Chords for Bob Welch | The Unsung Hero of Fleetwood Mac
Tempo:
109.85 bpm
Chords used:
Ab
C
G
Gb
B
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[D]
[D]
[Ab]
[A]
[Eb] [Bm]
[G] Robert Lawrence Welch, better known as Bob Welch, [Cm] seemed destined for great success in
the show business from almost the very beginning.
[Gb] Born in Hollywood, [Cm] California on [C] August 31, [Cm] 1945, to a prominent screenwriter, father,
and singer and actress mother, Bob [Gb] set his sights on music from [C] an early age.
First learning the [F] clarinet before switching to [E] rhythm guitar with a preference for blues,
rock, and jazz, [C] Bob set on his own in the 60s to make it as a [G] star.
After studying [Em] abroad in Paris, France, [G] Welch joined a series of local bands [F] and maintained
a measure of [B] stability until the early 70s, when his short-lived band, The [Em] Seven Souls,
broke up.
Luckily for Welch, though, better days [E] were just around the corner.
In 1971, Bob Welch traveled to England to audition for Fleetwood Mac, a former British
blues band [Am] that had suffered from the loss of two [A] of its lead guitarists, Peter Green
[Em] and Jeremy Spencer.
Drummer Mick Fleetwood, [C] the de facto manager of the band, [Am] having never actually [A] heard Welch's
music, was persuaded [Em] to meet with him by Welch's school friend, [C] and he was quickly drafted
[G] into the fold alongside keyboardist [Em] Christine McVie, [G] bassist John McVie, and guitarist and
lead [F] seeder Damien Carwan.
This [B] particular lineup of the band recorded several albums [Em] together that proved vital
to the transformation of Fleetwood Mac's [E] past British blues sound into [D] the melodic
pop rock that they would [G] perfect in the late 70s.
The band's first album with this lineup, [Am] Future Games, released in 1971, featured many
of the key [G] elements, such as Christine McVie's signature love pop songs and [Am] Welch's laid-back
and hypnotic guitar rockers.
This would be the band's first album to crack the top 100 in the United States, peaking
at number [Am] 91 and lasting 12 weeks on the charts, eventually being certified [G] gold.
[Gb] The next album, Bear Trees, released in [G] 1972, was an even bigger success, particularly on
US college rock radio.
The [Bm] album made its way all the way to number 70 and lasted almost [B] 30 weeks on the charts,
eventually earning itself a platinum certification in [Bm] 1988.
Sentimental Lady, rightly regarded as one of Bob Welch's signature songs, is one of
the many songs on the album that had become popular within the fanbase and on FM rock radio.
The entire album is a collection of haunting, ethereal folk rock, and would prove vital
to the further evolution of Fleetwood Mac's classic sound.
Bob Welch assumed [Bm] lead guitar and vocal duties when Daddy Carwan was abruptly kicked [B] out
of the band because of his increasingly violent antics on stage and unchecked alcoholism.
The music produced during this time remained [Em] popular with the growing American audience,
especially the 1973 album Mystery to Me, which [Cm] featured another signature Bob Welch rocker
hypnotized, which became a staple [C] on FM rock radio.
The album peaked at number 67 and was eventually certified gold.
As Fleetwood Mac's [Ab] popularity grew in the United States, things only grew wilder within the band.
The revolving door of guitarists and vocalists made for an [Fm] unsteady group dynamic, and Welch
[Ab] reportedly felt separated from the rest of the group, all of whom were dealing with their
own personal [C] issues and relationship dramas, another signature that would remain [G] a key
[Cm] element of the Fleetwood Mac pathology.
[C] Bob Welch kept the band alive through this particularly turbulent stage in Fleetwood
Mac's history, including one of the most bizarre incidents in [Ab] rock and roll music history.
After guitarist Bob Weston was fired for having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife, Jenny,
the band canceled their upcoming tour to recuperate from the drama.
However, the band's manager at the time did not want to cancel a [Ab] potentially lucrative
tour and put out a fake [C] band pretending to be Fleetwood Mac [Fm] on tour and didn't tell
[Cm] the actual Fleetwood Mac until the scandal had already [Ab] erupted.
A subsequent lawsuit put the band out of commission for over a year, each side claiming to own
the rights to the name Fleetwood Mac.
Bob Welch, who had remained in Los Angeles during this time, made [C] connections in Hollywood
and convinced the rest of the band to move their operations to California, [Ab] as they would
have better representation with the label there [C] and more opportunities for [Ab] growth.
After the lawsuit [Gb] had finally cleared up and the band was back [Ab] in action, their next [Gb] album,
Heroes Are Hard to [Am] Find, while yielding [Ab] no hit singles, was their first album to crack
the top 40 in the United States, peaking at number 34.
However, despite their successes on tour and the growing American audience, Bob Welch,
worn down by the lawsuit and the traveling, announced that he would quit the band at the
end of 1974.
