Bob Welch has died

[snicksfan85]

My boss just called me into his office to tell me Bob Welch committed suicide today. I'm totally bummed.

http://www.wkrn.com/story/18730944/former-fleetwood-mac-member-bob-welch-dead

[CADreaming]

So sad. :(

[Silver Springs]

Holy fu...... :(

I used to talk to him on Facebook.

What's happening to the Bob's of Fleetwood Mac? First Brunning and Weston, now Welch.

[michelej1]

Sentimental Lady came on the radio and then they said Bob Welch took his life. I am so sorry.

[Sleepless-Child]

With Bob Weston and Bob Welch gone, it's the real end of one of my favorite FM eras. RIP, you will definitely be missed :(:(:(

[michelle2677]

I am SO sad :( RIP, bob. your music meant so much to me and millions of people. this is a sad day in the music industry and certainly a sad day in the fleetwood mac community.

[vivfox]

I just read about this on the internet and I am so shocked! My condolonces and sympathy is extended to his family and friends. Such sad news.

[vivfox]

Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch dead

Posted: Jun 07, 2012 4:01 PM EDT
Updated: June 7, 2012 03:45 PM CDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Bob Welch, a former member of the band Fleetwood Mac, was found dead at his Nashville home Thursday.

Metro police spokesperson Don Aaron said Welch's wife found him dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest at his home on Blue Hole Road in Antioch around 12:15 p.m.

He was 66 years old.

Aaron said Welch recently had health issues but did not elaborate. He said a suicide note was left.

Welch was a guitarist and vocalist for Fleetwood Mac from 1971 to 1974 before the group achieved supergroup status with the albums Fleetwood Mac in 1975 and Rumours in 1977.

He was not among the members inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998

Welch had a briefly successful solo career in the late 1970s.

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 backing vocals on "Sentimental Lady."

http://www.wkrn.com/story/18730944/former-fleetwood-mac-member-bob-welch-dead

[HomerMcvie]

I am SO sad :( RIP, bob. your music meant so much to me and millions of people. this is a sad day in the music industry and certainly a sad day in the fleetwood mac community.

Me too. I'm sitting here at work, trying not to cry.:shocked:

I know Wendy had been in poor health for some time. I wonder if something had happened to her....?

[Phil Lee]

RIP Bob. I'm shocked and saddened to hear this news.

[darklinensuit]

How terrible. Rest in peace.

- Jake

[wetcamelfood]

This is terrible. I can't believe it, another one gone. I'm just shocked and very sad.

John

[michelle2677]

Me too. I'm sitting here at work, trying not to cry.:shocked:

I know Wendy had been in poor health for some time. I wonder if something had happened to her....?


you and james are the first two i thought of and knew would take it hard. i even know who bob welch IS because of you. mystery to me. you introduced me to it, so it's only fair that i'm listening to it now, in tears.

"seems like a dream, they got me hyptnotized...."

[HomerMcvie]

Mystery To Me is my favorite album!

And to think that I was just in Nashville yesterday...

Rest in peace, Bob.:(:(:(

[HejiraNYC]

This is just beyond terrible. :distress: The Fleetwood Mac family has just gotten smaller... again. This is not a good day.

[HomerMcvie]

You know, Bob had always been so friendly, both on his website and Facebook. I often fantasized about inviting him and Wendy out to dinner, when I was in town. But never did, because I figured he might think, "Oh, just some crazy fan....".

[Bryan]

And then I heard this news. Knew something strange was in the air.Very odd day.
So sad ,am shocked, RIP Bob.

[sharksfan2000]

Sad news...I hadn't heard that Bob had health issues. Always enjoyed reading his posts here on the Ledge, infrequent as they were. I actually see that his last post here was about Bob Weston's passing earlier this year.

It was the Bob Welch-led version of the band that I first heard, back when Heroes are Hard to Find was their current release and was on the radio. Got into the earlier versions of the band pretty quickly after that, but I have to thank Bob for providing my intro to Fleetwood Mac. RIP Bob.

[jbrownsjr]

This hurts my heart... He was always very nice to me and one of my favorite singers.

[The Catdancer]

I am shocked. Another one has passed..... This is so sad :(

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

RIP, Bob. Your music meant, and will always mean, a lot to me.

[snicksfan85]

He apparently didn't live very far from me...

I always wanted to reach out to him and have coffee and talk but I never could work up the nerve to ask.

I'm just totally stunned.

[ButterCookie]

I can't put into words how hard this just hit me. Only last week I was talking about him with Shawna and how his era is my favourite. Rest In Peace, Bob. You'll be sadly missed.

[starshine]

Thats very sad I hadn't heard about it til now. I did like his solo stuff/Mac stuff --very very sad. Rest In Peace Bob.

[SuzeQuze]

Very sad, he was really generous of heart with fans on Facebook. :( Homie, sorry to hear you didn't extend invitation but it is really hard to do that when you think it might be rejected. Maybe send something to Wendy. Thoughts and prayers to his friends and family.

[AncientQueen]

His work makes his my favorite era of FM, too. Rest in peace, Bob.

[Tango]

I am so sorry to hear/read of the loss of Bob. The first real picture of his personality came through to me here on The Penguin. The two Q&As he did with all the fans are amazing. Steve, not sure if you heard about this yet, but I already know you will take this loss hard with quite a few others here. Clearly Bob Welch respected and enjoyed you in particular-- and I think he loved interacting directly with the fans. He got to tell his story of Fleetwood Mac without any editing. I'm glad that he got to do that here.

[TrueFaith77]

I will never forget the first time I heard Sentimental Lady.

[SummerlongBoots]

This is just mind-boggling. My jaw is hanging wide-open from shock.

How very, very sad. :(

[Street_Dreamer]

I can't believe it... I just got home and saw Fleetwood Mac trending on Twitter. I thought it might have something to do with a new tour or something... but not this... This is so sad that it's beyond words...

Matt

[nicepace]

Very, very sad news. Condolences to his family and friends.

[Almost Simon]

Gutted.

Horrible news. I love Future Games and the whole middle period Mac era so much.

I have a lovely promo poster from the 1971 Future Games era with Bob, Mick, John, Christine and Danny ready to put up on my music room wall. Bob has a huge smile in that photo. A huge shame to see his life end if this way.

R.I.P.:(

[bluefox4000]

that........is absolutely terrible. holy god. I don't know what to say.:(

He was part of my fav period of the Mac. Damn.

RIP Bob

[britt0308]

Absolutely shocked to just see the news on twitter. Although I am fond of his work, I actually just listened to Mystery to Me all the way through for the first time this afternoon. Then to come online and see this..

Condolences to his family, friends the FM community. RIP Bob Welch.

[louielouie2000]

What shocking news to come home to. :distress: Bob has always been my very favorite former Mac member. I feel so grateful to have been able to interact with him some through the Ledge. He was a real class act, and brought such magic to Fleetwood Mac's legacy. What a terrible tragedy... my thoughts are with Bob's wife & family. :(

[wondergirl9847]

How horribly sad. :( I saw his name number 1 on Yahoo, and clicked on the name fearing the worst.

FRICK.

I hate to read that he committed suicide, but he must have been in lots of pain, which makes it that much sadder.

Can't believe we've lost 3 members in just a couple of years. I don't like this trend at all.

RIP Bob and thank you for your awesome music.

[Richard B]

What a big, sad BUMMER.
So thankful your music lives on and I'm glad the pain is gone for you.

Will play your music all night.

ON EDIT:
Any band members commented/quoted yet?

[chriskisn]

Oh my god, only just heard this as it is only 7am over here. Such a terrible tragedy. Bob's era is my favourite FM era, and he wrote some of the best songs that FM ever produced.

[moon]

Can't belive it. Very sad news. :(

I'm so afraid now, people...

R.I.P Bob

[bluefox4000]

Reminds us that these people who create music that enriches. our lives.....are people. mortal flesh and blood people. Hard reminder.

Mick

[Johnny Stew]

My best buddy just called and told me this. I'm gutted.
Rest in peace, Mr Welch. Thank you for all of the amazing music. You will be sorely missed. :(

[jannieC]

How terribly sad for all who knew and loved him. RIP Bob Welch.

[Lee]

How truly sad. I love that song Hypnotized. My condolences to his wife, family & friends. :(

Lee :(

[WelshWitchPMD]

A coworker in another branch called to tell me "some guitar player from Fleetwood Mac died" my heart sank. She said it was Bob Welch and I was in total shock. I just hope he finds peace and my condolences go out to his wife and family.

[mikephxaz]

The loss of Welch brings to a close a part of Fleetwood Mac...God Bless

[SummerlongBoots]

ON EDIT:
Any band members commented/quoted yet?



Nicks released a statement, calling Welch's death "devastating."

"He was an amazing guitar player - he was funny, sweet - and he was smart - I'm so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac - so, so sad," Nicks said.

------------------------


Ex-Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch dead


Bob Welch (June 7, 2012)

Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac dies at 66


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bob Welch, an early member of rock band Fleetwood Mac who enjoyed a successful solo career with hits such as "Ebony Eyes," died on Thursday of an apparent suicide at home in Nashville. He was 66.

Police said Welch's body was found by his wife with a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he had left a suicide note. Welch suffered from health problems, but police did not disclose what those issues were.

"The police are investigating it as a suicide, and there was no evidence of foul play," Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron told Reuters.

Welch was born on August 31, 1945 in Los Angeles to movie producer father Robert L. Welch and actress mother Templeton Fox. He moved to Paris to study French at the Sorbonne, then returned to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

He was invited to join Fleetwood Mac after the departure of founding members Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. He played guitar and was a vocalist with the band from 1971 to 1974, working on five of their early albums including 1971's "Future Games," 1972's "Bare Trees" and 1973's "Mystery to Me."

It was after Welch's departure from the band in 1975 that Fleetwood Mac went on to find its largest measure of fame on albums such as 1977's "Rumours" with the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the band's lineup.

Nicks released a statement, calling Welch's death "devastating."

"He was an amazing guitar player - he was funny, sweet - and he was smart - I'm so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac - so, so sad," Nicks said.

Welch fell out with his former band mates after suing the group in 1994 for unpaid royalties, which led to his exclusion from the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1998.

The singer and guitarist formed a hard rock group called Paris in 1975, releasing two albums, "Paris" and "Hunt Sales," before disbanding the group a few years later and embarking on a solo career.

His debut solo record, the pop-driven "French Kiss" in 1977, went platinum and produced the hits "Sentimental Lady," "Ebony Eyes" and "Hot Love, Cold World." Welch followed up with 1979's "Three Hearts," and four more albums throughout the early 1980s, none of which emulated the same success as "French Kiss."

He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1987 and formed a short-lived group called Avenue M, before moving to Nashville in the late 1990s, working on a songwriting career and releasing a tribute to bebop music, "Bob Welch Looks At Bop," in 1999.

His most recent albums, 2003's "His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond" and 2006's "His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond 2," had previously unreleased material as well as new compositions.

Welch is the second member of Fleetwood Mac to die this year. In January, another former guitarist for the band, Bob Weston, died in London from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, at age 64.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy and Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Bernard Orr and Vicki Allen)



http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-rt-us-bobwelch-fleetwoodmacbre8561e7-20120607,0,1770444.story

[Gypsy]

I just found out. :distress: Listening to "Sentimental Lady" and crying.

R.I.P., Bob. Thank you for your music, and God Bless you. I hope you found peace.

[SummerlongBoots]

Bob Welch, Ex-Fleetwood Mac Member, Found Dead
by The Associated Press

text size AAA
June 7, 2012
Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac who also had 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. local time.

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 backing 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 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," she said. "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.

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.




http://www.npr.org/2012/06/07/154540485/bob-welch-ex-fleetwood-mac-member-found-dead

[SteveMacD]

I'm just sick over this. Just sick.

[WildHearted]

What horrible, horrible news. I'm seriously in shock. So sorry for his family and all who knew him... his music was a blessing.

Rest in peace, Bob.

[sushud82]

Terrible news. RIP Bob. I can only imagine the pain he must've been going through. So sad.

Susan

[Eponymous]

From News Report:
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.

[BLY]

All I can say is R.I.P

[GypsySorcerer]

This is just terribly sad. :( He always seemed so kind and was a damn fine musician. My condolences to his family and friends.

[StandbackStevie]

I am very shocked about Bob Welch like everyone else may he rest in peace and God is with him my deepest sympathy to his family and close friends a legendary songwriter and guitarist musician.Very sad a great loss to our Fleetwood Mac family and to the musical world another talent we have lost.:(

[gypsy4life]

This is horribly sad news...always enjoyed his music so much....what a devestating thing to happen....RIP Bob..

[holidayroad]

I just saw the news on MSN. I am floored.......

[aleuzzi]

This is one of the strangest and most disturbing pieces of news I have heard in a while. That his death is being ruled as suicide leaves me chilled to the bone. I had no idea--and I'm sure no one here did either--that he was depressed or felt such dark urges. I knew he was capable of anger (Mick called him "high strung" in his memoir) and I'm sure he must have been unhappy with some aspects of his career, but suicide speaks of something else--some things that must have run deeper than anything related to Fleetwood Mac.

All I can say is this: I am indebted to him for providing some very distinctive music. There's nothing like "Hypnotized" or the live versions of "Bermuda Triangle" anywhere else in rock. He was extremely creative. I hope his soul is at peace.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Just found out. Totally blown away and pretty sad.
I guess he's the first from the "inner circle" to go.
r.i.p.

[sleepless child]

Unbelieveble. I can't imagine him being gone. Loved his music. So sad to hear he was in so much pain he took his life. My heart goes out to his family. Stevie's words were very comforting.

[desertangel]

My deepest sympathy to Bob's family and those who loved him. So sorry he had to go out this way, what a tragedy. I'm choked up and close to tears, haven't felt well today and feel even worse now.

[aleuzzi]

Stevie's words were very comforting.

They were. Classy gal. I am wondering if/when we will hear from Fleetwood and the McVies...

