved in to Benifold, in [[Hampshire]].

The band's first album to feature [[Christine McVie]] and Welch, ''[[Future Games]]'', was recorded at Advision Studios in London<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fleetwood|first1=Mick|last2=Bozza|first2=Anthony|author-link2=Anthony Bozza|title=Play On|date=October 2014|publisher=Little Brown and Company|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-316-40342-9|pages=136–137|edition=first}}</ref> and released in September 1971, with the [[Future Games (song)|title track]] written by Welch. Six months later, in 1972, the band released ''[[Bare Trees]]'', which was mostly recorded at [[De Lane Lea Studios]] in [[Wembley]], London, and featured Welch's "[[Sentimental Lady]]". This song was a big hit for Welch five years later when he re-recorded it for his solo album ''[[French Kiss (Bob Welch album)|French Kiss]].'' Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham also sang on and produced the remake.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Fricke |first=David |date=July 26, 2020 |title=Before the Landslide: Inside the Early Years of Fleetwood Mac |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/fleetwood-mac-peter-green-bob-welch-david-fricke-1034127/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020113742/https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/fleetwood-mac-peter-green-bob-welch-david-fricke-1034127/ |archive-date=October 20, 2023 |access-date=October 27, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

===Line-up changes===
The band recorded their next two albums ''[[Penguin (album)|Penguin]]'' and ''[[Mystery to Me]]'' at Benifold using mobile equipment hired from [[The Rolling Stones]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Benifold|url=http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/benifold.htm|publisher=The Penguin|access-date=August 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927041715/http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/benifold.htm|archive-date=September 27, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Throughout this period, Fleetwood Mac often changed band members around the core of [[Mick Fleetwood]], the McVies and Welch. Kirwan was replaced as a vocalist by ex-[[Savoy Brown]] lead singer [[Dave Walker]], and as a lead guitarist by [[Bob Weston (guitarist)|Bob Weston]]. Both Walker and Weston played on ''[[Penguin (album)|Penguin]]''. Released in January 1973, the album reached No. 49 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the United States. This album contained Welch's songs "Bright Fire", "Night Watch", and "Revelation".

''Mystery to Me'' contained Welch's song "[[Hypnotized (Fleetwood Mac song)|Hypnotized]]", which earned significant [[FM radio]] airplay in the United States.{{cn|date=June 2024}} However, as a result of an aborted tour, ''Mystery to Me'' only reached No. 67 in the States.<ref>{{cite web|title=1973|url=http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/fwm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=53|publisher=FleetwoodMac.net|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref>

==='Fake Mac' and Relocation to LA===
By late 1973, internal stresses caused by a shifting line-up, touring, the deterioration of the McVies' marriage and an affair between Weston and Fleetwood's wife, [[Jenny Boyd]], were debilitating to the band. Weston was sacked and the band quit a tour of the US.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laing |first=Dave |date=January 8, 2012 |title=Bob Weston Obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jan/08/bob-weston |access-date=December 2, 2023 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

The band's manager, [[Clifford Davis (music manager)|Clifford Davis]], refused to cancel the remaining 26 dates of the tour, fearing that this would destroy his reputation with bookers and promoters.<ref name="Fleetwood1990">{{cite book|title=My Life and Adventures with Fleetwood Mac|author=Mick Fleetwood with Stephen Davis|date=1990|publisher=Sidgewick & Jackson, London}}</ref> In a letter to the remaining Fleetwood Mac members, he said he "had not slaved for years to be brought down by the whims of irresponsible musicians".<ref name="Fleetwood1990" /> He claimed that he owned the Fleetwood Mac name, and informed them of his plan to make the band into a new "star-quality, headlining act"—in effect firing them, but offering them jobs in the new band. Welch and the other band members did not take this seriously and ignored Davis's offer. Davis then set up a US tour with a new group of musicians—without Fleetwood Mac's consent—who were to be billed as "The New Fleetwood Mac".<ref name="Fleetwood1990" /> None of the new musicians had ever played with any previous incarnation of the band.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bob Welch, November 8–21, 1999|url=http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa8.htm|publisher=FleetwoodMac.net|access-date=August 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927042432/http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa8.htm|archive-date=September 27, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Davis announced that Welch and John McVie had quit Fleetwood Mac, and that Fleetwood and Christine McVie would be joining the 'new' band at a later date. The original members of Fleetwood Mac obtained an injunction preventing the "fake Mac" from touring under their name, while Davis obtained an injunction preventing the original band from touring. The lawsuits resulting from the ultimately aborted tour put Fleetwood Mac out of commission for almost a year.