But as rock music tells us, the biggest and most successful chapter of Fleetwood Mac was
about to be written.
And Bob Welch would find himself in a newfound level of fame and success in the wake of the
band's legendary run of the late 70s.
While searching for a new recording studio for the band, Mick Fleetwood stumbled upon
the American folk rock duo Buckingham Knicks when the studio engineer played their record
for him to show off the studio's speaker system.
Mick, however, was mesmerized by the pair's vocal abilities, in particular, guitarist
[Cm] Lindsey Buckingham's raw style.
Infamously, Mick met with Lindsey to recruit him into [F] the band, but there would be one
caveat from Lindsey.
They would [Ab] have to include his girlfriend and singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks.
After dinner at a Mexican restaurant with the band, the two were drafted into the fold
and quickly produced their landmark 1975 self-titled album Fleetwood Mac, which proved to be [C] the
breakthrough that the band had been looking for for the past [Ab] five years, reaching number
one in the US and spawning three top [G] 20 singles, selling over 5 million copies.
Yet they wouldn't have made it to America at all and achieved that level of [C] success
had it not been for Bob Welch and his ability to keep the band creatively alive during those turbulent years.
Mick Fleetwood himself has acknowledged the role Bob [Ebm] played during that time in his [C]
autobiography,
[C] and Stevie Nicks herself has said that after she joined the band, she went and listened
[Gb] to all of the band's [A] albums and knew that there was something that they could add to
the [Gb] already hypnotic sound that the band had [Ab] crafted.
Bob's career as a solo actor would take off in the wake of Fleetwood Mac's blockbuster
[Gm] album Rumors, which propelled the band to the very top of the music industry, winning
album of the year at the 1978 Grammys.
[Gb] Bob Welch's [Dbm] 1977 album French Kiss was a big success in the United States, reaching
number 12 on the charts and spawning [B] three top 40 [A] hits.
A re-recorded version of Sentimental [B] Lady featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Christine
[Dbm] McPhee would reach number 8.
The FM radio rocker Ebony [A] Eyes, which made it to number 14, [B] and Love Hot Cold World,
[A] which was a minor hit and peaked at number 31.
[B] The album would eventually be [Dbm] certified platinum and was followed up in 1979 with the top 20
album [B] Three Hearts, which spawned another top 20 single with Precious [Abm] Love.
Over the years, Bob eventually became estranged from McFleetwood, but remained on good terms
with Buckingham and Nicks, performing live with them throughout the years.
His collaborations with Christine McPhee would pave the way for the [F] future collaboration
with Lindsey Buckingham, and all [B] of the members of the band speak fondly of Bob and his contributions
to the evolution of the band's sound.
Bob's solo career unfortunately never regained the level of success it had in the late 70s,
and he spent much of the following years releasing solo albums and for a time hosted one of the
[Ab] very first music video programs, Hollywood Heartbeat, before MTV was even a thing.
To cope with his waning career and depression, Bob turned to drugs and [Gb] alcohol.
He was known to party with Guns N' Roses, and the band [Eb] often practiced in his garage.
Bob eventually went to a detox treatment center, and after he left, he met his second [B] wife, Wendy.
Bob married Wendy in 1985, and they moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued to
put out music and perform, [Ab] retaining his sobriety for the rest of his life.
Infamously, in [Eb] 1988, Bob Welch was snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when members
of Fleetwood Mac became eligible for consideration.
The members inducted included Christine and John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Peter [G] Green, Danny
[A] Kerwan, Jeremy [Ab] Spencer, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham.
[G] While there were indeed several members that had been a part of the band that [Db] were left
out of consideration, Bob Welch's [B] omission was considered a snub by many critics and
fans to this day.
Bob himself originally thought that his fractured relationship with Mick Fleetwood, who at the
time was involved with another lawsuit with Welch over royalties, was to blame for his
snub, but later made amends with Mick Fleetwood and the band, and stated that the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame committee board just didn't like his style [Abm] of music.
Fleetwood Mac itself would experience periods of inactivity and waning commercial success
that would always remain in the public eye.
At the turn of the 2010s, Fleetwood Mac and their Rumors-era music would experience [Gb] a
revival mostly due to TV producer Ryan Murphy's hit TV show's American Horror Story and Glee.
Earlier periods Fleetwood Mac albums were also being [E] rediscovered by fans, [B] and a new
generation of listeners would propel their 1977 hit Single Dreams back onto the charts
in 2020 when it became part [Ab] of a viral meme.
Bob himself would not live to see a new generation of fans discover his music, as tragically
in 2012, at the age of [F] 66, Bob Welch was found [Em] dead by his wife Wendy in their Nashville home.
The [F] cause of death was ruled to be a self [Gb]-inflicted gun injury.
Months before, Bob had undergone surgery [E] to treat a spinal issue.
However, Bob was left in an incredible [F] amount of [Gb] pain, and towards the end of his life became an invalid.
He left behind a note 9 pages long to his wife, which declared his undying love to her.