[poetinmyheart]

Unbelievable. Speechless :(

[DeeGeMe]

So sorry to learn of Bob's death--I had heard he had health problems--so sad. Rock in Peace.

[mike_nh]

damn, another chapter closes.

[aleuzzi]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bob Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac who also had 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 backing 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 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.

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.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/bob-welch-dead-fleetwood-mac-gunshot_n_1579166.html?ref=entertainment&ir=Entertainment

[Macfanforever]

Oh man .This is sad.devastating.Great songwriter. musician.RIP Bob.

[Amlyn]

Deep down I hope he knew just how many people he touched with his musical contributions. His memory will live on through all of us every time we listen to a song he wrote or played on.

Rest in Peace Bob.

[mylittledemon]

What a pity. You were a true legend, Bob. May you rest in peace... and thanks for the music!

[Penguin Emeritus]

I just read this too and immediately came here. It's very sad-- Bob was a really nice, interesting guy. I must have talked to him at least 20 times while running this site and he always had such colorful stories. I loved his musical contribution to the group too and still often listen to many of his songs. I'll miss him.
- Marty

[Nicks Fan]

I am shocked. I always thought it was a great shame that he was not inducted with the band in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. RIP Bob

[SummerlongBoots]

I don't have a twitter account so I wasn't able to ask this guy where he got the info, so this may or may not be true.

Jimmy Palmiotti‏@jpalmiotti

Bob Welch left a suicide note. He killed himself with a gun. He had cancer. This all is so sad. RIP.

2:46 PM - 7 Jun 12via web · Embed this Tweet

http://twitter.com/jpalmiotti/status/210850188976324608

[joe]

Holy F***!!!!! Total shock and MAJOR bummer. What the hell? I haven't read all the posts yet...

Ugh...such an important part of the band and so underrated. I have to say I like the Bob Welch era second to the Rumours one. Actually, sometimes it's the other way around. Good albums in that period that I listen to to right after the other. Not good.

Odd, I was at Home Depot today and heard Ebony Eyes. Was picturing the Cal Jam performance and even (in my head) adding the Stevie parts.

RIP Bob...and I am still pissed that he was never inducted into the Hall of Fame. Travesty.

[SteveMacD]

I don't have a twitter account so I wasn't able to ask this guy where he got the info, so this may or may not be true.

Jimmy Palmiotti‏@jpalmiotti

Bob Welch left a suicide note. He killed himself with a gun. He had cancer. This all is so sad. RIP.

2:46 PM - 7 Jun 12via web · Embed this Tweet

http://twitter.com/jpalmiotti/status/210850188976324608
Apparently he's a guy who writes for Marvel Comics. I could see him being a friend of Bob's.

[michelej1]

I will never forget the first time I heard Sentimental Lady.

So beautiful. I listen to the CBS news station on the radio. They don't play music, so when they broke in with the opening of Sentimental Lady I knew that there was going to be an announcement. Even though I guessed they might say that Bob Welch had passed, I didn't know it was going to be as bad as it was.

I think we feel that we know him a little more than most of the members, because "Missus" did interact with fans here in the past and Bob also was active on his own site.

Fourteen joys and the will to be married . . . the melody of that song was almost like a meditation chant.

He seemed to love his wife so much. I can't believe she had to find him. I'm so sorry.

Michele

[SteveMacD]

I decided tonight is the Bob Welch-era Fleetwood Mac on vinyl night. I just noticed the track listing stamp on my copy of "Bare Trees" is backwards. Cool!

The ONLY cool thing to come out of today is there have been some pretty cool pics of Bob posted that I haven't seen before. My favorite is this gem:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b313/SteveMacD/welch.png

Screw Jimmy Page and Don Felder.


Founding member Mick Fleetwood did not immediately respond to e-mails for comment Thursday.

Relax. I'm sure he's just in more shock than Stevie. He'll say SOMETHING. When has Mick ever been at a loss for words?

[HomerMcvie]

Apparently he's a guy who writes for Marvel Comics. I could see him being a friend of Bob's.

Well, and some of us have been speculating(in text, not here), that his suicide may have been due to being terminally ill(I know he's been sick, and recently had surgery).

Not that that lessens the impact of his loss, but for me at least, if I knew that the suicide was to avoid the wasting away that cancer causes, at least it might make a little bit more sense. Unless his family, or a close friend, discloses the truth, we'll probably never know.

A tragedy, nonetheless.

[SummerlongBoots]

Apparently he's a guy who writes for Marvel Comics. I could see him being a friend of Bob's.

Oh, okay. Thanks for responding. I didn't want to post anything false or misleading, but it was the first I'd heard of his "health issues" and I was kinda curious. :(

[The Catdancer]

http://www.legacy.com/memorial-sites/2012/obituary.aspx?n=Bob-Welch&pid=157964920&ua=l3ETXIFT7JquKXRckU0+WA%3D%3D

You can sign the guestbook.

[aleuzzi]

Relax. I'm sure he's just in more shock than Stevie. He'll say SOMETHING. When has Mick ever been at a loss for words?

It's still odd that Stevie is the only one who has been quoted anywhere.

[SteveMacD]

Well, and some of us have been speculating(in text, not here), that his suicide may have been due to being terminally ill(I know he's been sick, and recently had surgery).

Not that that lessens the impact of his loss, but for me at least, if I knew that the suicide was to avoid the wasting away that cancer causes, at least it might make a little bit more sense. Unless his family, or a close friend, discloses the truth, we'll probably never know.

A tragedy, nonetheless.
That's what I was thinking, though there are less awful ways to go about it.

[CADreaming]

Ex-Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch dead (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/entertainment-us-bobwelch-fleetwoodmac-idUSBRE8561E720120608)


By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES | Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:21pm EDT

(Reuters) - Bob Welch, an early member of rock band Fleetwood Mac who enjoyed a successful solo career with hits such as "Ebony Eyes," died on Thursday of an apparent suicide at home in Nashville. He was 66.

Police said Welch's body was found by his wife Wendy with a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he had left a suicide note. Welch suffered from health problems, but police did not disclose what those issues were.

Mick Fleetwood, one of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac and Welch's manager during his solo career, had remained in close contact with his former band mate over the years and told Reuters that Welch's suicide was "incredibly out of character."

"He was a very, very profoundly intelligent human being and always in good humor, which is why this is so unbelievably shocking," he said.

"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," Fleetwood said.

"If you look into our musical history, you'll see a huge period that was completely ensconced in Bob's work."

Welch is the second member of Fleetwood Mac to die this year. In January, another former guitarist for the band, Bob Weston, died in London from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, at the age of 64.

Welch was born on August 31, 1945 in Los Angeles to movie producer father Robert L. Welch and actress mother Templeton Fox. He moved to Paris to study French at the Sorbonne, then returned to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

He was invited to join Fleetwood Mac after the departure of founding members Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. He played guitar and was a vocalist with the band from 1971 to 1974, working on five of their early albums including 1971's "Future Games," 1972's "Bare Trees" and 1973's "Mystery to Me."

It was after Welch's departure from the band in 1975 that Fleetwood Mac went on to find its largest measure of fame on albums such as 1977's "Rumours" with the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the band's lineup.

Nicks released a statement, calling Welch's death "devastating."

"He was an amazing guitar player - he was funny, sweet - and he was smart - I'm so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac - so, so sad," Nicks said.

Welch fell out with his former band mates after suing the group in 1994 for unpaid royalties, which led to his exclusion from the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1998.

The singer and guitarist formed a hard rock group called Paris in 1975, releasing two albums, "Paris" and "Hunt Sales," before disbanding the group a few years later and embarking on a solo career.

His debut solo record, the pop-driven "French Kiss" in 1977, went platinum and produced the hits "Sentimental Lady," "Ebony Eyes" and "Hot Love, Cold World." Welch followed up with 1979's "Three Hearts," and four more albums throughout the early 1980s, none of which emulated the same success as "French Kiss."

He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1987 and formed a short-lived group called Avenue M, before moving to Nashville in the late 1990s, working on a songwriting career and releasing a tribute to bebop music, "Bob Welch Looks At Bop," in 1999.

His most recent albums, 2003's "His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond" and 2006's "His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond 2," had previously unreleased material as well as new compositions.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy and Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Bernard Orr, Vicki Allen and David Brunnstrom)

[elle]

this is so sad.

[aleuzzi]

Oops. CADreaming just posted a link to a new article I was posting. So, I deleted mine.

I'm glad to see Mick offer these words. It gives me some relief.

[elle]

Ex-Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch dead (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/entertainment-us-bobwelch-fleetwoodmac-idUSBRE8561E720120608)


By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES | Thu Jun 7, 2012 9:21pm EDT

(Reuters) - Bob Welch, an early member of rock band Fleetwood Mac who enjoyed a successful solo career with hits such as "Ebony Eyes," died on Thursday of an apparent suicide at home in Nashville. He was 66.

Police said Welch's body was found by his wife Wendy with a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he had left a suicide note. Welch suffered from health problems, but police did not disclose what those issues were.

Mick Fleetwood, one of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac and Welch's manager during his solo career, had remained in close contact with his former band mate over the years and told Reuters that Welch's suicide was "incredibly out of character."

"He was a very, very profoundly intelligent human being and always in good humor, which is why this is so unbelievably shocking," he said.

"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," Fleetwood said.

"If you look into our musical history, you'll see a huge period that was completely ensconced in Bob's work."

Welch is the second member of Fleetwood Mac to die this year. In January, another former guitarist for the band, Bob Weston, died in London from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, at the age of 64.

Welch was born on August 31, 1945 in Los Angeles to movie producer father Robert L. Welch and actress mother Templeton Fox. He moved to Paris to study French at the Sorbonne, then returned to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

He was invited to join Fleetwood Mac after the departure of founding members Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. He played guitar and was a vocalist with the band from 1971 to 1974, working on five of their early albums including 1971's "Future Games," 1972's "Bare Trees" and 1973's "Mystery to Me."

It was after Welch's departure from the band in 1975 that Fleetwood Mac went on to find its largest measure of fame on albums such as 1977's "Rumours" with the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the band's lineup.

Nicks released a statement, calling Welch's death "devastating."

"He was an amazing guitar player - he was funny, sweet - and he was smart - I'm so very sorry for his family and for the family of Fleetwood Mac - so, so sad," Nicks said.

Welch fell out with his former band mates after suing the group in 1994 for unpaid royalties, which led to his exclusion from the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1998.

The singer and guitarist formed a hard rock group called Paris in 1975, releasing two albums, "Paris" and "Hunt Sales," before disbanding the group a few years later and embarking on a solo career.

His debut solo record, the pop-driven "French Kiss" in 1977, went platinum and produced the hits "Sentimental Lady," "Ebony Eyes" and "Hot Love, Cold World." Welch followed up with 1979's "Three Hearts," and four more albums throughout the early 1980s, none of which emulated the same success as "French Kiss."

He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1987 and formed a short-lived group called Avenue M, before moving to Nashville in the late 1990s, working on a songwriting career and releasing a tribute to bebop music, "Bob Welch Looks At Bop," in 1999.

His most recent albums, 2003's "His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond" and 2006's "His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond 2," had previously unreleased material as well as new compositions.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy and Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Bernard Orr, Vicki Allen and David Brunnstrom)

thanks for sharing. i was looking for something with more information than that repeated statement reported by all sources during the day.

[blackcat]

Deep down I hope he knew just how many people he touched with his musical contributions. His memory will live on through all of us every time we listen to a song he wrote or played on.

Rest in Peace Bob.


It's hard to know for sure, but he had this to say about the people here on the Penguin:

This whole 2 week q&a feels like a " coming out" party to me, because everyone has been so supportive ! It makes me feel that everything I've done musically in my past, hasn't been "for nothing". and that's a good feeling. believe me !
-Bob Welch

That's pretty amazing.

Good to see you Marty. Thank you for setting that all up. My late grandfather said after a while, you only get to see the whole family at weddings and funerals. :(
love, blackcat

[CADreaming]

thanks for sharing. i was looking for something with more information than that repeated statement reported by all sources during the day.

I can't believe this. It's so horribly sad.

[SteveMacD]

EDIT: since Mick actually spoke...

When Stevie says "the Fleetwood Mac family," I think she's mostly talking about the band and crew from the Welch years specifically. Touring is like a family.

[HomerMcvie]

That's what I was thinking, though there are less awful ways to go about it.

Indeed there are, and I will choose one of those methods, if I ever have to. (if I were terminally ill, and heading down the end of the journey, I'd do it, too)

[michelej1]

Well, and some of us have been speculating(in text, not here), that his suicide may have been due to being terminally ill(I know he's been sick, and recently had surgery).

Not that that lessens the impact of his loss, but for me at least, if I knew that the suicide was to avoid the wasting away that cancer causes, at least it might make a little bit more sense.

Yes, I feel the same way. If it was emotional despair, it seems like such a waste because there are so many people who would reach out to you if they really knew you were in that kind of mental pain.

But a physical problem is a different story. If someone chooses to face death that way, rather than wasting away from a terminal illness and they do what they think will preserve their own dignity, then I respect that choice and the need to determine your own fate. No hospice. I get that.

Michele

[Villavic]

What's happening to the Bob's of Fleetwood Mac? First Brunning and Weston, now Welch.

I didn't realize about the Bob's. Coincidence.. but scary.

What's going on this year? Whitney, Robin, Donna.. now Bob Welch. Even latin american singers.. each month I read a sad new of someone leaving us. :(

[chiliD]

I am so sorry to hear/read of the loss of Bob. The first real picture of his personality came through to me here on The Penguin. The two Q&As he did with all the fans are amazing. Steve, not sure if you heard about this yet, but I already know you will take this loss hard with quite a few others here. Clearly Bob Welch respected and enjoyed you in particular-- and I think he loved interacting directly with the fans. He got to tell his story of Fleetwood Mac without any editing. I'm glad that he got to do that here.

Thank you. I heard about this fairly early in the afternoon, but for some reason, the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to access The Ledge from my work computer (the only Fleetwood Mac site that I haven't been able to)...so I had to wait until now to drop by here.