During this limbo, Welch stayed in [[Los Angeles]] and connected with entertainment attorneys. Welch believed the band was being neglected by [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]—the parent of their label, [[Reprise Records]]—and convinced the band to move to Los Angeles. 

Instead of getting another manager, Fleetwood Mac decided to manage themselves. After the courts ruled that the "Fleetwood Mac" name belonged to Fleetwood and John McVie, the two band members set up their own band management company, Seedy Management.<ref>{{cite web|title=1974|url=http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/fwm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=54|publisher=FleetwoodMac.net|access-date=August 29, 2011}}</ref>

===''Heroes Are Hard to Find'' and departure from Fleetwood Mac===
In 1974, Welch was the only guitar player in the band. Warner Bros. made a new deal with Fleetwood Mac, releasing the album ''[[Heroes Are Hard to Find]]'' on Reprise in September 1974. The album became the band's first to reach the Top 40 in the United States, peaking at No. 34 on the ''Billboard'' chart. The subsequent tour would be Welch's last with Fleetwood Mac.

Welch was suffering with personal and professional issues: his marriage was failing, and he felt he had exhausted his creativity with the band. Later, he explained that he felt estranged from John and Christine McVie, yet close to Fleetwood; he asserted in 1974 that he was running the band.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bob Welch Q&A Session, November 1999|url=http://fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa1.htm|publisher=The Penguin: Everything That is Fleetwood Mac|access-date=August 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927041747/http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa1.htm|archive-date=September 27, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Welch resigned from Fleetwood Mac in December 1974 and was replaced by [[Lindsey Buckingham]] and [[Stevie Nicks]].

Of the Fleetwood Mac albums on which Welch appeared, American album sales totaled 500,000 units shipped between 1971 and 2000 for ''Future Games''; 1 million units of ''Bare Trees'' between 1972 and 1988; and 500,000 units of ''Mystery to Me'' between 1973 and 1976, when it was certified gold by the [[RIAA certification|Recording Industry Association of America]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Certifications - Fleetwood Mac |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=fleetwood+mac#search_section |access-date=October 28, 2023 |website=RIAA}}</ref>

Welch's relationship with his former band remained amicable in the years following his departure. During the height of their respective popularity in the late 1970s, Welch would frequently open for Fleetwood Mac and he would sit in as lead vocalist on "Hypnotized". Mick Fleetwood managed Welch's career into the 1980s.

===Lawsuit===

By the 1990s, Welch's once diplomatic relationship with Fleetwood Mac had become acrimonious. In 1994, Welch sued Fleetwood, the McVies, band attorney Michael Shapiro and Warner Bros. Records for [[breach of contract]] related to underpayment of royalties. Previously, in 1978, Welch and the band had signed a contract with Warner Bros. agreeing to an equal share of all royalties from their Fleetwood Mac albums. Welch alleged that the members later made new deals with Warner Bros. for higher royalty rates, and neither Fleetwood nor the McVies had informed Welch, thus cheating him out of equal royalties. The lawsuit was settled in 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Lawsuit Settled|magazine=Hollywood Reporter|date=May 31, 1996}}</ref>