Wendy would [C] pass away in 2016, and is buried beside her husband [Abm] in Memphis, Tennessee.
It's easy for us to say that some people within the music industry are underrated.
There are plenty of artists out there putting music out every single day, and there's only
so much room and so much money to be made.
The music industry is a constantly shifting business.
Trends change, and new innovations come in to do away with old traditions.
It's a constant cycle.
Bob Welch is a figure, though, that I can say is definitely underrated, and his [Dbm] contributions
to rock music are more [E] than deserving of recognition, especially with this new generation of fans
that have discovered Fleetwood Mac's music through social media.
Bob Welch made an undeniable impact on music, and [Gb] we'd be without one of the most successful
[Abm] and immaculate albums [Db] of all time had it not been for his efforts.
[D]
[Ab]
[A]
[Eb] [Bm]
[G] Robert Lawrence Welch, better known as Bob Welch, [Cm] seemed destined for great success in
the show business from almost the very beginning.
[Gb] Born in Hollywood, [Cm] California on [C] August 31, [Cm] 1945, to a prominent screenwriter, father,
and singer and actress mother, Bob [Gb] set his sights on music from [C] an early age.
First learning the [F] clarinet before switching to [E] rhythm guitar with a preference for blues,
rock, and jazz, [C] Bob set on his own in the 60s to make it as a [G] star.
After studying [Em] abroad in Paris, France, [G] Welch joined a series of local bands [F] and maintained
a measure of [B] stability until the early 70s, when his short-lived band, The [Em] Seven Souls,
broke up.
Luckily for Welch, though, better days [E] were just around the corner.
In 1971, Bob Welch traveled to England to audition for Fleetwood Mac, a former British
blues band [Am] that had suffered from the loss of two [A] of its lead guitarists, Peter Green
[Em] and Jeremy Spencer.
Drummer Mick Fleetwood, [C] the de facto manager of the band, [Am] having never actually [A] heard Welch's
music, was persuaded [Em] to meet with him by Welch's school friend, [C] and he was quickly drafted
[G] into the fold alongside keyboardist [Em] Christine McVie, [G] bassist John McVie, and guitarist and
lead [F] seeder Damien Carwan.
This [B] particular lineup of the band recorded several albums [Em] together that proved vital
to the transformation of Fleetwood Mac's [E] past British blues sound into [D] the melodic
pop rock that they would [G] perfect in the late 70s.
The band's first album with this lineup, [Am] Future Games, released in 1971, featured many
of the key [G] elements, such as Christine McVie's signature love pop songs and [Am] Welch's laid-back
and hypnotic guitar rockers.
This would be the band's first album to crack the top 100 in the United States, peaking
at number [Am] 91 and lasting 12 weeks on the charts, eventually being certified [G] gold.
[Gb] The next album, Bear Trees, released in [G] 1972, was an even bigger success, particularly on
US college rock radio.
The [Bm] album made its way all the way to number 70 and lasted almost [B] 30 weeks on the charts,
eventually earning itself a platinum certification in [Bm] 1988.
Sentimental Lady, rightly regarded as one of Bob Welch's signature songs, is one of
the many songs on the album that had become popular within the fanbase and on FM rock radio.
The entire album is a collection of haunting, ethereal folk rock, and would prove vital
to the further evolution of Fleetwood Mac's classic sound.
Bob Welch assumed [Bm] lead guitar and vocal duties when Daddy Carwan was abruptly kicked [B] out
of the band because of his increasingly violent antics on stage and unchecked alcoholism.
The music produced during this time remained [Em] popular with the growing American audience,
especially the 1973 album Mystery to Me, which [Cm] featured another signature Bob Welch rocker
hypnotized, which became a staple [C] on FM rock radio.
The album peaked at number 67 and was eventually certified gold.
As Fleetwood Mac's [Ab] popularity grew in the United States, things only grew wilder within the band.
The revolving door of guitarists and vocalists made for an [Fm] unsteady group dynamic, and Welch
[Ab] reportedly felt separated from the rest of the group, all of whom were dealing with their
own personal [C] issues and relationship dramas, another signature that would remain [G] a key
[Cm] element of the Fleetwood Mac pathology.
[C] Bob Welch kept the band alive through this particularly turbulent stage in Fleetwood
Mac's history, including one of the most bizarre incidents in [Ab] rock and roll music history.
After guitarist Bob Weston was fired for having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife, Jenny,
the band canceled their upcoming tour to recuperate from the drama.
However, the band's manager at the time did not want to cancel a [Ab] potentially lucrative
tour and put out a fake [C] band pretending to be Fleetwood Mac [Fm] on tour and didn't tell
[Cm] the actual Fleetwood Mac until the scandal had already [Ab] erupted.
A subsequent lawsuit put the band out of commission for over a year, each side claiming to own
the rights to the name Fleetwood Mac.