This is very difficult. :( Time has healed the wounds of losing two Beatles which affected me deeply...but this is a fresh open wound, still. What makes this different is that there was a personal connection between myself & Bob...yeah, it's documented on the Q&As here...and we'd met in person a couple of times, but nothing significantly...just a nod of the head & a smile...or an adoring guitarhead fan trying to pick up every nuance of his guitar work, his stage presence, his lyrical content while seated at his feet in the audience of either a Fleetwood Mac, Paris or solo band show.

As I've posted here numerous times (to where in order to save keystrokes & ease the carpal tunnel aches, I now just "copy & paste" from a saved Word document) in the always recurring "How did you become a Fleetwood Mac fan?" threads, I'd been an avid Fleetwood Mac fan for a number of years before Bob joined, but the transition wasn't really as drastic as it happened as it appears when looking back in retrospect. What really cemented my bond with Bob's tenure in Fleetwood Mac was finally getting to see the band in person for the first (and second) times during those tumultuous Heroes Are Hard To Find days, weeks, months. I already had eaten up the "spookiness" of Bob's lyrical content on a few songs over the course of the previous few albums, but none of it hit home and opened my mind as seeing him present it all in person. I was sad when he left Fleetwood Mac, but I easily fell back into line when Paris hit the road & the album into record stores. Then when he was peripherally brought back into the Fleetwood Mac orbit with Mick as his manager for French Kiss, Three Hearts, The Other One, etc...it was full circle.

The Q&A was a major highlight...he was talking DIRECTLY TO ME! (as I see he has posted here earlier in this thread, a huge THANK YOU to "Penguin Emeritus" Marty Adelson for being the one to facilitate that and provide the connection for that to happen!)

Then on email, Bob's own site(s) & eventually Facebook pages, we had numerous one-to-one correspondences. That he took the time to respond to my messages meant more to me than I can express in words.

[HomerMcvie]

You know, a Ledgie (who rarely posts anymore) and I were texting tonight, about Bob's death. Then about how we've lost 3 of them in the past year....

They're all getting up there, when it's going to become more common. And that really makes me so sad. They are literally the soundtrack to my life. And we do all forget that they are just flesh and bone like the rest of us, and will expire. God, they've been a driving force in my life, since I was 14(and that's some time ago). Friends from high school STILL call me, and say "I just heard a FM song on the radio, and HAD to call you!" I was probably known for my FM obsession, more than anything...

God, the more I type about this, the sadder I get. It kills me to watch them get old, and die....

The day Christine dies, I'll never be the same.

[Villavic]

Just wanted to share how Mick told in his book about the first days of Bob in the band.

...more important, we all got along well and decided that he was gonna be in the band. The auditions went on anyway for a while, but one night we went downstairs and started playing and that was it. It was unanimous. We loved his personality. His musical roots were in R&B instead of blues, and that was refreshing. We thought it would be an interesting blend. We knew he could sing; it was sort of talk-sing, with astute phrasing and timing. Plus he was well trained, as opposed to us who had just wandered into it. He was one of those guys who really sat down and played for hours and hours, an artistic chameleon who fit in with our colors and somehow inherited a bit of our history as well. To this day, I think personality is the most important thing in keeping a band together. I've seen too many impossible geniuses.

Once in the band, Bob really developed. He meshed well in every situation, and his songwriting and style became a big part of Fleetwood Mac in America. Which we badly needed, because without Peter Green ourcareer nosedived in Europe.

We also loved having an American in Fleetwood Mac. "They asked me to join and I said yeah," Bob Welch says. "I moved to Benifols, got an advance from Clifford Davies, which I used to buy a guitar. Immediately I began to discover Fleetwood Mac's unusual organisational methods. I was expecting they'd tell me to learn these songs and sing this way, but it was nothing like that. We just jammed for a long time, and played some blues on the side. I was waiting for them to tell me what kind of band they were, but instead I realized they expected me to be the band. I was expected to pull as much weight as anyone else. "

[Macfanforever]

Indeed there are, and I will choose one of those methods, if I ever have to. (if I were terminally ill, and heading down the end of the journey, I'd do it, too)

I agree.But my sister,step father,bio-father dealt with that bloody word called cancer to the end.This is so sad about Bob.

[studyinscarlet]

I was terrified when one page had 'FM member commits suicide' and they had a pic of Lindsey for pete's sakes.

RIP Bob. Must have been a terribly heavy burden he was carrying.

[HomerMcvie]

I agree.But my sister,step father,bio-father dealt with that bloody word called cancer to the end.This is so sad about Bob.

We did Hospice at home, with my Mom. And it was fine, until the last two weeks. Then it was a nightmare. Even though she was 100 lbs, we couldn't help her move, without hurting her, and we weren't trained, obviously. Hospice was great, but they were only there once a day. We tried to get her into a nursing home, but there just wasn't time. The end came that quickly. But those last two weeks were sheer hell, for her and us.

After she died, my aunt's told their daughters that if it came to that for them, that they wanted to be put into a nursing home, for proper care, and also to not put them through the ordeal. But for me, I would choose suicide, too, when I knew the end was near.

**Sorry that we're speculating on Bob's reason. Just knowing that he'd been ill, and had surgery recently, made my mind first go to that conclusion...

[Villavic]

This is what Bob said about Mick's book (Q&A 2003 session)
I've read Mick's book, and I liked it. As far as I'm concerned , it's pretty accurate. Mick's whole life has been, and is, Fleetwood Mac. I don't think he can think of himself as separated from that. He and Fleetwood Mac are one and the same. This is very different from most bands, acting ensembles, etc. Imagine doing the same thing your whole life! As close as I've been to Fleetwood Mac, and as much as it defines my life...it's still not my WHOLE life. Mick is unique... Fleetwood Mac is unique. As they said in the 19th century ; "long live Fleetwood Mac" !

And this is what he said about his own book. It will never be finished. I wish it would be shared anyway to us...
The book's in about the same shape it was in '99 ; i.e., unfinished, with a couple of solid chapters and 800 loose pages. I'll maybe get back to it one of these days.

[Villavic]

I was terrified when one page had 'FM member commits suicide' and they had a pic of Lindsey for pete's sakes.

How irresponsible is the press. Imagine if a Lindsey's relative see that.

[sharksfan2000]

I've always enjoyed this YouTube clip of Bob and the band performing "Bermuda Triangle". Love the way his glasses keep almost sliding all the way off his nose in this clip. Certainly no one else like him throughout the history of the band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KDdZRLqfcY

[bangdrum]

I just saw this.

Holy crap. SO SO SAD. :eek:

Mystery To Me is one of the greatest albums ever, and I own all of Bob's albums that are on CD (including the Paris albums).

RIP Bob! :(

[chiliD]

I've always enjoyed this YouTube clip of Bob and the band performing "Bermuda Triangle". Love the way his glasses keep almost sliding all the way off his nose in this clip. Certainly no one else like him throughout the history of the band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KDdZRLqfcY

Damn, this is tough to watch today...I was in the audience during this taping...it was the VERY FIRST TIME seeing Fleetwood Mac in person...so the set they did for that show has always held a very special place in my heart...which has suddenly deepened to Mariana Trench depth with the events of today.

[michelej1]

Miami Herald, by Howard Cohen
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/07/2838184/former-fleetwood-mac-guitaristsinger.html#storylink=cpy

Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist/singer Bob Welch dead at 65

Beset by health issues, Bob Welch, whose departure from Fleetwood Mac preceded the group’s greatest success, apparently committed suicide in Nashville.

BY HOWARD COHEN
[email protected]
Bob Welch, whose mysterious and mystical Fleetwood Mac songs Bermuda Triangle, The Ghost and Hypnotized helped pave the way for his replacement, Stevie Nicks, and the group’s greatest success after his departure, has died at age 65 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Welch’s body was found by his wife in their Nashville home Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press reported. He left a suicide note, and had been struggling with unspecified health issues.

His death seemed sadly foreshadowed by a lifetime of small victories and bitter disappointments. The singer/guitarist with the mellow voice and sophisticated air led Fleetwood Mac from 1971 until 1974 and, with Christine McVie, sang lead on most of the band’s material during that period.

His songs on albums like Bare Trees, Penguin and Mystery to Me, especially Sentimental Lady and the FM-radio classic, Hypnotized, helped establish Fleetwood Mac in the United States. Prior to joining the band as a replacement for iconic guitarist Peter Green, the group was known as a premier blues act in England in the late 1960s.

By 1969, Fleetwood Mac was outselling the Beatles and the Rolling Stones abroad with Green’s songsBlack Magic Woman (a hit later for Santana), Oh Well and the instrumental Albatross.

But in America Fleetwood Mac was largely unknown and its brand of authentic blues was not in tune with easy-listening pop acts like Elton John, the Carpenters and Carole King.

Welch’s sound — polished, radio-friendly yet moody and bewitching on songs like Sentimental Lady,Future Games and Emerald Eyes allowed the band to sell a steady 250,000 copies per album, good enough to keep the members signed and on the college touring circuit. More importantly, Welch helped Fleetwood Mac develop its distinctive male-female vocal blend that would prove formidable when Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham replaced him on New Year’s Eve 1975, after he quit.

In that respect, Welch joined Peter Best as rock’s unluckiest man. Best, of course, was the Beatles’ original drummer who toiled in obscurity with the pre-Fab Four before Ringo Starr’s arrival. Within a year of Welch’s departure, Fleetwood Mac hit No. 1 in America in 1976 with an eponymous album.

From that Fleetwood Mac LP, Nicks’ signature smash Rhiannon, which she always introduced on stage as “a song about a Welsh witch,” was a clear extension of Welch’s fascination with the otherworldly — UFOs, strange disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle off the coast of Key Biscayne and ghosts.

Nicks agreed to join Fleetwood Mac, she said, only after listening to Welch’s albums with the group and finding a common mystical thread that she could hear herself fitting into.

Fleetwood Mac’s next album, Rumours in 1977, went on to become one of the best-selling releases in history. At the same time, Welch had formed Paris, a heavy metal band. It went nowhere.

His fortunes rose, however, when Mick Fleetwood became his manager later that year and Welch enjoyed an initially popular solo career.

His first solo album, French Kiss in late 1977, featured a remake of his 1972 Fleetwood Mac songSentimental Lady, and it sailed into the Top 10. The more buoyant version was produced by Buckingham and also featured McVie and Fleetwood as guests. Welch also had Top 40 hits with √Ebony Eyes, Hot Love Cold World and the quasi-disco Precious Love through 1979.

Welch also continued his penchant for the bizarre by tapping into some South Florida lore. His second album in 1979, Three Hearts, featuredThe Ghost of Flight 401, an atmospheric tune about the aftermath of the Eastern Airlines flight that crashed in the Everglades in December 1972. Nicks lent her trademark wails to another song on the album that sounded like a Rumours outtake,Devil Wind.

“I had many great times with him after Lindsey and I joined Fleetwood Mac,” Nicks said in a statement to the Associated Press. “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.”

Welch’s fame was short-lived. Subsequent albums didn’t sell, and he had a falling out with Fleetwood, later suing his old band mates for back royalties. Welch believes this was one reason for his omission from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 when Fleetwood Mac members who were in the band before and after him were inducted.

“The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thing hurt my feelings, naturally,” Welch said in a 1999 online interview. “Mick (and John McVie and Chris) associate Peter Green with the high flying glory days of their youth, when FM was first breaking out in Europe. They associate Stevie and Lindsey, naturally enough, with the most glamorous, successful and exciting period in FM’s history. They associate my five years with the band, in contrast, with a very difficult time emotionally, which it was. Even though the band survived because of what we went through in that period, it’s not pleasant to think about for them, and so theydon’t think about it and pretend it doesn’t exist.”

Yet Welch would never escape the connection. His final album, recorded in 2006, was titled His Fleetwood Mac Years and Beyond Too. The set featured re-recordings of songs he originally recorded with the band — and, ever out-there in the misty world of the supernatural, a cover of Nicks’ Rhiannon.

[SteveMacD]

I was a newborn when they did that! But I vividly remember the day I got the video in 1991. I was 16, and it was better than watching a porno (that's when I knew I had the rock bug, which I still have today). That video had the Peter Green German TV show from 1985, Man Of The World music video, Kirshner show, Midnight Special (Rhiannon, Why, and Over My Head), and SYLM from Rosebud. I got it from a guy named Brian E. Norris from Cleveland (nice chap).

The Kirshner show did, and still does, top everything on that video, and it was all because of Bob. My uncle thought Fleetwood Mac sucked until he saw "Manalishi," and then he got it. Peter was too sad, BuckyNicksMac was a bit too polished (though great), but the Welch stuff was amazing. It was weird, it rocked...Great stuff. I totally envy SteveD for getting to go.

[sodascouts]

Just heard about this and came straight here. What a tragedy. My heart goes out to his family. RIP, Bob.

[SteveMacD]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3MUxCzEhLQY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Bobs.

[tilthefirefades]

I'm just speechless. He was so brilliant, Mystery to Me will always remain one of my favorite albums. RIP Bob...

[BaronVonBielski]

It's sad that he's gone... it's even more sad the way he went.

[Villavic]

Damn, this is tough to watch today...I was in the audience during this taping...it was the VERY FIRST TIME seeing Fleetwood Mac in person...so the set they did for that show has always held a very special place in my heart...which has suddenly deepened to Mariana Trench depth with the events of today.

I can't imagine how you feel..
We all miss BW

[gldstwmn]

Good lord. I am speechless right now. My sincerest condolences to his family.

[DestinyRules]

This hits hard. I interacted with him a couple of times on his online forums on bobwelch.com. Also a Facebook friend of his. Cool guy.

"Sentimental Lady" has been on my mind ever since I found out...

[SteveMacD]

I just always enjoyed knowing that he and I had a similar conspiracy theory about the Splinter Group...