===Hall of Fame controversy and reconciliation===
When Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1998, original band members [[Peter Green (musician)|Peter Green]], [[Jeremy Spencer]], [[Mick Fleetwood]], and [[John McVie]] were named to the Hall, as were later additions [[Danny Kirwan]], [[Christine McVie]], [[Lindsey Buckingham]], and [[Stevie Nicks]]. Welch, who anchored the band for several years and five albums, was not. Welch felt the recent legal battle with the band soured the committee to include him. "My era was the bridge era," Welch told the [[Cleveland]] newspaper the ''[[Plain Dealer]]'' in 1998. "It was a transition. But it was an important period in the history of the band. Mick Fleetwood dedicated a whole chapter of his biography to my era of the band and credited me with 'saving Fleetwood Mac'. Now they want to write me out of the history of the group. It hurts... Mick and I co-managed the group for years. I'm the one who brought the band to Los Angeles from England, which put them in the position of hooking up with Lindsey and Stevie. I saw the band through a whole period where they barely survived, literally."<ref name="cpd">{{cite web|title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubs Fleetwood Mac's Bob Welch| url=https://www.cleveland.com/pdextra/2012/06/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_snu.html|work=Plain Dealer|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref>

In a 2003 online question-and-answer session on the Fleetwood Mac fan site The Penguin, Welch revised his opinion about the exclusion. He had recently visited Fleetwood Mac backstage after a show, and he reconnected with Mick Fleetwood. Welch no longer blamed the band for his exclusion. He instead blamed the Hall's committee and its industry insiders (such as [[Ahmet Ertegun]] and [[Jann Wenner]]), stating they did not like his style of music. He still maintained that the lawsuit was a factor, as it prevented him from contacting Mick Fleetwood, and they were still estranged at the time of the induction.<ref name="cpd" />

==Rock trio and solo career==
In 1975, Welch formed the short-lived [[hard rock]] [[power trio]] [[Paris (band)|Paris]] with ex-[[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] bassist [[Glenn Cornick]] and former [[Nazz]] drummer [[Thom Mooney]]. With a guitar-driven aesthetic compared by retrospective critics to [[Led Zeppelin]],<ref name=allmrev>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r28166/review|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review by Mark Allan] Retrieved January 9, 2009</ref> Paris released two commercially unsuccessful albums: ''[[Paris (Paris album)|Paris]]'' and ''[[Big Towne 2061|Big Towne, 2061]]''. [[Hunt Sales]] later replaced Mooney until the group disbanded.

In a 1979 interview with ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', Welch said that the two Paris albums were "ill-conceived." The band's overhead and ensuing lack of commercial success drained Welch's finances, leaving him with only $8,000 in savings (equivalent to ~$35,000 in 2024) after its dissolution.<ref name=humming />

In September 1977, Welch released his first solo album, ''[[French Kiss (Bob Welch album)|French Kiss]],'' a mainstream pop collection featuring contributions from Fleetwood, Buckingham, and Christine McVie. The album was certified platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]], peaking at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' chart in 1978. It yielded three hit singles: a revamped version of "Sentimental Lady" produced by Buckingham and McVie (#8), "[[Ebony Eyes (Bob Welch song)|Ebony Eyes]]" (#14; featuring [[Juice Newton]] on backing vocals) and "Hot Love, Cold World" (#31).

Welch followed up ''French Kiss'' with two albums in 1979.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bobwelch.com/m003.htm | title=Discography }}</ref>  In February, ''[[Three Hearts]]'', an album that replicated the rock/[[disco]] fusion of ''French Kiss'', peaked at No. 20 (earning a RIAA gold certification) and spawned the hit "Precious Love" (#19), while the follow-up single "Church" (#73) also charted as his final U.S. Top 100 hit. His second effort that year, November's [[The Other One (Bob Welch album)|''The Other One'']], contained his first solo recordings without any Fleetwood Mac members. Although the album reached No. 105 on the charts, none of its singles charted. Notable songs include "Rebel Rouser" and "Don't Let Me Fall". From 1980 to 1981, he hosted ''[[Hollywood Heartbeat]]'', an early [[music video]] program.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/hollywood-heartbeat/202034 |title=Hollywood Heartbeat Episodes – Hollywood Heartbeat Episode Guides – Watch Hollywood Heartbeat Episodes |magazine=TV Guide |access-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref> His subsequent solo albums into the early 1980s (''[[Man Overboard (Bob Welch album)|Man Overboard]],'' ''[[Bob Welch (album)|Bob Welch]],'' and ''[[Eye Contact (Bob Welch album)|Eye Contact]]'') were not successful; released approximately two years after "Church", ''Bob Welch'' only charted at No. 201.