Bob Welch, who had remained in Los Angeles during this time, made [C] connections in Hollywood
and convinced the rest of the band to move their operations to California, [Ab] as they would
have better representation with the label there [C] and more opportunities for [Ab] growth.
After the lawsuit [Gb] had finally cleared up and the band was back [Ab] in action, their next [Gb] album,
Heroes Are Hard to [Am] Find, while yielding [Ab] no hit singles, was their first album to crack
the top 40 in the United States, peaking at number 34.
However, despite their successes on tour and the growing American audience, Bob Welch,
worn down by the lawsuit and the traveling, announced that he would quit the band at the
end of 1974.
But as rock music tells us, the biggest and most successful chapter of Fleetwood Mac was
about to be written.
And Bob Welch would find himself in a newfound level of fame and success in the wake of the
band's legendary run of the late 70s.
While searching for a new recording studio for the band, Mick Fleetwood stumbled upon
the American folk rock duo Buckingham Knicks when the studio engineer played their record
for him to show off the studio's speaker system.
Mick, however, was mesmerized by the pair's vocal abilities, in particular, guitarist
[Cm] Lindsey Buckingham's raw style.
Infamously, Mick met with Lindsey to recruit him into [F] the band, but there would be one
caveat from Lindsey.
They would [Ab] have to include his girlfriend and singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks.
After dinner at a Mexican restaurant with the band, the two were drafted into the fold
and quickly produced their landmark 1975 self-titled album Fleetwood Mac, which proved to be [C] the
breakthrough that the band had been looking for for the past [Ab] five years, reaching number
one in the US and spawning three top [G] 20 singles, selling over 5 million copies.
Yet they wouldn't have made it to America at all and achieved that level of [C] success
had it not been for Bob Welch and his ability to keep the band creatively alive during those turbulent years.
Mick Fleetwood himself has acknowledged the role Bob [Ebm] played during that time in his [C]
autobiography,
[C] and Stevie Nicks herself has said that after she joined the band, she went and listened
[Gb] to all of the band's [A] albums and knew that there was something that they could add to
the [Gb] already hypnotic sound that the band had [Ab] crafted.
Bob's career as a solo actor would take off in the wake of Fleetwood Mac's blockbuster
[Gm] album Rumors, which propelled the band to the very top of the music industry, winning
album of the year at the 1978 Grammys.
[Gb] Bob Welch's [Dbm] 1977 album French Kiss was a big success in the United States, reaching
number 12 on the charts and spawning [B] three top 40 [A] hits.
A re-recorded version of Sentimental [B] Lady featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Christine
[Dbm] McPhee would reach number 8.
The FM radio rocker Ebony [A] Eyes, which made it to number 14, [B] and Love Hot Cold World,
[A] which was a minor hit and peaked at number 31.
[B] The album would eventually be [Dbm] certified platinum and was followed up in 1979 with the top 20
album [B] Three Hearts, which spawned another top 20 single with Precious [Abm] Love.
Over the years, Bob eventually became estranged from McFleetwood, but remained on good terms
with Buckingham and Nicks, performing live with them throughout the years.
His collaborations with Christine McPhee would pave the way for the [F] future collaboration
with Lindsey Buckingham, and all [B] of the members of the band speak fondly of Bob and his contributions
to the evolution of the band's sound.
Bob's solo career unfortunately never regained the level of success it had in the late 70s,
and he spent much of the following years releasing solo albums and for a time hosted one of the
[Ab] very first music video programs, Hollywood Heartbeat, before MTV was even a thing.
To cope with his waning career and depression, Bob turned to drugs and [Gb] alcohol.
He was known to party with Guns N' Roses, and the band [Eb] often practiced in his garage.
Bob eventually went to a detox treatment center, and after he left, he met his second [B] wife, Wendy.
Bob married Wendy in 1985, and they moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued to
put out music and perform, [Ab] retaining his sobriety for the rest of his life.
Infamously, in [Eb] 1988, Bob Welch was snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when members
of Fleetwood Mac became eligible for consideration.
The members inducted included Christine and John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Peter [G] Green, Danny
[A] Kerwan, Jeremy [Ab] Spencer, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham.
[G] While there were indeed several members that had been a part of the band that [Db] were left
out of consideration, Bob Welch's [B] omission was considered a snub by many critics and
fans to this day.
Bob himself originally thought that his fractured relationship with Mick Fleetwood, who at the
time was involved with another lawsuit with Welch over royalties, was to blame for his
snub, but later made amends with Mick Fleetwood and the band, and stated that the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame committee board just didn't like his style [Abm] of music.
Fleetwood Mac itself would experience periods of inactivity and waning commercial success
that would always remain in the public eye.
At the turn of the 2010s, Fleetwood Mac and their Rumors-era music would experience [Gb] a
revival mostly due to TV producer Ryan Murphy's hit TV show's American Horror Story and Glee.