[msLinds]

I'm sorry to hear that Bob Welch that has passed away,Its very sad the way he died committing suicide. My condolences to his family,friends and all his fans.RIP Bob

[sharksfan2000]

This one's always been one of my favorites, an overlooked gem IMHO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb7kaW8O3rg

[Blueletter18]

Oh man, this was totally unexpected..so sad, I love Bob's FM songs, and French Kiss is one of my all time favorite albums! He was a real unique, creative songwriter, singer, and musician, and he deserves to be in the hall of fame with FM.

[Gypsy0033]

The last time Bob posted anything on his Facebook page he said,
""Hi all....been laid up due to back surgery with a recovery time WAY longer than advertised...couldn't even type....back soon I hope ;-) BW". That was in April.

Maybe something went horribly wrong after surgery..maybe the pain was more than he could handle I wondered. Having to deal with major pain on a regular basis myself , if pain was the reason I kind of understand why he did it. Found this article a little while ago that stated,

"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.

Here is the link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/bob-welch-dead-fleetwood-mac-gunshot_n_1579166.html?&ncid=webmail1


RIP Bob Welch :(

[Dreamz19]

This is horrible! I loved Bob Welch's era of Fleetwood Mac. All the lineups that included him are among my favorites. RIP

[TheSorcerer]

Very sad news. Mystery to Me is one of my favourite FM albums.

R.I.P.

[wildheart048]

So very very sad. My condolences to his family... RIP...

[Nickingham]

That is sad. :(
My condolences to his family. You will be missed Bob. R.I.P

[Lee]

They are playing Ebony Eyes on the radio station that I'm listening to right now. And I never knew that he sang this song. I like it.

Lee :(

[jellyman10]

Sad news. Condolences especially to Ledgies who loved his era the most. x

[chriskisn]

I don't know if any of the Bob Welch fans know this but there are two albums on iTunes that I didn't know about. Firstly there is one called "Live In Japan" and another one called "Bob Welch Sings The Best Songs Ever Written"

Just downloading them now, but thought others might not know about them either.

Perhaps they were discussed in earlier threads and I missed it but if you are sitting there listening to your Bob albums like I am tonight, then perhaps you might want to download these as well?

[Aussie W/Heart]

Such sad news, .. RIP Bob Welch

[Lala]

Bummed about this :(

[estranged4life]

Just saw that...damn! :(

[aleuzzi]

Hearing about his status as an invalid makes this tragic story even sadder. The poor man! I feel for his wife and his friends.

Mick and Steve said some fine words. I wish John and Christine would step up, too.

[gldstwmn]

Hearing about his status as an invalid makes this tragic story even sadder. The poor man! I feel for his wife and his friends.

Mick and Steve said some fine words. I wish John and Christine would step up, too.

I just read on Facebook that John is in Japan and may not know yet. :(

[MacShadowsBall]

I heard about his suicide on the news last night. The first thing I did was head over to youtube to watch his '81 Roxy performances.

So sad, so tragic...

[Jyqm]

Hi all,

Just wanted to add my condolences to Bob's wife, family, friends and loved ones. Very sad news, indeed. I do hope that Bob was at peace in his decision.

- Jyqm

[trackaghost]

I haven't posted in the longest time but I too just wanted to add how saddened I was to hear about Bob Welch. He really is one of the most underrated members in Fleetwood Mac's long history. I've been listening to Mystery To Me and French Kiss all day. My heart goes out to his family and his poor wife. Just incredibly sad.

[nicepace]

Sadly, the last post Bob made on this board was in the thread about Bob Weston dying:
http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=49478&page=3

I had a brief one-on-one correspondence with Bob a few years ago through his website. I wrote him to ask if he knew Dave Davies (of the Kinks) who is interested in UFOs and other matters that also interested Bob. It was obvious that my query sent Bob to Dave's website, which he then extensively studied, responding to me that he found the material on that website very interesting, and posted a link on his own website. I felt gratified to have connected these two musicians with similar interests.

Another aspect of Bob's website that I enjoyed was that he had generously posted dozens of free MP3s. Some were unrecorded songs, others live recordings of familiar songs, others were just weird and interesting stuff.

He was a genuine person with a feeling of gratitude for the success he'd had in music and a sincere fondness for his fans. Why else would he have graced us with his presence here. I am very saddened by the fact that circumstances in his life had become so intolerable that he felt he had to end it. I grieve with his wife, family and friends, and with all the members of this board who loved him and his music, as I did.

[HomerMcvie]

We've been listening to Mystery To Me, Future Games, and Bare Trees all day. Melancholy day...

[Da Jerk]

I'm still in complete shock and confusion. It doesn't feel real at all, and I didn't even know him personally. Oddly enough, the night before I was at work and, on a complete whim, put in Heroes Are Hard to Find and Mystery To Me (as well as the first Paris album) after having not listened to much Fleetwood Mac in a few months. Little did I know that the next day I would again listen to all of those, and other Bob Welch-related albums, but under a completely different set of circumstances.

It just feels so surreal. I was friends with him on Facebook, and even though I never had the privilege of talking personally to him (I was too chicken :P) I always enjoyed his posts and appreciated his wit and humor, the same quirky style that peeked through in his lyrics back in the day.

My girlfriend and I have been in Nashville a couple of times over the last several months, the more recent trip being just a few weeks ago. Both times we half-jokingly talked about inviting Bob and Wendy to dinner or something, knowing they lived in the area; we never actually sent anything to him on Facebook or what have you, and who knows what, if anything, would have come of it, but of course these are the things you dwell on after it's too late.

What's even more odd to think about is how, as fans, we made it so long in the band's history without losing a (former) member, and in the last nine months or so we've lost all three of the Bobs. It's understandable, as they're all getting older, but it doesn't make it any less depressing.

Anyway, sorry to ramble like that, I'm still in shock. It's so sad.

[ButterCookie]

I wish John and Christine would step up, too.

I imagine this will have had a massive effect on Christine and she may not be able to find the words to say. Nor want press around her to be able to say them. John will probably want to grieve quietly too because they're not like Mick and Stevie, so I wouldn't expect them to "speak out" in the same way.

[Silver Springs]

Has Lindsey had anything to say about it? He's usually the band member with the most to say, after all (She says glibly). That's if he even knows, after all. Being on the road I imagine is like being segregated from the rest of the world, constantly going from venue to sleeping quarters to rehearsal space to venue and so on and so forth..

[StandbackStevie]

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8yA2i60AVIw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[StandbackStevie]

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jb2Re316GDA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[SummerlongBoots]

I can't believe this. It's so horribly sad.

I agree. :(

[Murrow]

I have often mused on how overlooked the Bob Welch era has always been... particularly here in the UK.

May this be the Welch era's time. Let albums like Bare Trees and Mystery To Me be remastered. Let magazines like Mojo and Classic Rock run feature length articles on this period instead of the mere box-outs of old. Let them celebrate the music rather than the sackings and extra-marital affairs.

Bob... we salute you.

[Jondalar]

He was trending on Yahoo all day.

[MikeInNV]

Forgive me if this has been posted. I hadn't seen it yet. In the other thread we are speculating about who might attend the funeral. Well, this article says that he forgave Mick but always remained friendly with Buckingham and especially Nicks.

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/bob-welch-retracing-steps-fleetwood-mac-invisible-frontman-174404800.html

[Keith]

because it's breaking...

"i know that's right... mmm... mmm.. seems like a dream.. got me hypnotized.."

Rest in peace Bob Welch. Your music stays deep inside our hearts.. Thank you.

"..they say there's a place down in Mexico... where a man can fly over mountains and hills...

[Macfanforever]

He was trending on Yahoo all day.

I'm not shocked.The media always had no respect for VIP people when they are alive.When they are gone then they will endlessly talk about them,Play their music,play their movies.

[michelej1]

I'm not shocked.The media always had no respect for VIP people when they are alive.When they are gone then they will endlessly talk about them,Play their music,play their movies.

Access Hollywood did a short tribute segment.

Michele

[NoFear♥OnlyLove]

Very, very sad news. My thoughts are with his family and close friends.

RIP Bob.

[jwd]

My deepest sympathies to Bob's family. Mr. Welch, you will be sorely missed. Thanks for all the great music you gave us. Gone, but NEVER forgotten.

[aleuzzi]

Forgive me if this has been posted. I hadn't seen it yet. In the other thread we are speculating about who might attend the funeral. Well, this article says that he forgave Mick but always remained friendly with Buckingham and especially Nicks.

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/bob-welch-retracing-steps-fleetwood-mac-invisible-frontman-174404800.html

But I saw Lindsey in concert tonight and he didn't mention the death. I know he doesn't have to do this, but it would have been a nice, thoughtful gesture.

[Hawkeye]

This is just way beyond sad. I literally was thinking about how I truly expected some sort of reunion with Bob and the band in the near future or at the the very least a Bob/Stevie concert or tour. No exageration, the thought popped into my head on the 6th. He died the next day. This is easily the saddest I've been from someone in music's death. And i mean zero disrespect to the other 2 members of Fleetwood Mac who have died but this is clearly the first major blow to the Fleetwood Mac fan community.

I don't want them to attemp that whole fantasy multi era Fleetwood Mac concert now. It wouldn't make sense without Bob Welch.

[jwd]

Love this one with Stevie doing back up vocals!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0pKkwX9afO0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[jwd]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iEiugSBZm7g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[HomerMcvie]

This is just way beyond sad. I literally was thinking about how I truly expected some sort of reunion with Bob and the band in the near future or at the the very least a Bob/Stevie concert or tour. No exageration, the thought popped into my head on the 6th. He died the next day. This is easily the saddest I've been from someone in music's death. And i mean zero disrespect to the other 2 members of Fleetwood Mac who have died but this is clearly the first major blow to the Fleetwood Mac fan community.

I don't want them to attemp that whole fantasy multi era Fleetwood Mac concert now. It wouldn't make sense without Bob Welch.
I agree completely. The whole "all members" fantasy is now gone. Because the leader from my favorite era is gone. And I too, am deeply disturbed by his passing....thinking about the other member's mortality....and even my own. Life is short, and precious.

This truly feels like a HUGE chapter in FM history,....now is permanently closed.

[chriskisn]

I'm not shocked.The media always had no respect for VIP people when they are alive.When they are gone then they will endlessly talk about them,Play their music,play their movies.

Let us be honest here though, this is the most discussion that has been had on the Ledge for anything Bob Welch related in my memory.

[Richard B]

"He was a very, very profoundly intelligent human being and always in good humor, which is why this is so unbelievably shocking," he said.

I'm so sorry to say this especially since so many people are grieving, but I really do not like this statement from Mick, it just rubs me the wrong way. Is he saying only unintelligent people commit suicide? I know Mick fancies himself religious and has mentioned God (and faith) in interviews and songs (These Strange Times). Does he feel Bob is in hell? That for a highly intelligent person, it was a dumb thing to do?

If anything, I feel highly intelligent people tend to be the ones who do commit suicide or at least go there in their thoughts. It's so complex. Anyway, I am not trying to make trouble, just food for thought.

[Street_Dreamer]

I'm so sorry to say this especially since so many people are grieving, but I really do not like this statement from Mick, it just rubs me the wrong way. Is he saying only unintelligent people commit suicide? I know Mick fancies himself religious and has mentioned God (and faith) in interviews and songs (These Strange Times). Does he feel Bob is in hell? That for a highly intelligent person, it was a dumb thing to do?

If anything, I feel highly intelligent people tend to be the ones who do commit suicide or at least go there in their thoughts. It's so complex. Anyway, I am not trying to make trouble, just food for thought.

As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression issues but hasn't found a source to help me balance those issues, I feel like I can understand a bit of what Bob must have been going through. I mean, nobody truly knows but on some level I can understand. I feel it's shameful and wrong for anyone to judge those who've committed suicide. People believe that things like this are issues of mind over matter or having a more positive outlook on life. It doesn't work that way. The pain Bob must have been feeling inside for him to want to prematurely end his life had to be immense and he must have felt that he was beyond help. It makes you wish that everyone who cared about him could have have an inkling so we could have given him the proverbial pat on the shoulder and told him how much we all love him and the positive influence he and his music have made in all our lives. Even then though, that might not have been enough.

Matt

[CADreaming]

I'm so sorry to say this especially since so many people are grieving, but I really do not like this statement from Mick, it just rubs me the wrong way. Is he saying only unintelligent people commit suicide? I know Mick fancies himself religious and has mentioned God (and faith) in interviews and songs (These Strange Times). Does he feel Bob is in hell? That for a highly intelligent person, it was a dumb thing to do?

If anything, I feel highly intelligent people tend to be the ones who do commit suicide or at least go there in their thoughts. It's so complex. Anyway, I am not trying to make trouble, just food for thought.

I can see why you might think that, but it didn't read that way to me. I just took it as Mick describing Bob and adding how shocking it is to his thoughts simply because he is shocked. I don't think he was trying to make a profound statement. People say things in these circumstances that aren't exactly thought out.

[michelle2677]

^and also right after "intelligent"he said he was always in good humor, so maybe he meant that's why he couldn't believe it. Someone who appears to be happy would seem unlikely to commit suicide.

[CADreaming]

^and also right after "intelligent"he said he was always in good humor, so maybe he meant that's why he couldn't believe it. Someone who appears to be happy would seem unlikely to commit suicide.

Great point. I'm sure, after reading it again, that is what Mick was referring to.

[thenepotist]

So long Bob. You were awesome. Too bad people are only realizing it now. See Nick Drake's "Fruit Tree" for more on that subject. "They'll stand and stare...when you're gone".

[HomerMcvie]

^and also right after "intelligent"he said he was always in good humor, so maybe he meant that's why he couldn't believe it. Someone who appears to be happy would seem unlikely to commit suicide.

I've read so many articles now, that they're a blur....

Was it in this thread, where someone posted that he'd become an invalid since his surgery, and that the doctors told him that he wasn't going to get better?
IF, and I say IF, that's true, then I completely understand his reasoning behind making the decision he did. I would make the same choice.