In 1999, Welch released an experimental [[jazz]]/loop-based album, ''[[Bob Welch Looks at Bop]]''. He followed this up in 2003 with ''His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond'', which contained re-recordings of songs he originally performed with Fleetwood Mac, as well as some solo hits. In 2006, he released ''His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond 2'', which mixed a half-dozen new compositions, along with a similar number of his Mac/solo remakes. He released more CDs with Fuel Records in 2008, 2010, and 2011.

Welch appeared as an avatar named BobWelch Magic in 2008, performing solo acoustic favorites and hits live for 30 minutes, in a show with Von Johin (musician/publisher Mike Lawson) and Cypress Rosewood (musician Tony Gerber) in the virtual world of [[Second Life]], streaming live into the Gibson Island virtual stage from Lawson's studio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gibson.com/absolutenm/templates/FeatureTemplatePressRelease.aspx?articleid=1123&zoneid=6|title=Gibson Press Release|publisher=Gibson.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219021841/http://www.gibson.com/absolutenm/templates/FeatureTemplatePressRelease.aspx?articleid=1123&zoneid=6|archive-date=February 19, 2014|access-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref>

== Recovery and second marriage ==
Following the release of ''Eye Contact'' (which failed to chart), Welch took to partying with [[Guns N' Roses]], who were rehearsing in his garage. He became addicted to [[cocaine]] and [[heroin]], and was hospitalized for [[Detoxification|detox]] in spring of 1985. Welch reflected on that era as "being a very bad boy, very decadent, very cynical, VERY stoned. It was not a good time."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa1.htm|title=Bob Welch Q&A Session, November 1999|publisher=Fleetwoodmac.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110112752/http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa1.htm|archive-date=January 10, 2007|access-date=January 10, 2016}}</ref>

The day he was released from detox, he was introduced to Wendy Armistead by [[Taryn Power]] ([[Tyrone Power]]'s daughter) and [[Tony Sales]] at The Central (now [[The Viper Room]]). Welch and Armistead were married in December 1985 and moved to [[Phoenix, Arizona]], to maintain Welch's sobriety. Welch abstained from all illegal drugs for the rest of his life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa1.htm|title=Bob Welch Q&A Session, November 1999|publisher=Fleetwoodmac.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110112752/http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/qa/bobwelch_qa1.htm|archive-date=January 10, 2007|access-date=February 1, 2014}}</ref>

While in Phoenix, they formed a short-lived group called Avenue M.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grula |first=Richard J. |date=December 1989 |title=Guitar World (12/1989), Where Are They Now? Fleetwood Mac's Bob Welch |url=http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=25&c=8 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101192247/http://bla.fleetwoodmac.net/index.php?page=index_v2&id=25&c=8 |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |access-date=October 28, 2023 |website=The Blue Letter Archives}}</ref> The group went on tour and recorded one song for a greatest hits compilation. Welch and Armistead later moved to [[Nashville, Tennessee]], and remained married until his death.

==Death and legacy==
Three months before his death, Welch underwent spinal surgery. The procedure was unsuccessful and doctors told him his condition would not improve.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Welch, at 65; former member of Fleetwood Mac - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2012/06/08/bob-welch-former-member-fleetwood-mac/HfVd4OzPyiYYRuj5uFX4nK/story.html |access-date=December 9, 2024 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