Earlier periods Fleetwood Mac albums were also being [E] rediscovered by fans, [B] and a new
generation of listeners would propel their 1977 hit Single Dreams back onto the charts
in 2020 when it became part [Ab] of a viral meme.
Bob himself would not live to see a new generation of fans discover his music, as tragically
in 2012, at the age of [F] 66, Bob Welch was found [Em] dead by his wife Wendy in their Nashville home.
The [F] cause of death was ruled to be a self [Gb]-inflicted gun injury.
Months before, Bob had undergone surgery [E] to treat a spinal issue.
However, Bob was left in an incredible [F] amount of [Gb] pain, and towards the end of his life became an invalid.
He left behind a note 9 pages long to his wife, which declared his undying love to her.
Wendy would [C] pass away in 2016, and is buried beside her husband [Abm] in Memphis, Tennessee.
It's easy for us to say that some people within the music industry are underrated.
There are plenty of artists out there putting music out every single day, and there's only
so much room and so much money to be made.
The music industry is a constantly shifting business.
Trends change, and new innovations come in to do away with old traditions.
It's a constant cycle.
Bob Welch is a figure, though, that I can say is definitely underrated, and his [Dbm] contributions
to rock music are more [E] than deserving of recognition, especially with this new generation of fans
that have discovered Fleetwood Mac's music through social media.
Bob Welch made an undeniable impact on music, and [Gb] we'd be without one of the most successful
[Abm] and immaculate albums [Db] of all time had it not been for his efforts.
Key:
Ab
C
G
Gb
B
Ab
C
G
_ [D] _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ [G] Robert Lawrence Welch, better known as Bob Welch, [Cm] seemed destined for great success in
the show business from almost the very beginning.
[Gb] Born in Hollywood, [Cm] California on [C] August 31, [Cm] 1945, to a prominent screenwriter, father,
and singer and actress mother, Bob [Gb] set his sights on music from [C] an early age.
First learning the [F] clarinet before switching to [E] rhythm guitar with a preference for blues,
rock, and jazz, [C] Bob set on his own in the 60s to make it as a [G] star.
After studying [Em] abroad in Paris, France, [G] Welch joined a series of local bands [F] and maintained
a measure of [B] stability until the early 70s, when his short-lived band, The [Em] Seven Souls,
broke up.
Luckily for Welch, though, better days [E] were just around the corner.
In 1971, Bob Welch traveled to England to audition for Fleetwood Mac, a former British
blues band [Am] that had suffered from the loss of two [A] of its lead guitarists, Peter Green
[Em] and Jeremy Spencer.
Drummer Mick Fleetwood, [C] the de facto manager of the band, [Am] having never actually [A] heard Welch's
music, was persuaded [Em] to meet with him by Welch's school friend, [C] and he was quickly drafted
[G] into the fold alongside keyboardist [Em] Christine McVie, [G] bassist John McVie, and guitarist and
lead [F] seeder Damien Carwan.
This [B] particular lineup of the band recorded several albums [Em] together that proved vital
to the transformation of Fleetwood Mac's [E] past British blues sound into [D] the melodic
pop rock that they would [G] perfect in the late 70s.
The band's first album with this lineup, [Am] Future Games, released in 1971, featured many
of the key [G] elements, such as Christine McVie's signature love pop songs and [Am] Welch's laid-back
and hypnotic guitar rockers.
This would be the band's first album to crack the top 100 in the United States, peaking
at number [Am] 91 and lasting 12 weeks on the charts, eventually being certified [G] gold.
[Gb] The next album, Bear Trees, released in [G] 1972, was an even bigger success, particularly on
US college rock radio.
The [Bm] album made its way all the way to number 70 and lasted almost [B] 30 weeks on the charts,
eventually earning itself a platinum certification in [Bm] 1988.
Sentimental Lady, rightly regarded as one of Bob Welch's signature songs, is one of
the many songs on the album that had become popular within the fanbase and on FM rock radio.
The entire album is a collection of haunting, ethereal folk rock, and would prove vital
to the further evolution of Fleetwood Mac's classic sound.
Bob Welch assumed [Bm] lead guitar and vocal duties when Daddy Carwan was abruptly kicked [B] out
of the band because of his increasingly violent antics on stage and unchecked alcoholism.
The music produced during this time remained [Em] popular with the growing American audience,
especially the 1973 album Mystery to Me, which [Cm] featured another signature Bob Welch rocker
hypnotized, which became a staple [C] on FM rock radio.
The album peaked at number 67 and was eventually certified gold.
As Fleetwood Mac's [Ab] popularity grew in the United States, things only grew wilder within the band.
The revolving door of guitarists and vocalists made for an [Fm] unsteady group dynamic, and Welch
[Ab] reportedly felt separated from the rest of the group, all of whom were dealing with their
own personal [C] issues and relationship dramas, another signature that would remain [G] a key
[Cm] element of the Fleetwood Mac pathology.
[C] Bob Welch kept the band alive through this particularly turbulent stage in Fleetwood
Mac's history, including one of the most bizarre incidents in [Ab] rock and roll music history.