[chiliD]

I'm so sorry to say this especially since so many people are grieving, but I really do not like this statement from Mick, it just rubs me the wrong way. Is he saying only unintelligent people commit suicide? I know Mick fancies himself religious and has mentioned God (and faith) in interviews and songs (These Strange Times). Does he feel Bob is in hell? That for a highly intelligent person, it was a dumb thing to do?

If anything, I feel highly intelligent people tend to be the ones who do commit suicide or at least go there in their thoughts. It's so complex. Anyway, I am not trying to make trouble, just food for thought.

Well...ok, I can see your point, but when it comes to "statements to the press" things get misconstrued immensely.

All you have to do is go back to read Paul McCartney's initial statement in the press after John Lennon's assassination..."It's a bummer, man.". Yep, that was it. The depth of grief Paul was feeling at the loss of John was NEVER going to come out anywhere close to what he was actually feeling in words or print. So, I take Mick's comment on about the same level. What Mick & Bob went through together during those years and the obvious shock of the news of Bob's death...those feelings just are NEVER going to be expressed to the extent that they're felt...they're just entirely too complex.

[jenniferuk]

Another article and quote from a friend about Bob not wanting to be an invalid/burden (as he felt his father was to Bobs mum).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2156713/Fleetwood-Mac-star-Bob-Welch-committed-suicide-spinal-surgery-didnt-want-burden-wife-says-friend.html

[vivfox]

Can an invalid get out of bed and get a gun out of the gun cabinet?

[CADreaming]

Can an invalid get out of bed and get a gun out of the gun cabinet?

I don't think he was necessarily an invalid yet -- it was determined that he would become that way, maybe pretty quickly. Wasn't his wife in bad health too?

[HomerMcvie]

Can an invalid get out of bed and get a gun out of the gun cabinet?

Sure they can. We're talking about QUALITY OF LIFE, here. Apparently, his body was failing him, with no hope of recovery, and he made a choice to end it.

Steve is right, though(a few pages ago), that there are prettier ways to do it.

[HomerMcvie]

I don't think he was necessarily an invalid yet -- it was determined that he would become that way, maybe pretty quickly. Wasn't his wife in bad health too?

Yes, Wendy has had poor health issues for years now.

[michelej1]

Let us be honest here though, this is the most discussion that has been had on the Ledge for anything Bob Welch related in my memory.

Very true, but look at Christine. We don't talk about her a lot because she isn't doing anything new, but there is no doubt that she is deeply loved. I'm not saying that Bob was. I'm just saying that post levels are no indicator of feeling. I think of Christine constantly. I might post about her only once or twice a week. If she was making music, touring or even maintaining a website, doing anything in public that I could comment on, then I definitely would on a regular basis.

Heck, I got a great deal of pleasure out of her nuisance polytunnel story for lack of anything else to discuss.

Michele

[michelej1]

It makes you wish that everyone who cared about him could have have an inkling so we could have given him the proverbial pat on the shoulder and told him how much we all love him and the positive influence he and his music have made in all our lives. Even then though, that might not have been enough.

Matt

This is what I immediately thought when I heard the news. At that point, I thought he'd acted from depression and I felt a well-placed word of support or a LOT of them from friends and even fans might have made a difference.

But then, if what is being said about his back problems are true, then I don't think that's the case. It changed my perspective on everything. At first, I was shocked that he would do that and do it where his wife could find him. But now I think he might have been incapacitated and couldn't go any farther. Maybe he couldn't even leave his house and dispatch himself in a way that would spare her. Also, he probably shot himself in the chest and not the head for her sake. If it's true about his physical condition then . . . you know when I first heard that Christopher Reeve was paralyzed he was still in critical condition and I was hoping that I would hear that he would not live.

That's a horrible thought on my part, because "Superman" did live and his paralysis helped many other people and raised money for research and brought attention to spinal cord injuries. He was a fighter and he used his disability to help others. But if he'd gone the other way and said he didn't want to live like that, then I would have understood. If Bob was in a similar situation, I see why he made his choice and I'm sure the people that love him and knew him best do too.

Michele

[holidayroad]

I still feel so shocked that this has happened. I started being a fan of FM in the Tango era. That brought me to buying older FM albums and discovering Bob's music.

In the late 90s, I corresponded with Bob a few times by email. I wrote him at his site and he was nice enough to take time to respond to my questions. That meant a lot to me.

Since I've been here at The Ledge, he was again very kind to reply to things I posted and answer questions I had.

The world has lost a good person.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2vttx6p.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/116qgpu.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/1t5sop.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/34qv41f.jpg

[Murrow]

This is just way beyond sad. I literally was thinking about how I truly expected some sort of reunion with Bob and the band in the near future or at the the very least a Bob/Stevie concert or tour. No exageration, the thought popped into my head on the 6th. He died the next day. This is easily the saddest I've been from someone in music's death. And i mean zero disrespect to the other 2 members of Fleetwood Mac who have died but this is clearly the first major blow to the Fleetwood Mac fan community.

I don't want them to attemp that whole fantasy multi era Fleetwood Mac concert now. It wouldn't make sense without Bob Welch.

I can only agree having occasionally fantasised about a Macstock myself.

[Murrow]

I still feel so shocked that this has happened. I started being a fan of FM in the Tango era. That brought me to buying older FM albums and discovering Bob's music.

In the late 90s, I corresponded with Bob a few times by email. I wrote him at his site and he was nice enough to take time to respond to my questions. That meant a lot to me.

Since I've been here at The Ledge, he was again very kind to reply to things I posted and answer questions I had.

The world has lost a good person.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2vttx6p.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/116qgpu.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/1t5sop.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/34qv41f.jpg

Who's on the left in that top photo? How did Bob and Stevie come to be in a photo like this together?

[WildHearted]

^I know for a while Bob opened for them, but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with that picture. That would be my assumption though.

[Villavic]

Who's on the left in that top photo? How did Bob and Stevie come to be in a photo like this together?

Watching Mick's hat and look, this seems to be a Tusk era photo. Where was Lindsey? Why Bob is there?

[ironman_01701]

Everyone wants to go to heaven, but they don't want to die.

Bob is in a better place then we're in.

R.I.P.

[Murrow]

^I know for a while Bob opened for them, but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with that picture. That would be my assumption though.

Still don't know who that is on the left though.

[Sanne2]

^I know for a while Bob opened for them, but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with that picture. That would be my assumption though.

The photo is from the 1978 tour, the Cleveland show scheduled for august 4 had to be postponed because of Lindsey's spinal tap. This photo is from the pressconference regarding that. The guy on the left is Jules Belkin, a concert promoter. Bob was there because he was part of the concert bill.

[Chris_Lover]

Another terrible and sad news. I wasn't expecting to read something like this when I opened the online news today, and it leaves me petrified. R.I.P. from Italy.

<object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/Jb2Re316GDA?version=3&amp;hl=it_IT"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/Jb2Re316GDA?version=3&amp;hl=it_IT" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

PS: I'm sorry, only now I saw this video was already posted.

[SteveMacD]

The photo is from the 1978 tour, the Cleveland show scheduled for august 4 had to be postponed because of Lindsey's spinal tap. This photo is from the pressconference regarding that. The guy on the left is Jules Belkin, a concert promoter. Bob was there because he was part of the concert bill.
It would have been cooler had they done the show with Bob filling in for Lindsey.

[michelej1]

http://www.newkerala.com/news/newsplus/worldnews-35171.html

Bob Welch wrote he didn't want to burden wife in suicide note

Washington, June 9 : Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch had written a suicide note to his wife Wendy saying that he didn't want to burden her, before he shot himself in the chest on Thursday.


A friend said that Welch told his wife in a suicide note: 'I'm not going to do this to you,' fearing that spinal surgery would leave him an invalid needing constant care.

The body of Welch was found in his Nashville home by his wife Wendy.

According to the Tennessean, family friend Bart Herbison, executive director of the National Songwriters Association, said Welch underwent spinal surgery about three months ago.

'It had become apparent to Bob that he was not going to recover, that he was going to become an invalid,' People quoted Herbison as saying.

'He had seen his father become an invalid and watched his mother care for him for many years,' Herbison added. (ANI)

[michelej1]

http://www.newkerala.com/news/newsplus/worldnews-35171.html

Bob Welch wrote he didn't want to burden wife in suicide note

Washington, June 9 : Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch had written a suicide note to his wife Wendy saying that he didn't want to burden her, before he shot himself in the chest on Thursday.


A friend said that Welch told his wife in a suicide note: 'I'm not going to do this to you,' fearing that spinal surgery would leave him an invalid needing constant care.

The body of Welch was found in his Nashville home by his wife Wendy.

According to the Tennessean, family friend Bart Herbison, executive director of the National Songwriters Association, said Welch underwent spinal surgery about three months ago.

'It had become apparent to Bob that he was not going to recover, that he was going to become an invalid,' People quoted Herbison as saying.

'He had seen his father become an invalid and watched his mother care for him for many years,' Herbison added. (ANI)

Bob Welch suicide note reveals thoughts of burdening wife



Sarah Burbank-Douglas
6/8/2012


Investigators have learned the reason for former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch's suicide from a note he left for his wife Wendy.

Welch’s death was announced yesterday when his wife found him lifeless from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest in their Nashville home.

The suicide note read, “I'm not going to do this to you," People reports. Welch was referring to the spinal surgery he underwent three months ago, fearing he would never recover from the impact.

http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/2012/06/bob-welch-suicide-note-reveals-thoughts-burdening-wife

The Tennessean reports that family friend Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association, said, “It had become apparent to Bob that he was not going to recover, that he was going to become an invalid. He had seen his father become an invalid and watched his mother care for him for many years."

Herbison said the couple had been very close and Wendy often traveled with her husband.

“I’ve been privileged to meet a lot of famous musicians throughout the years. Your fame and notoriety will take you to a lot of places where you have to go by yourself, but not Bob. He never went anywhere without Wendy.”

Details of a funeral or memorial have yet to be announced.

[michelej1]

http://www.newkerala.com/news/newsplus/worldnews-35171.html

Bob Welch wrote he didn't want to burden wife in suicide note

Washington, June 9 : Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch had written a suicide note to his wife Wendy saying that he didn't want to burden her, before he shot himself in the chest on Thursday.


A friend said that Welch told his wife in a suicide note: 'I'm not going to do this to you,' fearing that spinal surgery would leave him an invalid needing constant care.

The body of Welch was found in his Nashville home by his wife Wendy.

According to the Tennessean, family friend Bart Herbison, executive director of the National Songwriters Association, said Welch underwent spinal surgery about three months ago.

'It had become apparent to Bob that he was not going to recover, that he was going to become an invalid,' People quoted Herbison as saying.

'He had seen his father become an invalid and watched his mother care for him for many years,' Herbison added. (ANI)

Bob Welch suicide note reveals thoughts of burdening wife

Celebrity Cafe
http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/2012/06/bob-welch-suicide-note-reveals-thoughts-burdening-wife


Sarah Burbank-Douglas
6/8/2012


Investigators have learned the reason for former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch's suicide from a note he left for his wife Wendy.

Welch’s death was announced yesterday when his wife found him lifeless from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest in their Nashville home.

The suicide note read, “I'm not going to do this to you," People reports. Welch was referring to the spinal surgery he underwent three months ago, fearing he would never recover from the impact.

The Tennessean reports that family friend Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association, said, “It had become apparent to Bob that he was not going to recover, that he was going to become an invalid. He had seen his father become an invalid and watched his mother care for him for many years."

Herbison said the couple had been very close and Wendy often traveled with her husband.

“I’ve been privileged to meet a lot of famous musicians throughout the years. Your fame and notoriety will take you to a lot of places where you have to go by yourself, but not Bob. He never went anywhere without Wendy.”

Details of a funeral or memorial have yet to be announced.

[davidalan]

This is just beyond terrible. :distress: The Fleetwood Mac family has just gotten smaller... again. This is not a good day.

After Donna Summer's death, I didn't think I could be more sad as far as musical favorites. I was wrong. Bob's passing is a bigger blow for me. Fleetwood Mac is my favorite rock band. While people either side with the Peter Green or Buckingham-Nicks era, I've always been impartial to Bob's. I think he and Christine McVie complimented each other amazingly with their vocal styles. Bob will be greatly missed.

[nicepace]

I wish there was a way to send a sympathy card to Wendy Welch. Any ideas?

[NoFear♥OnlyLove]

Wendy is posting on Bob's facebook page right now.

She seems really lovely. My heart breaks for her.

[desertangel]

I've been listening to Bob's cuts all night. Although I've always favored the New Testament version of FM, I do have all of the Old Testament material too. Seems Bob Welch's contributions could easily have put the "prog rock" label on the band. Of all the pre-B/N era iterations, the Welch era has always been my favorite. He definitely left a legacy... we can be thankful for that. Bless his heart and Wendy too. Dang, I'm still havin' a time with it. :distress:

[J SilverHeels]

Swapped messages with Bob through the Q&A and other e-mails over the last 13 years...very stunned and saddened but grateful for the access and the interaction that he gave us during that time. His insights made me look at the music differently and I developed quite an appreciation for the Middle Mac. Timing of his passing was odd as I had just pre-ordered the CD releases of "Bob Welch" and "Eye Contact" on Wounded Bird and was thinking of e-mailing him to see what he thought of these finally seeing the light of day.

[wetcamelfood]

Swapped messages with Bob through the Q&A and other e-mails over the last 13 years...very stunned and saddened but grateful for the access and the interaction that he gave us during that time. His insights made me look at the music differently and I developed quite an appreciation for the Middle Mac. Timing of his passing was odd as I had just pre-ordered the CD releases of "Bob Welch" and "Eye Contact" on Wounded Bird and was thinking of e-mailing him to see what he thought of these finally seeing the light of day.

Thanks for posting about Eye Contact getting reissued by Wounded Bird, I'm off to order my copy now. :)

John

[BombaySapphire3]

I was way up in the monuntains on a 4 day hike when my friend saw the new on his I=phone.I could not believe it.I had just bought a CD of Future Games before the trip and played it in the car on the way back.God rest his soul.