On June 7, 2012, around 6:00 a.m., Welch died by [[suicide]], shooting himself in his Nashville home where his wife Wendy — for whom he left a nine-page suicide note and love letter — discovered his body. He was 66 years old.<ref>{{cite news|author=Duke, Alan| title = Musician Bob Welch kills self| publisher = [[CNN]]| date = June 7, 2012| url =http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/07/showbiz/bob-welch-dead/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Young, Nicole |title=Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch found dead
|newspaper = [[USA Today]]| date = June 7, 2012|url = https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/story/2012-06-07/fleetwood-mac-bob-welch-dead/55447970/1|url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20120712101720/https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/story/2012-06-07/fleetwood-mac-bob-welch-dead/55447970/1 |archive-date=July 12, 2012}}</ref>

Wendy died on November 28, 2016, from [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]] (COPD) and [[heart disease]], also aged 66.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=182864017|title=Wendy Welch Obituary - Nashville, TN|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 1, 2016|via=[[Legacy.com]]}}</ref> Bob and Wendy Welch are buried beside each other in [[Memphis, Tennessee]].

An exhibit chronicling Bob Welch's career opened at The Musicians Hall of Fame at [[Belmont University]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]] on August 27, 2018. Despite the lawsuit over a decade earlier, Fleetwood wrote a tribute for the exhibit. Bob and Wendy Welch's estate has endowed a scholarship to support Belmont School of Music students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.belmont.edu/former-fleetwood-mac-member-bob-welch-celebrated-in-musicians-hall-of-fame-exhibit/|title=Former Fleetwood Mac Member Bob Welch Celebrated in Musicians Hall of Fame Exhibit|first=April|last=Hefner|date=August 27, 2018|publisher=[[Belmont University]]}}</ref>

== Pop culture ==
Bob Welch is mentioned throughout episode one of season eighteen of ''[[Family Guy]]'' called "[[Yacht Rocky]]". The main character, [[Peter Griffin]], finds out that Bob Welch has died and takes a moment to lie down and stare at the ceiling while listening to "[[Sentimental Lady]]". This repeats several times in the episode as different characters lament Bob's death.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Holmquist |first1=John |title=Yacht Rocky |date=September 29, 2019 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9771020/ |series=Family Guy |access-date=February 27, 2023 |last2=Bianchi |first2=Dominic |last3=Purdum |first3=James}}{{unreliable source |date=April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ex-Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch on TV's 'Family Guy' {{!}} Big 95 |url=https://kbgo.iheart.com/featured/big-95-morning-show/content/2019-10-02-ex-fleetwood-mac-member-bob-welch-on-tvs-family-guy/ |access-date=February 27, 2023 |website=Big 95 Morning Show with Dewayne Wells |language=en}}</ref>