After guitarist Bob Weston was fired for having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife, Jenny,
the band canceled their upcoming tour to recuperate from the drama.
However, the band's manager at the time did not want to cancel a [Ab] potentially lucrative
tour and put out a fake [C] band pretending to be Fleetwood Mac [Fm] on tour and didn't tell
[Cm] the actual Fleetwood Mac until the scandal had already [Ab] erupted.
A subsequent lawsuit put the band out of commission for over a year, each side claiming to own
the rights to the name Fleetwood Mac.
Bob Welch, who had remained in Los Angeles during this time, made [C] connections in Hollywood
and convinced the rest of the band to move their operations to California, [Ab] as they would
have better representation with the label there [C] and more opportunities for [Ab] growth.
After the lawsuit [Gb] had finally cleared up and the band was back [Ab] in action, their next [Gb] album,
Heroes Are Hard to [Am] Find, while yielding [Ab] no hit singles, was their first album to crack
the top 40 in the United States, peaking at number 34.
However, despite their successes on tour and the growing American audience, Bob Welch,
worn down by the lawsuit and the traveling, announced that he would quit the band at the
end of 1974.
But as rock music tells us, the biggest and most successful chapter of Fleetwood Mac was
about to be written.
And Bob Welch would find himself in a newfound level of fame and success in the wake of the
band's legendary run of the late 70s.
While searching for a new recording studio for the band, Mick Fleetwood stumbled upon
the American folk rock duo Buckingham Knicks when the studio engineer played their record
for him to show off the studio's speaker system.
Mick, however, was mesmerized by the pair's vocal abilities, in particular, guitarist
[Cm] Lindsey Buckingham's raw style.
_ Infamously, Mick met with Lindsey to recruit him into [F] the band, but there would be one
caveat from Lindsey.
They would [Ab] have to include his girlfriend and singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks.
After dinner at a Mexican restaurant with the band, the two were drafted into the fold
and quickly produced their landmark 1975 self-titled album Fleetwood Mac, which proved to be [C] the
breakthrough that the band had been looking for for the past [Ab] five years, reaching number
one in the US and spawning three top [G] 20 singles, selling over 5 million copies.
Yet they wouldn't have made it to America at all and achieved that level of [C] success
had it not been for Bob Welch and his ability to keep the band creatively alive during those turbulent years.
Mick Fleetwood himself has acknowledged the role Bob [Ebm] played during that time in his [C]
autobiography,
[C] and Stevie Nicks herself has said that after she joined the band, she went and listened
[Gb] to all of the band's [A] albums and knew that there was something that they could add to
the [Gb] already hypnotic sound that the band had [Ab] crafted.
Bob's career as a solo actor would take off in the wake of Fleetwood Mac's blockbuster
[Gm] album Rumors, which propelled the band to the very top of the music industry, winning
album of the year at the 1978 Grammys. _
[Gb] Bob Welch's [Dbm] 1977 album French Kiss was a big success in the United States, reaching
number 12 on the charts and spawning [B] three top 40 [A] hits.
A re-recorded version of Sentimental [B] Lady featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Christine
[Dbm] McPhee would reach number 8.
The FM radio rocker Ebony [A] Eyes, which made it to number 14, [B] and Love Hot Cold World,
[A] which was a minor hit and peaked at number 31.
[B] The album would eventually be [Dbm] certified platinum and was followed up in 1979 with the top 20
album [B] Three Hearts, which spawned another top 20 single with Precious [Abm] Love.
Over the years, Bob eventually became estranged from McFleetwood, but remained on good terms
with Buckingham and Nicks, performing live with them throughout the years.
His collaborations with Christine McPhee would pave the way for the [F] future collaboration
with Lindsey Buckingham, and all [B] of the members of the band speak fondly of Bob and his contributions
to the evolution of the band's sound.
Bob's solo career unfortunately never regained the level of success it had in the late 70s,
and he spent much of the following years releasing solo albums and for a time hosted one of the
[Ab] very first music video programs, Hollywood Heartbeat, before MTV was even a thing.
To cope with his waning career and depression, Bob turned to drugs and [Gb] alcohol.
He was known to party with Guns N' Roses, and the band [Eb] often practiced in his garage.
Bob eventually went to a detox treatment center, and after he left, he met his second [B] wife, Wendy.
Bob married Wendy in 1985, and they moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued to
put out music and perform, [Ab] retaining his sobriety for the rest of his life.
Infamously, in [Eb] 1988, Bob Welch was snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when members
of Fleetwood Mac became eligible for consideration.
The members inducted included Christine and John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Peter [G] Green, Danny
[A] Kerwan, Jeremy [Ab] Spencer, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham.
[G] While there were indeed several members that had been a part of the band that [Db] were left
out of consideration, Bob Welch's [B] omission was considered a snub by many critics and
fans to this day.