[michelej1]

Aquarium Drunkard, June 11, 2012
http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2012/06/11/bob-welch-august-31-1945-june-7-2012/

“I don’t know if you’ve been to Paris, but this song was written in Paris in the midst of 1970, which was a bad year for just about everything,” Bob Welch said into the microphone, breaking up a dreamy instrumental passage of Fleetwood Mac’s “Future Games.” The band was playing a set for radio broadcast at the Record Plant in Sausalito, and Welch was looking through the glass of the booth at his former bandmate Bob “Boob” Weston, who’d been relieved of guitar duties after an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife. Welch and Weston had stayed on good terms, though, and Welch was happy to find a friendly face in the room. Christine McVie was rolling her eyes; she hated it when Welch did these spoken-word interludes, so Welch locked his stare with Weston and continued. “The only thing that was good that year was the Beaujolais…and the kief was pretty out of sight…but everything else was on the downgrade. We were sitting up in an apartment in Paris—I don’t think I knew you then, Boob—we were sitting up in the middle of a blizzard, getting really wasted but getting bummed out at the same time…because everything in the headlines in the paper, and the club owner, everything like that, it was wrong. Everything was wrong; we were trying to put a simple name to what we were doing, the process of analyzing the people that you’re close with what your thing is…trying to figure out what’s going on, and what will be going on and if you wanna leave or not by the front door or the back door. What?”

Two weeks later, on New Year’s Eve 1974, he quit the band.

There’s a lot to say about Bob Welch’s life and music—his opiated-roué persona of the late 1970s, his time as host of the proto-MTV “Hollywood Heartbeat,” his addictions, his lifelong obsessions with the paranormal, his humor. But for now, here’s a sampling of Bob Welch’s stunning contributions (as guitarist, singer, and songwriter) to Fleetwood Mac—the eerie, Marquee Moon-anticipating “Future Games” and the earlier, lonelier version of “Sentimental Lady” among them. Play them loud.

[SteveMacD]

Aquarium Drunkard, June 11, 2012
http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2012/06/11/bob-welch-august-31-1945-june-7-2012/

“I don’t know if you’ve been to Paris, but this song was written in Paris in the midst of 1970, which was a bad year for just about everything,” Bob Welch said into the microphone, breaking up a dreamy instrumental passage of Fleetwood Mac’s “Future Games.” The band was playing a set for radio broadcast at the Record Plant in Sausalito, and Welch was looking through the glass of the booth at his former bandmate Bob “Boob” Weston, who’d been relieved of guitar duties after an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife. Welch and Weston had stayed on good terms, though, and Welch was happy to find a friendly face in the room. Christine McVie was rolling her eyes; she hated it when Welch did these spoken-word interludes, so Welch locked his stare with Weston and continued. “The only thing that was good that year was the Beaujolais…and the kief was pretty out of sight…but everything else was on the downgrade. We were sitting up in an apartment in Paris—I don’t think I knew you then, Boob—we were sitting up in the middle of a blizzard, getting really wasted but getting bummed out at the same time…because everything in the headlines in the paper, and the club owner, everything like that, it was wrong. Everything was wrong; we were trying to put a simple name to what we were doing, the process of analyzing the people that you’re close with what your thing is…trying to figure out what’s going on, and what will be going on and if you wanna leave or not by the front door or the back door. What?”

Two weeks later, on New Year’s Eve 1974, he quit the band.

There’s a lot to say about Bob Welch’s life and music—his opiated-roué persona of the late 1970s, his time as host of the proto-MTV “Hollywood Heartbeat,” his addictions, his lifelong obsessions with the paranormal, his humor. But for now, here’s a sampling of Bob Welch’s stunning contributions (as guitarist, singer, and songwriter) to Fleetwood Mac—the eerie, Marquee Moon-anticipating “Future Games” and the earlier, lonelier version of “Sentimental Lady” among them. Play them loud.
Actually, I think he was talking to Bobby Hunt, the guy playing organ.

[vivfox]

Christine McVie was rolling her eyes; she hated it when Welch did these spoken-word interludes

Two weeks later, on New Year’s Eve 1974, he quit the band.


I wonder if Chris was thinking that Bob was wearing a ****ing stupid shirt?

BTW, Bob couldn't have quit on NYE 1974 because that is the night Lindsey and Stephanie were asked to join FM.

[aleuzzi]

Actually, I think he was talking to Bobby Hunt, the guy playing organ.

That makes a lot more sense if this is 1974.

Christine hated these interludes. I have heard this--and Bob even said this himself in his first Q&A. I wonder if this might have been the basis for the minor spat backstage between them that ended with her saying "F*** You" and Bob quitting two weeks later. Mick mentions that spat in his book but says he can't recall the details since it was "nothing heavy."

As much as I loved Bob's speeches and storytelling before, after, and sometimes in the middle of songs, I can see why someone might not like them. It's an acquired taste. I adore moody spoken bits. Some rock-n-rollers in the audience might have just wanted party and get down to business.

[sparky]

I read this news with great sadness. Bob created some great songs. I always felt the band missed the boat with him. Hypnotized is one of the greatest songs - up on the level of Baker Street in terms of defining the 70's for me. I always felt there was a great unrealized potential with him. I wish he had stayed on with the group. He had a vibe with the band that rivaled Lindsey and Stevie's. His work afterwards seemed to have been missing the undefinable quality that John, Mick, and Christine could add to it. Nonetheless, his music was magical, and I am glad I was able to enjoy it. He left a mark.
And there is simply nothing like that work he did with them.

[Villavic]

Christine hated these interludes. I have heard this--and Bob even said this himself in his first Q&A. I wonder if this might have been the basis for the minor spat backstage between them that ended with her saying "F*** You" and Bob quitting two weeks later. Mick mentions that spat in his book but says he can't recall the details since it was "nothing heavy."

This is the extract from Mick's book. I just think the "f*** you" incident was probably the result of accumulated stress. Fortunately they remained friends and we enjoyed Chris voice in his Sentimental Lady version of French Kiss.

Shopping for a studio in the Valley, I saw this girl through a window. But I didn't meet her just then. While I was stomping away to the rhythm of "Frozen Love," appreciating the impressive guitar on the track, the guy who wrote the song and played the guitar was working in the next studio. He came in, we were introduced, and that was that. I went on my merry way, which was along the back end of the Heroes Are Hard to Find tour in late December 1974. About a week later, Bob Welch announced he was quitting Fleetwood Mac.

It happened after a minor incident. We were playing in Las Vegas and things were strained. It didn't seem that serious, but I could sense that something was in the air. In the kitchen after a gig, Bob sort of snapped and Chris said "**** you" either then or later; my memories of this are hazy because it was nothing heavy. Unfortunately, it happened at the end of the tour, as we were about to make a new album. Bob simply said that he was leaving, and it wasn't a massive surprise.

"I felt like we were just going around in circles," Bob says. "Fleetwood Mac was floundering then, and the essential creative freshness had faded. I thought I needed to strike out on my own and find another context. They felt all they had to do was to add new blood. I could've stayed, but I felt that if I didn't test myself now, I'd never do it. I remember John McVie said, 'Bob, it's rough out there; you don't realize what you're throwing away for some possibility that doesn't exist.' I knew what he meant. Fleetwood Mac is a marriage you don't give it up easily. Mick tried to convince me to stay, but. . ."

It was almost New Year's Eve when Bob left the band. There was some upset over the latest defection John Courage destroyed an amp when he was told, emblematic of the crew's frustration with the foibles of musicians but I just said not to worry, that all would turn out well. I rang up Keith Olsen over at Sound City and asked the name of the chap whose music and guitar-playing I had liked when I visited the studio. Lindsey Buckingham, Olsen said.

[wetcamelfood]

Bob couldn't have quit on NYE 1974 because that is the night Lindsey and Stephanie were asked to join FM.

It's always said that way in articles but I think Bob said in his 1st Q&A here that he was actually still there when S/L joined and Mick tried to get him to stay on as well but he chose not to or something along those lines.

John

[kshell]

You know, what is really sad to me, is the way this band treated Bob Welch. Bob Welch was the reason the band came to L.A. in the first place. And they were able to hook up with Stevie, and Lindsey. His idea alone. Otherwise they would have stayed a British Blues band. And then on top of that, Out of Fleetwoods mouth himself, he credited Bob Welch for saving Fleetwood Mac. He got them through the transition years, when they had no clue what to do. For them to shun him like they did, when it came down to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is just plain F'd up. Fleetwood totally screwed him over. And if it wasn't for bob's songwriting, moving them to L.A., making them into a whole different kind of band, they would not have gone on to have the success they had. Simple as that. Over money. When bob had to sue the band over royalties that were due to him, he should not have had to do all that. He should have already been paid the money he was owed. He SAVED Fleetwood mac from themselves, and made that band do something different, something cool. He should have been right there with them, all the others that quit the band was. he quit over the legal bull crap, the drama of the divorces, i would have too. Fleetwood is gonna have to live with this one. He need to make it right, get him to be inducted to the Hall of Fame with him, it is the right thing to do. Period.

[sharksfan2000]

I wish we could stop the whole "Fleetwood Mac intentionally left Bob Welch out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" thing. From everything I've read, that is completely untrue, yet the idea is perpetuated here and elsewhere.

I hope I can quote David from another thread here since he stated very clearly what I understand to be true about this (he's responding to an article about the band):
Another stupidity is the journalist's conclusion that Welch was left out of the RRHOF by the band as punishment for suing them. There are plenty of print interviews around of RRHOF committee members (like Robert Hilburn) explaining the decision (which was a committee decision, not a band decision—the band doesn't get to choose).

From what I recall reading about this at the time was that the committee inducted those two line-ups of the band since they had big hits with both line-ups, while they never had any big hits during the Bob Welch years. I don't believe the band had any part in deciding who was inducted and who was not.

[SteveMacD]

From what I recall reading about this at the time was that the committee inducted those two line-ups of the band since they had big hits with both line-ups, while they never had any big hits during the Bob Welch years. I don't believe the band had any part in deciding who was inducted and who was not.

What doesn't make sense to me is that the HOF had "Sentimental Lady" listed as one of the Mac's memorable songs. The band may not have had a choice, but they could have advocate, a la Jerry Garcia.

[Murrow]

The photo is from the 1978 tour, the Cleveland show scheduled for august 4 had to be postponed because of Lindsey's spinal tap. This photo is from the pressconference regarding that. The guy on the left is Jules Belkin, a concert promoter. Bob was there because he was part of the concert bill.

Thanks for clarifying re all that.

[HomerMcvie]

I personally refuse to believe that Mick didn't have something to do with Bob's exclusion. If Mick had told the committee, that "Bob Welch SAVED Fleetwood Mac", does anyone REALLY believe that he wouldn't have been included??????????

Wendy is posting on Bob's Facebook, and said that it always bothered him, that he was excluded. She's also asking us to sign this petition, to get him inducted posthumously.
http://www.petitiononline.com/bobwelch/petition.html

[holidayroad]

Wendy is posting on Bob's Facebook, and said that it always bothered him, that he was excluded. She's also asking us to sign this petition, to get him inducted posthumously.
http://www.petitiononline.com/bobwelch/petition.html

Thanks so much for posting a link to the petition! :thumbsup:

[sharksfan2000]

If Mick had told the committee, that "Bob Welch SAVED Fleetwood Mac", does anyone REALLY believe that he wouldn't have been included?????????[/url]
If he had said exactly that, I suspect it would not have had much effect. But if he had told the committee that "we won't be inducted without Bob Welch," that might have put some pressure on them. But would the rest of the band have gone along with such a stand? And given the legal situation between Bob and the band at that time - and I'll admit I know next to nothing about all that - it seems understandable that Mick Fleetwood would not have wanted to push the committee for Bob's inclusion. And who knows how much of a difference that might have made anyway.

Just to make it clear, I agree that it would have been great (and well-deserved) for Bob Welch to have been included with the band in the RRHOF, but at the same time I can understand why that didn't happen.

[HejiraNYC]

I know *nothing*, but I suspect the induction of Fleetwood Mac in the RRHOF was fraught with nervous hand wringing all the way around; there were so many inconsistencies. For one thing, there is an argument to be made that Stevie and Lindsey should not have been eligible for induction since their participation with FM did not start at least 25 years prior to FM's induction. If anything, there would have been a somewhat stronger argument for the induction of Bob Welch, Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwin, since they were with FM at least 25 years prior and they have been working musicians/writers for at least 25 years. It seems that the induction of Peter Green as the sole pre-Rumours member is a bit arbitrary. Yes, he was the founding member, but his active participation with the band was relatively brief, and he personally did not contribute as much commercially to the mainstream success of FM in the States (which may or may not be a factor for consideration for the RRHOF) as, say, Bob Welch.

If they had waited a couple more years, I think the RRHOF would have been able to induct the full Rumours lineup as well as other former members without qualification or asterisks. But the way they did it, while FM was cresting a comeback wave with Christine on board, is understandable even if it seems like they bent the rules a bit. In any case, on the face of it, the exclusion of Bob Welch (and the induction of Stevie and Lindsey when they were technically ineligible) does seem suspect, and I would not completely absolve Mick, et al. from blame. At the end of the day, if Mick really felt compelled to make the case on Bob's behalf, the RRHOF would have inducted him. I just have a hard time believing that Mick and Bob were truly on good terms back then, especially since Bob attempted to attack Mick where it means the most- his wallet.

[HomerMcvie]

Thanks so much for posting a link to the petition! :thumbsup:

I truly hope they decide to induct him. Although it makes me SO SAD to know that he'll never know.:shocked:

[HomerMcvie]

especially since Bob attempted to attack Mick where it means the most- his wallet.

And I firmly believe that's why he was excluded. Mick's never been good with money anyway, and someone trying to take some of it(rightfully or not), cost Bob his induction.
(ONLY my opinion)

Does anyone know if Bob ever got a settlement over the suit?