==Discography==

=== Albums ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Studio albums
|-
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left;" |Release date
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Album
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top; width:5em" |Chart<br>([[Billboard 200|US]])<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bob Welch: Billboard 200 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bob-welch/chart-history/tlp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref>
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Additional information
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |November 1977
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[French Kiss (Bob Welch album)|French Kiss]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |12
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Platinum
|- 
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |February 1979
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Three Hearts]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |20
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Gold
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |November 1979
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[The Other One (Bob Welch album)|The Other One]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |105
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |—
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |September 1980
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Man Overboard (Bob Welch album)|Man Overboard]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |162
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |—
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |October 1981
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Bob Welch (album)|Bob Welch]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |201
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |—
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |June 1983
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Eye Contact (Bob Welch album)|Eye Contact]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |—
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |—
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:left; " |September 10, 1999
| style="text-align:left; " |''[[Bob Welch Looks at Bop]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |—
| style="text-align:left; " |—
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:left; " |July 8, 2003
| style="text-align:left; " |''[[His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |—
| style="text-align:left; " |
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:left; " |March 28, 2006
| style="text-align:left; " |''[[His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond, Vol. 2]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |—
| style="text-align:left; " | —
|- style="vertical-align:top;" |—
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |December 21, 2011
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Sings the Best Songs Ever Written]]''
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |—
| style="text-align:left; " |—
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Live and compilation albums
|-
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left;" |Release date
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Album
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Additional information
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:left; " |December 1991
| style="text-align:left; " |''The Best of Bob Welch''
| style="text-align:left; " |Unauthorized
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |1994
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Greatest Hits (Bob Welch album)|Greatest Hits]]''
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Unauthorized
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |August 10, 2004
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Live from the Roxy]]''
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Recording from 1981
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |December 21, 2011
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''Live in Japan''<ref>{{Citation |title=Live In Japan by Bob Welch |date=December 21, 2011 |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/live-in-japan/491418416 |access-date=May 5, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>
| style="text-align:left; " |Recording from 1979{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Title
! colspan="5" | Chart positions
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35" | [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bob Welch: Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bob-welch/chart-history/hsi/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref>
! width="35" | [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|US<br>AC]]<br><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bob Welch: Adult Contemporary |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bob-welch/chart-history/asi/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref>
! width="35" | [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|US<br>Rock]]<br><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bob Welch: Mainstream Rock |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bob-welch/chart-history/rtt/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref>
! width="35" | [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]<br><ref name="RPM">{{Cite web|last=Canada|first=Library and Archives|date=July 17, 2013|title=Results: RPM Weekly|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/list.aspx?OCRText=bob+welch&|access-date=September 27, 2021|website=www.bac-lac.gc.ca}}</ref>
! width="35" | [[Kent Music Report|AU]]
|-
| 1977
| align="left" | "[[Sentimental Lady]]"
| 8
| 10
| —
| 3
| —
|-
| rowspan="2" |1978
| align="left" | "[[Ebony Eyes (Bob Welch song)|Ebony Eyes]]"
| 14
| —
| —
| 7
| 2
|-
| align="left" | "Hot Love, Cold World"
| 31
| —
| —
| 37
| —
|-
| rowspan="3" |1979
| align="left" | "[[Precious Love (Bob Welch song)|Precious Love]]"
| 19
| 42
| —
| 13
| 37
|-
| align="left" | "Church"
| 73
| —
| —
| 85
| —
|-
| align="left" | "3 Hearts"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="3" |1980
| align="left" | "Don't Let Me Fall"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left" | "The Girl Can't Stop"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left" | "Don't Rush The Good Things"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2" |1981
| align="left" | "It's What Ya Don't Say"
| —
| —
| 45
| —
| —
|-
| align="left" | "Two To Do"
| 107
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1982
| align="left" | "Remember"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2" |1983
| align="left" | "S.O.S."
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| align="left" | "I'll Dance Alone"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 2011
| align="left" | "[[Black Dog (Led Zeppelin song)|Black Dog]]"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|}

==Band work==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Head West albums
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"|Date
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Album
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Additional information
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|  style="text-align:left; "|1970
|  style="text-align:left; "|''[[Head West]]''
|  style="text-align:left; "|Repackaged in 1973 & credited to "Bob Welch with [[Head West]]"
|}
{{Main articles|Fleetwood Mac discography}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Fleetwood Mac albums
|-
! style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left;" |Release Date
! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |Album
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:left; " |September 3, 1971
| style="text-align:left; " |''[[Future Games]]''
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:left; " |March 1972
| style="text-align:left; " |''[[Bare Trees]]''
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |March 1973
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Penguin (album)|Penguin]]''
|-
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |October 15, 1973
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;" |''[[Mystery to Me]]''
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:left; " |September 13, 1974
| style="text-align:left; " |''[[Heroes Are Hard to Find]]''
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Paris albums
|-
!  style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"|Release date
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Album
!  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|Additional information
|-
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|January 1976
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|''[[Paris (Paris album)|Paris]]''
|  style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"|—
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|  style="text-align:left; "|August 1976
|  style="text-align:left; "|''[[Big Towne, 2061]]''
|  style="text-align:left; "|—
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{cc}}
* {{discogs artist|Bob Welch}}
* {{imdb name|1821618}}

{{Fleetwood Mac}}
{{Bob Welch}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Bob}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
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[[Category:American rock guitarists]]
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[[Category:Suicides by firearm in Tennessee]]
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[[Category:Guitarists from Los Angeles]]
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