Bob himself originally thought that his fractured relationship with Mick Fleetwood, who at the
time was involved with another lawsuit with Welch over royalties, was to blame for his
snub, but later made amends with Mick Fleetwood and the band, and stated that the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame committee board just didn't like his style [Abm] of music.
Fleetwood Mac itself would experience periods of inactivity and waning commercial success
that would always remain in the public eye.
At the turn of the 2010s, Fleetwood Mac and their Rumors-era music would experience [Gb] a
revival mostly due to TV producer Ryan Murphy's hit TV show's American Horror Story and Glee.
Earlier periods Fleetwood Mac albums were also being [E] rediscovered by fans, [B] and a new
generation of listeners would propel their 1977 hit Single Dreams back onto the charts
in 2020 when it became part [Ab] of a viral meme.
Bob himself would not live to see a new generation of fans discover his music, as tragically
in 2012, at the age of [F] 66, Bob Welch was found [Em] dead by his wife Wendy in their Nashville home.
The [F] cause of death was ruled to be a self [Gb]-inflicted gun injury.
Months before, Bob had undergone surgery [E] to treat a spinal issue.
However, Bob was left in an incredible [F] amount of [Gb] pain, and towards the end of his life became an invalid.
He left behind a note 9 pages long to his wife, which declared his undying love to her.
Wendy would [C] pass away in 2016, and is buried beside her husband [Abm] in Memphis, Tennessee.
It's easy for us to say that some people within the music industry are underrated.
There are plenty of artists out there putting music out every single day, and there's only
so much room and so much money to be made.
The music industry is a constantly shifting business.
Trends change, and new innovations come in to do away with old traditions.
It's a constant cycle.
Bob Welch is a figure, though, that I can say is definitely underrated, and his [Dbm] contributions
to rock music are more [E] than deserving of recognition, especially with this new generation of fans
that have discovered Fleetwood Mac's music through social media.
Bob Welch made an undeniable impact on music, and [Gb] we'd be without one of the most successful
[Abm] and immaculate albums [Db] of all time had it not been for his efforts.
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_ [A] _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _
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_ [G] Robert Lawrence Welch, better known as Bob Welch, [Cm] seemed destined for great success in
the show business from almost the very beginning.
[Gb] Born in Hollywood, [Cm] California on [C] August 31, [Cm] 1945, to a prominent screenwriter, father,
and singer and actress mother, Bob [Gb] set his sights on music from [C] an early age.
First learning the [F] clarinet before switching to [E] rhythm guitar with a preference for blues,
rock, and jazz, [C] Bob set on his own in the 60s to make it as a [G] star.
After studying [Em] abroad in Paris, France, [G] Welch joined a series of local bands [F] and maintained
a measure of [B] stability until the early 70s, when his short-lived band, The [Em] Seven Souls,
broke up.
Luckily for Welch, though, better days [E] were just around the corner.
In 1971, Bob Welch traveled to England to audition for Fleetwood Mac, a former British
blues band [Am] that had suffered from the loss of two [A] of its lead guitarists, Peter Green
[Em] and Jeremy Spencer.
Drummer Mick Fleetwood, [C] the de facto manager of the band, [Am] having never actually [A] heard Welch's
music, was persuaded [Em] to meet with him by Welch's school friend, [C] and he was quickly drafted
[G] into the fold alongside keyboardist [Em] Christine McVie, [G] bassist John McVie, and guitarist and
lead [F] seeder Damien Carwan.
This [B] particular lineup of the band recorded several albums [Em] together that proved vital
to the transformation of Fleetwood Mac's [E] past British blues sound into [D] the melodic
pop rock that they would [G] perfect in the late 70s.
The band's first album with this lineup, [Am] Future Games, released in 1971, featured many
of the key [G] elements, such as Christine McVie's signature love pop songs and [Am] Welch's laid-back
and hypnotic guitar rockers.
This would be the band's first album to crack the top 100 in the United States, peaking
at number [Am] 91 and lasting 12 weeks on the charts, eventually being certified [G] gold.
[Gb] The next album, Bear Trees, released in [G] 1972, was an even bigger success, particularly on
US college rock radio.
The [Bm] album made its way all the way to number 70 and lasted almost [B] 30 weeks on the charts,
eventually earning itself a platinum certification in [Bm] 1988.
Sentimental Lady, rightly regarded as one of Bob Welch's signature songs, is one of
the many songs on the album that had become popular within the fanbase and on FM rock radio.
The entire album is a collection of haunting, ethereal folk rock, and would prove vital
to the further evolution of Fleetwood Mac's classic sound.
Bob Welch assumed [Bm] lead guitar and vocal duties when Daddy Carwan was abruptly kicked [B] out
of the band because of his increasingly violent antics on stage and unchecked alcoholism.
The music produced during this time remained [Em] popular with the growing American audience,
especially the 1973 album Mystery to Me, which [Cm] featured another signature Bob Welch rocker
hypnotized, which became a staple [C] on FM rock radio.
