Lindsey signed our petition...could you please give us a hand, too?

[BobWelchforRHoF]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee is gathering this month to work on this year's nominations for the Hall. Bob Welch fans on Facebook have been in the process of mailing a letter directly to the committee to rectify the fact that Bob was NOT included with the members of Fleetwood Mac when they were inducted. There was no logical reason, no arguable point that could be provided to totally dismiss Bob's contributions to the band over a period of five albums and how important that period of the band was to the future success enjoyed by the Buckingham/Nicks era. Through Bob's songs and prodding, the band moved to a more pop oriented sound and he helped Mick manage the band through that rough patch of the band's career. At his urging, the band moved to the U.S. to be able to carry on business better in the country that they found the most success in to that point in time. If that had NOT occurred, there would have never been a Buckingham/Nicks era. In Mick's own autobiography, he devoted an entire chapter to Bob's place and role in the history of the band. The last sentence of the chapter, paraphrased, Mick stated, "Bob saved Fleetwood Mac."

I would hope that those of you that enjoyed Bob's era with the band would take the time to copy and sign the letter we drew up to send to the nominating committee, and send one as well. It meant a lot to Bob, it means a lot to his wife, and it means a lot to those of us that got together as a group to try and fix this error.

I thank you for your time and hope you will help.

Here is the letter that I wrote for our group. It is brief and to the point. Please copy, print, and mail it to the address at the top of the letter. Again, thank you for your support.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
Nominating Committee ‐ Performers Category
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104

Dear Sir/Madam

For your consideration:

It is time to address an egregious oversight and omission that has previously occurred within the Foundation and rectify that omission.
At the time of the omission, Suzan Evans made the comment that ‘inductees are selected solely on the basis of artistic merit.’ However, it is also a well-known, and documented fact that Jerry Garcia refused to be inducted unless everyone he thought was relevant to the band, was inducted as well. That also held true when sixteen people were inducted under the Parliament/Funkadelic banner. So it is quite evident that a band can hold sway over the Foundation at certain points in time, as to who and whom isn’t inducted.

This is not an issue of apples and oranges. It is based on fact. To cavalierly dismiss the extent and effectiveness of contributions by Bob Welch to the continued existence of Fleetwood Mac, and to state that his era did not “measure up to the standards for inclusion into the Hall”, is without merit and totally inexplicable.

Facts:
• Which version of Fleetwood Mac was the first to garner, not one, but two gold records, with one eventually going platinum, the Peter Green era band or the Bob Welch era band? It wasn’t Peter Green’s version…it was Bob’s.
• "Hypnotized" won an ASCAP award for 35 years of consecutive worldwide radio airplay.
• "Sentimental Lady" won an ASCAP award for 25 years of consecutive worldwide radio airplay.
• Bob opened California Jam 2 in front of over 300,000 people and his set was well-received even though the crowd was largely comprised of hard rock/metal heads.

Yes, Bob was in the transitional era of the band. However, if it had not been for Bob laying down the initial foundation for the band, via his more melodic, pop-oriented music, and the fact that he convinced the band to move to California, it is entirely possible that there never would have been a Nicks/ Buckingham era. In later years, Bob patched up his relationship with Mick, who has long claimed that Bob was a good friend of his, and even asked Bob to contribute to his autobiography. When Bob passed away last year, Mick went on record in a Reuters interview stating, "He was a huge part of our history which sometimes gets forgotten ... mostly his legacy would be his songwriting abilities that he brought to Fleetwood Mac, which will survive all of us. If you look into our musical history, you'll see a huge period that was completely ensconced in Bob's work." The last sentence in the chapter of Mick’s autobiography that dealt with Bob, Mick, in his own words, said “Bob saved Fleetwood Mac.” If Mick Fleetwood made those statements in regards to the lasting impact and value that Bob brought to the band, how can anyone in the Foundation denigrate and dismiss what one of the founding members of the group feels and has publicly stated?

From what I have been able to derive, when Bob’s name was mentioned as a possible inductee, a large number of the Foundation were not even in the room to vote. That may be conjecture upon the part of whomever wrote that, supposedly one of your own, unnamed members, but it is entirely feasible and possible.

Please, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of fans, worldwide, who enjoyed and appreciated the transitional period of Fleetwood Mac, and have spent our money on both the vinyl and CD issues of those five albums…re-evaluate your previous position regarding Bob’s induction into the Hall. It will rectify the original, untenable position taken previously and give Bob his rightful, and long overdue, recognition for everything that he brought to Fleetwood Mac during its most difficult period of their illustrious career.

Thank you,

[iamnotafraid]

Originally Posted by BobWelchforRHoF

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee is gathering this month to work on this year's nominations for the Hall...

They should be considering who to kick out
of the hall of fame. It's become more of a
joke with each passing year.

Yes, Bob was slighted and most certainly
should have been inducted with the others
in the group. But he's gone and I just don't
see why it matters. Unless of course there
were some financial gain to be had from it.

Prestigious and elite - the "hall" is not. I think
it would be more appropriate to celebrate Bob's
life by listening to his music and just enjoying
it.

I don't know enough about Bob's life to guess
whether he was a Christian or not. But if he
was saved, where he is now - he's completely
satisfied and happy.

[BobWelchforRHoF]

I couldn't agree with you more, personally, Iamnotafraid, however, it was something that Bob had wanted, not for financial reasons, but simply because he deserved it after putting so much of himself into the band and it's music. Mick himself credited Bob for saving the Mac in his autobiography and apparently when Bob was put up for the nomination, a lot of the members of the committee were not even in the room. What you and I think about the Hall, is irrelevant. It is what Bob wanted and he and his wife were/are my friends. I have worked on this for them. Bob was a wonderful human being and deserved the props for what he did...so I am trying to do the best I can for him. Thanks.

[iamnotafraid]

Originally Posted by BobWelchforRHoF

It is what Bob wanted and he and his wife were/are my friends. I have worked on this for them. Bob was a wonderful human being and deserved the props for what he did...so I am trying to do the best I can for him. Thanks.

I can appreciate what you're doing for them.
And if his wife wants that for him, I hope it
happens.

If is doesn't, don't lose any sleep over
it. The Hall is about as prestigious as
your local Hard Rock Cafe.