[sharksfan2000]

It seems that the induction of Peter Green as the sole pre-Rumours member is a bit arbitrary.
That's incorrect - Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan were inducted as part of the group as well.

[HejiraNYC]

That's incorrect - Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan were inducted as part of the group as well.

Thanks, I stand corrected! And this adds even more credence to the notion that Bob was singled out for omission.

[Chris_Lover]

Fleetwood is gonna have to live with this one. He need to make it right, get him to be inducted to the Hall of Fame with him, it is the right thing to do. Period.

I agree with you on this.

[thenepotist]

Fleetwood is gonna have to live with this one.

This is very true.

[wetcamelfood]

I personally refuse to believe that Mick didn't have something to do with Bob's exclusion. If Mick had told the committee, that "Bob Welch SAVED Fleetwood Mac", does anyone REALLY believe that he wouldn't have been included??????????

Wendy is posting on Bob's Facebook, and said that it always bothered him, that he was excluded. She's also asking us to sign this petition, to get him inducted posthumously.
http://www.petitiononline.com/bobwelch/petition.html

OK who's the wiseguy that signed this for me? (when I try to do it, it says "Same user can't sign this petition twice")

John

[HomerMcvie]

OK who's the wiseguy that signed this for me? (when I try to do it, it says "Same user can't sign this petition twice")

John

John, mine said the same thing!!! So I entered my secondary email address, and it accepted that one.

[jenniferuk]

And I firmly believe that's why he was excluded. Mick's never been good with money anyway, and someone trying to take some of it(rightfully or not), cost Bob his induction.
(ONLY my opinion)

Does anyone know if Bob ever got a settlement over the suit?

They settled out of court in 1996, I think it was.

[Ashley]

So sad to hear about Bob. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

[wetcamelfood]

John, mine said the same thing!!! So I entered my secondary email address, and it accepted that one.

Oh OK I'll try that then, but it just feels kinds creepy, hope no one hacked my account.

John

[iamnotafraid]

I wish Bob had been included. But the Hall Of Fame
is a joke. To the point of it being meaningless. I can
only guess that his feeling of being cheated was a
stronger emotion that actually making it into the HOF.

[aleuzzi]

Bob's omission was so conspicuous, especially in light of Danny's and Jeremy's inclusions, it's hard not to imagine he was excluded by request of the band--ie: Fleetwood and the McVies, who most likely did not want to share a stage with him.

There may have also been an argument going around that if they included Welch they'd have to include Vito, Burnette, Weston, and even Walker, Mason, and Bramlett--hell even Brunning. But that argument isn't fair to Welch as his contribution to the band was long-standing and substantial in a way even Vito's and Burnette's--the most substantial members of this additional list--were not.

Incidentally, the fact that both parties settled out of court suggests that Welch was at least partially in the right to ask for back money, royalties, etc...

[SteveMacD]

But that argument isn't fair to Welch as his contribution to the band was long-standing and substantial in a way even Vito's and Burnette's--the most substantial members of this additional list--were not.
Billy was in the band for eight years, and BTM was the highest charting, biggest selling record that didn't involve Buckingham.

[michelej1]

Incidentally, the fact that both parties settled out of court suggests that Welch was at least partially in the right to ask for back money, royalties, etc...

I get what you're saying, but for myself I would not conclude this at all. I'd have to know the amount and terms of the settlement before thinking that. If it's going to cost you $500,000 to go to trial and win and you can settle for $100,000, then you'll probably do it, no matter how right you think you are.

And sometimes even if a party wants to fight for principle's sake, the insurance company presses a settlement anyway. Or let's say if you sued John Smith who is on contract with Warner Bros. and both parties are named in the lawsuit, then WB might have to indemnify and pay John Smith's part of any judgment or settlement (or vice versa). If WB is the one who is going to be left paying most of the settlement, it might insist on settling even against John Smith's wishes, because it can just write the settlement off as a business expense. WB wouldn't care that Smith wanted to pursue the case and prevail as a matter of personal conviction.

If it costs less to settle, sometimes (indeed, maybe most of the time) people will do that. It's often not a matter of right or wrong. Michele

Michele

[SteveMacD]

I'm pretty sure this is Mick's idea of who is the REAL Fleetwood Mac (i.e. where the money is):


http://www.kieran.keegan.btinternet.co.uk/Greeny/Greeny_pics/at_hall_of_fame_induction.jpg

[HomerMcvie]

Wow, to those of you who are Facebook friends with Bob Welch, you should read his wall. Wendy is sharing and grieving. One guy answered her, concerning FM...

I don't feel comfortable quoting him verbatim, but one guy posted 'I've had dealings with Mick Fleetwood before, and he's a GREEDY PIG'.

I rather enjoyed reading that!


EDIT - I should add, that she just posted that "It wasn't Mick, who kept Bob out of the HOF, but another small minded person in the band"

[WildHearted]

^Who could it possibly have been?

[Bryan]

lol ,but really I hope that can of worms isn't being opened especially this soon ,it's been so long since HOF now,I never thought of that stuff being important,or awards or any of it.

the ''clue'' Wendy hinted was the person claimed to have kept in touch but hadn't is what throws me off my guess though -so fingers seem to point to ****?! Bizarre ,I don't know what went on

[HomerMcvie]

lol ,but really I hope that can of worms isn't being opened especially this soon ,it's been so long since HOF now,I never thought of that stuff being important,or awards or any of it.

the ''clue'' Wendy hinted was the person claimed to have kept in touch but hadn't is what throws me off my guess though -so fingers seem to point to Rick?! Bizarre ,I don't know what went on

Unfortunately, I think you're right. Now that Wendy has said that it's NOT Mick, I don't see John as caring that much. And it wouldn't make much sense for Lindsey or Stevie to really care....

ALTHOUGH, Lindsey is quite the prima donna, so I wouldn't necessarily rule him out...


It's definitely either Chris or Lindsey, IMO.

[HejiraNYC]

^Who could it possibly have been?

Well, it's a mystery, isn't it? But I am fascinated by this article published in the Plain Dealer:

http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/fwm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=216&Itemid=9


One committee member, who asked that his name not be used, said he did recall Welch's name coming up "late in the process" at a meeting not attended by all members of the nominating committee.

"It was a judgment call," he said. "Fleetwood Mac was inducted for its original incarnation as an English blues-rock band and for the version that came together in the mid-1970s that became so famously successful with the release of the album 'Rumours.'

"An argument was made that the band that Bob Welch was part of was not of hall of fame caliber."

Ouch! To be fair, at least the Rock Hall was consistent in that assessment; Bob Weston and Dave Walker were not inducted either. And presumably they also deemed the post-Rumours lineups to be non-RRHOF caliber either, i.e., Bramlett, Mason, Burnette, Vito. And the Rock Hall seems to be fairly consistent in applying this criteria to other bands whose lineups have changed over time. For example, The Who was inducted with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon; Kenney Jones was not inducted, even though he was an actual member of the band for four years after Keith Moon's death (i.e., after their classic recording years). Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted in 2006 without Jonny Van Zant, despite the fact that he was their lead singer since 1987 (i.e., after their classic recording years). To be honest, I think it's hard to consider anything in FM's catalogue prior to 1975's White Album as a "classic" album outside of FM fandom; the vast majority of the American rock music listener population probably doesn't even know that FM existed prior to that album. But then again, one can make the argument that FM's immense influence and popularity as a white blues band in Britain in the late 1960s cannot be discounted, so the first couple of incarnations of FM should be recognized. By contrast, that middle period of FM kind of fell off of everyone's radar on both sides of the Atlantic. Yes, we in the FM fan world love those albums dearly... but they were neither novel nor popular commercially or critically. They were just... kinda there. In that context, I can kinda see how the RRHOF overlooked this era completely. Looking at it another way, if FM was a band that debuted in 1971 and disbanded in 1975 after releasing five albums, never to be heard from again, would they be inducted into the RRHOF? I suspect the answer would be "no."

In the end, it could have been the RRHOF committee. It could have been an FM member. Or both. We will probably never know for certain.

[MikeInNV]

To be fair, at least the Rock Hall was consistent in that assessment; Bob Weston and Dave Walker were not inducted either. And presumably they also deemed the post-Rumours lineups to be non-RRHOF caliber either, i.e., Bramlett, Mason, Burnette, Vito.......

that middle period of FM kind of fell off of everyone's radar on both sides of the Atlantic. Yes, we in the FM fan world love those albums dearly... but they were neither novel nor popular commercially or critically. They were just... kinda there. In that context, I can kinda see how the RRHOF overlooked this era completely.

I get what you're saying, but it still strikes me as odd. I could see them deciding that most people know Fleetwood Mac as the Rumours 5, with its massive commercial success, and inducting just those individuals. I could also see them recognizing a legendary band's entire body of work and inducting all of its members since day one. But to chop up the history....."these years were good for this and those years were good for that and we can't make that middle part seem special".....that just seems off to me, especially with a core group of members who provided consistency throughout all of those eras.

[SteveMacD]

lol ,but really I hope that can of worms isn't being opened especially this soon ,it's been so long since HOF now,I never thought of that stuff being important,or awards or any of it.

the ''clue'' Wendy hinted was the person claimed to have kept in touch but hadn't is what throws me off my guess though -so fingers seem to point to Rick?! Bizarre ,I don't know what went on
It wouldn't have been Rick. He wasn't inducted. Wendy seemed to shoot down the suggestion it was John McVie.

[wetcamelfood]

At the end of the day, it's clear the hall want to induct as few people as they can in and only the Jerry Garcia's of the world would fight for complete inclusion so it must've been a FM member. I am surprised to hear it wasn't Mick though...

John

[SteveMacD]

At the end of the day, it's clear the hall want to induct as few people as they can in and only the Jerry Garcia's of the world would fight for complete inclusion so it must've been a FM member. I am surprised to hear it wasn't Mick though...
Plus, I think they couldn't wait to get the Grateful Dead in the HOF. I doubt that Fleetwood Mac had the same type of pull. If "The Dance" hadn't been a huge hit, they would've been inducted in 1998, because they were eligible in 1992! Eventually, they would have, but consider Rush, Yes, and The Guess Who aren't in it, yet.

[Bryan]

It wouldn't have been Rick. He wasn't inducted. Wendy seemed to shoot down the suggestion it was John McVie.

The only reason I pointed that out is that there hadn't been any other members that claimed to have kept in touch,and he since retracted that post on FB.Suspect. also the "you'll never guess" part she wrote says it's someone MOST unlikely. I'd say it's irrelevant whether the culprit was inducted themselves or not

[HomerMcvie]

The only reason I pointed that out is that there hadn't been any members that claimed to have kept in touch,and he since retracted that post on FB.Suspect. also the "you'll never guess" part she wrote says it's someone MOST unlikely. I'd say it's irrelevant whether the culprit was inducted themselves or not

Again, as much as I hate to say it, my finger would first point at Christine, then Lindsey. Even though I always blamed Mick. And I just don't see John or Stevie being that petty.

[Bryan]

Again, as much as I hate to say it, my finger would first point at Christine, then Lindsey. Even though I always blamed Mick. And I just don't see John or Stevie being that petty.

I don't think christine ever stated that she'd kept in touch with Bob,far from it.reading Wendy's posts make it easy to eliminate possibilities, imo

[HejiraNYC]

Again, as much as I hate to say it, my finger would first point at Christine, then Lindsey. Even though I always blamed Mick. And I just don't see John or Stevie being that petty.

I think IF Wendy Welch's suspicions are based on some basis of fact, I would agree that Christine would be the likely culprit. When you consider that Christine had more-or-less quit FM at that point, they probably moved heaven and earth to make sure she was part of the induction, even if it meant meeting every one of her demands. Knowing how utterly loyal Christine has been to FM, I suspect that she took the lawsuit very personally. Literally- she was named as a defendant. It is very possible that she refused to be in the same room as Bob because of this.

Also, I think Christine's silence regarding Bob's passing is deafening.

BTW, for any of you attending one of the upcoming meet and greets, for crikeys sake, ASK LINDSEY about this!!!!!!

[Bryan]

..'cept for the "claims to have kept up with him but didn't" part.

[Chris_Lover]

I don't think christine ever stated that she'd kept in touch with Bob,far from it.reading Wendy's posts make it easy to eliminate possibilities, imo

I read Chris didn't stay anymore in touch with Bob and well, if someone who I consider friend sued me only for "underpayment" of royalties, instead of solving the matter civilly, I'd also break any friendship as a matter of principle. Anyway, this doesn't means that she's insensitive towards his death. She lost contacts with him before the lawsuit, when in 1974 Bob was replaced with Stevie/Lindsey and Chris was already stressed because her marriage was starting to fail (even if she sang with him in 1981). We don't know how she reacted to his death, if she sent a condolences telegram or called his family, so we can't judge her. She lives a very private life now and nobody really knows what she do or say anymore. Maybe she also called Stevie and Mick and talked with them about this terrible event, just to get advices about the best thing to do, if individually or together...who knows :shrug:
I hope Mick (but also Lindsey, Stevie and John) will now do something to request Bob's inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[CADreaming]

Two comments:

First, 1998 was the first year Stevie & Lindsey were eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame based on their criteria:

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

Stevie is big on working the politics there (and everywhere, really), so it doesn't surprise me they went in that year. It worked out for them too, considering they were jump starting FM. Plus, since Stevie & Lindsey were the longest consecutive members and were a large part for the mega success the band enjoyed, there is no argument to say they were ineligible, just based on them joining the first year of eligibility. It does not specify in the criteria your first release must be with the group you are being inducted with.

But, I agree it was totally wrong to exclude Bob Welch when all the other members were inducted, despite the fact that I feel a more stringent policy should exist. For example, to be inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame it ties the two requirements together - that an artist's contributions to the music industry have been significant over a 25 year period.

Secondly, Wendy Welch posted this last night:

"Don't try to guess because you couldn't anyway and Bob loved this person and it's over now and Mick is trying to help. I never should have mentioned it. Bob wouldn't want me to or you either LOVE FLEETWOOD MAC."

