VALE BOB WELCH

The untimely passing of highly respected American singer-songwriter Bob Welch has come as a shock to his many fans around the globe.

Welch, who took his own life in his Nashville home on 7 June, was rumoured to have been suffering from a series of undisclosed medical problems. His body was discovered by his wife, and it is alleged that Welch left a note at the scene of his passing.

It is often overlooked that Bob Welch was a contributing member of Fleetwood Mac in the 1^st half of the 1970’s, and his departure saw the recruitment of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks assist in taking the British-American band to enormous success, primarily on the back of 1977’s multi-platinum LP “Rumours”.

Whilst Welch may be viewed as having missed out on the financial rewards of Fleetwood Mac’s stellar commercial years, he himself enjoyed critical & commercial solo success in the late 1970’s. His 1977 LP “French Kiss” achieved platinum sales in the USA, and the singles “Ebony Eyes” and “Sentimental Lady” were both Top Ten chart hits. In fact, “Sentimental Lady” was a Fleetwood Mac album track from the early 1970’s. The 1977 version featured musical contributions from most of the “golden era” Fleetwood Mac group members, and is widely recognised as his finest work.

As is all too common in the entertainment world, Welch’s life took a downwards turn when the adulation died down in the 1980’s, with some well publicised substance abuse problems interrupting his creative output. Welch wasn’t invited to partake in any of the lucrative Fleetwood Mac reunion tours from the late 1980’s onwards, thus one can only assume that he may have felt that his departure from the band was a career-changing mistake.

It goes without saying that Bob Welch will be missed. It can never be denied that he was an extremely talented songwriter and guitarist, and his body of work will live on.