[holidayroad]

I think the RRHOF needs to change its policies. It should be all members of a band or none.

[HejiraNYC]

Two comments:

First, 1998 was the first year Stevie & Lindsey were eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame based on their criteria:

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

Yes, they would have been eligible to be inducted as "Buckingham Nicks," not as members of Fleetwood Mac from a strictly literal interpretation of the "25-year rule," which is not well defined and is wide open to interpretation/enforcement. Clearly the RRHOF has not always gone for the literal interpretation. For example, one of the first bands to be inducted was The Rolling Stones, including Ronnie Wood, who had joined the Stones only 13 years prior to their induction. I'm not saying that Stevie and Lindsey shouldn't have been inducted in 1998 or were ineligible; I just think they were able to exploit a loophole in the nominating committee's criteria by joining a band several years after the band's debut record- not unlike Ronnie Wood. All things being equal, it could be argued that Bob Welch better matched the technical criteria for being nominated since his first album with FM was released 27 years prior to their induction. Clearly, in S&L's case, the nominating committee gave extra weight to Rumours.


But, I agree it was totally wrong to exclude Bob Welch when all the other members were inducted, despite the fact that I feel a more stringent policy should exist. For example, to be inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame it ties the two requirements together - that an artist's contributions to the music industry have been significant over a 25 year period.

Tell that to Dave Walker and Bob Weston (RIP)! The merits of the RRHOF nominating decision can be argued in Bob's case, but you can't deny that at least they were consistent in overlooking all members who were exclusively part of that middle period of FM.

I agree that the criteria should be changed such than an artist must have had an enduring career. However, where does that leave artists who died prematurely in their prime? Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, etc. It's a slippery slope. I think that's where they have to quantify both the duration of the artist's career as well as their enduring legacy, which is why the RRHOF currently appears to be filled with one-hit wonders and/or performers that have long faded into obscurity. IMHO, performers like The Coasters and The Drifters simply have no place in the RRHOF, especially when infinitely more influential, enduring acts like Yes and Heart are not inducted. That's just like inducting the New Kids on the Block, who, by the way, are eligible for nomination in a few years :eek:.

[Bryan]

I read Chris didn't stay anymore in touch with Bob and well, if someone who I consider friend sued me only for "underpayment" of royalties, instead of solving the matter civilly, I'd also break any friendship as a matter of principle. Anyway, this doesn't means that she's insensitive towards his death. She lost contacts with him before the lawsuit, when in 1974 Bob was replaced with Stevie/Lindsey and Chris was already stressed because her marriage was starting to fail (even if she sang with him in 1981). We don't know how she reacted to his death, if she sent a condolences telegram or called his family, so we can't judge her. She lives a very private life now and nobody really knows what she do or say anymore. Maybe she also called Stevie and Mick and talked with them about this terrible event, just to get advices about the best thing to do, if individually or together...who knows :shrug:
I hope Mick (but also Lindsey, Stevie and John) will now do something to request Bob's inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Yes, all good. But what I was getting at was as far as public statements go (which is what I gather WW meant) only one had mentioned at having kept up (via phone) all the while, and that statement has disappeared since then,so one can only draw conclusions....

[bombaysaffires]

From Bob's (Wendy's ) FB page comments, a guy named Jimmy Robinson wrote:

Originally Bob was invited some one said , I won't attend if he comes , Mick was put between a rock and a hard place not to say there was not pressure everywhere else either . Mick had no choice but to not invite Bob or he would of had the whole damn mess fall apart in his face , and there would have been no inductions at all ... I will be taken care of everyone has to stop thinking of them selves and let every thing take it natural do course , Mick Fleetwood is a good man and he will do the proper thing , I have known him as long as I have known Bob ... It will be ok ,I am sure of that ...

[wetcamelfood]

From Bob's (Wendy's ) FB page comments, a guy named Jimmy Robinson wrote:

Originally Bob was invited some one said , I won't attend if he comes , Mick was put between a rock and a hard place not to say there was not pressure everywhere else either . Mick had no choice but to not invite Bob or he would of had the whole damn mess fall apart in his face , and there would have been no inductions at all ... I will be taken care of everyone has to stop thinking of them selves and let every thing take it natural do course , Mick Fleetwood is a good man and he will do the proper thing , I have known him as long as I have known Bob ... It will be ok ,I am sure of that ...

I think Jimmy Robinson produced the 1st Paris album. :)

Anyway, well, PG, JS & DK weren't there either and it went fine. Would it have been the end of the world if, say it was Christine, Mick would just say like he did with those three that they/CM "couldn't be here tonight but he thanks them on their behalf" or whatever? Just a thought. :)

John

EDIT: Oops, of course PG was there, can't remember about JS but DK def wasn't so point being DK and/or CM (if CM is "the one') would have still been inducted but not present at the awards show etc.

[wetcamelfood]

Tell that to Dave Walker and Bob Weston (RIP)! The merits of the RRHOF nominating decision can be argued in Bob's case, but you can't deny that at least they were consistent in overlooking all members who were exclusively part of that middle period of FM

Know what you mean but I guess I just feel sad that Mick claims that FM was his whole world and going by what it seemed like he felt like, he might have done the "all or none" speech to the hall back then but ever since The Dance he's relented and goes along with what the others (meal tickets) want and therefore won't "stick up" for what he once might have and it just seems to come across as hypocritical if he was to say the same things in interviews now that he used to. Maybe he doesn't say those things anymore in interviews I must admit I haven't been following those and if he doesn't say those things fair enough, but if he does...

John

[bombaysaffires]

I think Jimmy Robinson produced the 1st Paris album. :)

Anyway, well, PG, JS & DK weren't there either and it went fine. Would it have been the end of the world if, say it was Christine, Mick would just say like he did with those three that they/CM "couldn't be here tonight but he thanks them on their behalf" or whatever? Just a thought. :)

John

EDIT: Oops, of course PG was there, can't remember about JS but DK def wasn't so point being DK and/or CM (if CM is "the one') would have still been inducted but not present at the awards show etc.

That's why it makes you think perhaps it was Lindsey, or more crucially, Stevie. If either of them hadn't shown, it would have been a big flurry in the press....*especially* if Stevie didn't show. I love her to death, but what with the royal court that surrounds her such a thing would not surprise me. Majorly disappoint me, but not surprise.

[SteveMacD]

That's why it makes you think perhaps it was Lindsey, or more crucially, Stevie. If either of them hadn't shown, it would have been a big flurry in the press....*especially* if Stevie didn't show. I love her to death, but what with the royal court that surrounds her such a thing would not surprise me. Majorly disappoint me, but not surprise.
Has Lindsey ever said anything publicly about keeping up with Bob over the years?

[bombaysaffires]

Has Lindsey ever said anything publicly about keeping up with Bob over the years?

Not that I'm aware of, but I don't always keep up that closely with his press.

[michelej1]

Has Lindsey ever said anything publicly about keeping up with Bob over the years?

No, Lindsey hasn't. Lindsey says he doesn't even keep up with John.

Following Bob's death, there was a press report in the obits saying that he was still friendly with Lindsey and, especially, Stevie.

Michele

[aleuzzi]

BTW, for any of you attending one of the upcoming meet and greets, for crikeys sake, ASK LINDSEY about this!!!!!!

I was shocked by his silence about it at the Ithaca show, which was only one night after Bob's suicide.

[aleuzzi]

EDIT - I should add, that she just posted that "It wasn't Mick, who kept Bob out of the HOF, but another small minded person in the band"

As much as Wendy is grieving, and as much as I have been moved by her loving posts, I don't think it all comes down to one band member saying no. Bob may have felt that way, and certainly at the time of his death the only one he appeared not to have reconciled with was Christine, but we should be careful about making any assumptions that would finger one person. Still, it's quite tempting to develop a theory.

And it is certain that the deterioration of Christine's and Bob's friendship is very sad in light of their closeness and her praises of him in throughout the late 70s and early 80s.

[aleuzzi]

Billy was in the band for eight years, and BTM was the highest charting, biggest selling record that didn't involve Buckingham.

That album sold so well because of the remaining Rumours-era members presence on it. Anything with Stevie's name is bound to sell more than the 250,000 units Pre-BN albums usually sold.

Billy and Rick worked very hard for FM, especially Billy. But I don't think their contributions were as crucial musically as Welch's. We can agree to disagree.

[wetcamelfood]

That's why it makes you think perhaps it was Lindsey, or more crucially, Stevie. If either of them hadn't shown, it would have been a big flurry in the press....*especially* if Stevie didn't show. I love her to death, but what with the royal court that surrounds her such a thing would not surprise me. Majorly disappoint me, but not surprise.

Yeah well that's why I suspected them first but because Wendy said it's "someone that you wouldn't expect" that's why I thought maybe Christine but like someone said above it could be a few voices spoke up and that combination made it be that way (for lack of a better phrase) but that also since Wendy is in the grieving process now we probably shouldn't read in to things (which I'm guilty of). :)

John

[michelej1]

I was shocked by his silence about it at the Ithaca show, which was only one night after Bob's suicide.

Lindsey may not have been close to Bob or he may have hated his guts, I don't know. Maybe he didn't feel it was worth mentioning. However, if he had any sentimental feelings about Bob, I'm not surprised that he didn't acknowledge the passing. His father died in 1974 and his brother died 16 years after that and Lindsey still gets choked up trying to dedicate a song to them in concert after all of these years.

Even just making an observation that Greg would have been proud of Cory made him tear up on stage, so if he felt emotion about Bob Welch, he might have wanted to keep it private, especially so soon after the event, rather than standing in front of an audience trying to find words about something so tragic. It's easy to do such a thing if it's someone you admired from afar, but if you actually spent time with them as a human being and have this vision of that person whose face and voice you knew going into a room and taking their life, I can imagine that a polite speech might be a little hard to cook up on the fly.

Michele

[michelej1]

Nashville Scene
http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/remembering-the-fleetwood-mac-member-and-sentimental-lady-hit-maker/Content?oid=2897312

Remembering the Fleetwood Mac member and "Sentimental Lady" hit-maker
Bob Welch, 1946-2012

by EDD HURT

Among other qualities you could attribute to the guitarist, singer and songwriter Bob Welch, who was found dead June 7 at his Antioch home, it's clear that he was in the music business to make other people happy, not to mention himself. His career contains many of the contradictions that make '70s rock so endearing.

The quality of Welch's music is high. He was a stylish, skillful guitarist who became famous by joining Fleetwood Mac, back when the British band was composed of stone-cold blues obsessives hooked on Sonny Boy Williamson and Elmore James. Welch helped to steer Fleetwood Mac, and thus '70s rock, toward a future that cunningly commercialized the strictures of "Dust My Broom" and the classic Chess Records shuffle by adding generous helpings of commercial, easy-rolling pop.

Born in Los Angeles in 1946 into a show-business family, Welch kicked around in America before heading to Paris — he was a member of the California band The Seven Souls, who made a couple of singles in the mid '60s — and got his break with Fleetwood Mac after he had played a succession of unsuccessful groups. Fleetwood Mac had made their name as a blues band featuring guitarists Peter Green and Danny Kirwain, and released the fine Kiln House at the turn of the decade.

Kiln House contained as much old-time rock 'n' roll as it did electric blues, and by the time Welch was hired in 1971 to play rhythm guitar behind Kirwain, the group was seeking a larger audience. Along with fellow new hire Christine McVie, Welch took Fleetwood Mac in a post-blues, post-psychedelic and decidedly pop direction. The two-guitar combination is potent on "Child of Mine," the first track on the group's 1972 full-length Bare Trees — the British Americana enthusiasts had mastered their own hybrid rock 'n' roll style.

Still, the track that pointed the way toward rock's future was Bare Trees' "Sentimental Lady," an early Welch classic. "We live in a time when paintings have no color/Words don't rhyme," Welch sings. "And that's why I've traveled far/'Cause I come so together where you are." As song and sentiment, "Sentimental Lady" throws over Memphis Minnie for one of those idealized L.A. ladies who populate the tunes of the Eagles, Firefall and all the other American bands with whom Fleetwood Mac competed on '70s radio playlists.

As far as I'm concerned, the Welch-fueled Fleetwood Mac records are quite listenable — I like their blues period, and their post-Welch smashes Rumours and Fleetwood Mac are, of course, rock classics — and I'd like to think that it was Welch's very anonymity that make the mid-period Mac records work. If the British members of Fleetwood Mac had a foot in a variety of American blues music they'd managed to experience first-hand, if a bit late in the game, Welch was as Californian as a big hamburger, with an avocado crescent peeking out from beneath the bun.

You can hear the future of rock on even a seemingly innocuous piece of Welch-rock such as Bare Trees' "The Ghost." A sneaky guitar lick begins the song, with a flute providing atmosphere reminiscent of The Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreamin'." The song is about a daydream amidst a California landscape that is on fire, and Welch craftily works in a jazzy guitar hook. "The Ghost" is easy-listening rock without ideology, and Welch sings in a breezy voice perfect for pop.

Welch stayed with Fleetwood Mac through the end of 1974, and the group went on to their greatest success afterwards with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Meanwhile, Welch re-recorded "Sentimental Lady" and hit the charts with the song in 1977. The following year, "Ebony Eyes" went to No. 14 on the American charts, and "Hot Love, Cold World" made No. 31. The hits dried up after that, but he had a good ride. A gifted guitarist with roots in jazz and blues — just like Peter Green — Welch was a pop master, and such giants should make their statements and then fade away to a life of sentimental ladies, vintage wines and easy times.

But in later years, Welch was left out of Fleetwood Mac's lineup when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This didn't sit well with Welch, who rightfully believed he had helped the band make the transition from '60s burnouts to '70s super-group. He moved to Nashville and released re-recorded versions of his signature songs, along with a jazz record titled Bob Welch Looks at Bop. Concerned about his health — he had undergone spinal surgery a few months previously, and doctors had told him he was facing life as an invalid — Welch ended his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.