The album peaked at number 67 and was eventually certified gold.
As Fleetwood Mac's [Ab] popularity grew in the United States, things only grew wilder within the band.
The revolving door of guitarists and vocalists made for an [Fm] unsteady group dynamic, and Welch
[Ab] reportedly felt separated from the rest of the group, all of whom were dealing with their
own personal [C] issues and relationship dramas, another signature that would remain [G] a key
[Cm] element of the Fleetwood Mac pathology.
[C] Bob Welch kept the band alive through this particularly turbulent stage in Fleetwood
Mac's history, including one of the most bizarre incidents in [Ab] rock and roll music history.
After guitarist Bob Weston was fired for having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife, Jenny,
the band canceled their upcoming tour to recuperate from the drama.
However, the band's manager at the time did not want to cancel a [Ab] potentially lucrative
tour and put out a fake [C] band pretending to be Fleetwood Mac [Fm] on tour and didn't tell
[Cm] the actual Fleetwood Mac until the scandal had already [Ab] erupted.
A subsequent lawsuit put the band out of commission for over a year, each side claiming to own
the rights to the name Fleetwood Mac.
Bob Welch, who had remained in Los Angeles during this time, made [C] connections in Hollywood
and convinced the rest of the band to move their operations to California, [Ab] as they would
have better representation with the label there [C] and more opportunities for [Ab] growth.
After the lawsuit [Gb] had finally cleared up and the band was back [Ab] in action, their next [Gb] album,
Heroes Are Hard to [Am] Find, while yielding [Ab] no hit singles, was their first album to crack
the top 40 in the United States, peaking at number 34.
However, despite their successes on tour and the growing American audience, Bob Welch,
worn down by the lawsuit and the traveling, announced that he would quit the band at the
end of 1974.
But as rock music tells us, the biggest and most successful chapter of Fleetwood Mac was
about to be written.
And Bob Welch would find himself in a newfound level of fame and success in the wake of the
band's legendary run of the late 70s.
While searching for a new recording studio for the band, Mick Fleetwood stumbled upon
the American folk rock duo Buckingham Knicks when the studio engineer played their record
for him to show off the studio's speaker system.
Mick, however, was mesmerized by the pair's vocal abilities, in particular, guitarist
[Cm] Lindsey Buckingham's raw style.
_ Infamously, Mick met with Lindsey to recruit him into [F] the band, but there would be one
caveat from Lindsey.
They would [Ab] have to include his girlfriend and singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks.
After dinner at a Mexican restaurant with the band, the two were drafted into the fold
and quickly produced their landmark 1975 self-titled album Fleetwood Mac, which proved to be [C] the
breakthrough that the band had been looking for for the past [Ab] five years, reaching number
one in the US and spawning three top [G] 20 singles, selling over 5 million copies.
Yet they wouldn't have made it to America at all and achieved that level of [C] success
had it not been for Bob Welch and his ability to keep the band creatively alive during those turbulent years.
Mick Fleetwood himself has acknowledged the role Bob [Ebm] played during that time in his [C]
autobiography,
[C] and Stevie Nicks herself has said that after she joined the band, she went and listened
[Gb] to all of the band's [A] albums and knew that there was something that they could add to
the [Gb] already hypnotic sound that the band had [Ab] crafted.
Bob's career as a solo actor would take off in the wake of Fleetwood Mac's blockbuster
[Gm] album Rumors, which propelled the band to the very top of the music industry, winning
album of the year at the 1978 Grammys. _
[Gb] Bob Welch's [Dbm] 1977 album French Kiss was a big success in the United States, reaching
number 12 on the charts and spawning [B] three top 40 [A] hits.
A re-recorded version of Sentimental [B] Lady featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Christine
[Dbm] McPhee would reach number 8.
The FM radio rocker Ebony [A] Eyes, which made it to number 14, [B] and Love Hot Cold World,
[A] which was a minor hit and peaked at number 31.
[B] The album would eventually be [Dbm] certified platinum and was followed up in 1979 with the top 20
album [B] Three Hearts, which spawned another top 20 single with Precious [Abm] Love.
Over the years, Bob eventually became estranged from McFleetwood, but remained on good terms
with Buckingham and Nicks, performing live with them throughout the years.
His collaborations with Christine McPhee would pave the way for the [F] future collaboration
with Lindsey Buckingham, and all [B] of the members of the band speak fondly of Bob and his contributions
to the evolution of the band's sound.
Bob's solo career unfortunately never regained the level of success it had in the late 70s,
and he spent much of the following years releasing solo albums and for a time hosted one of the
[Ab] very first music video programs, Hollywood Heartbeat, before MTV was even a thing.
To cope with his waning career and depression, Bob turned to drugs and [Gb] alcohol.
He was known to party with Guns N' Roses, and the band [Eb] often practiced in his garage.
Bob eventually went to a detox treatment center, and after he left, he met his second [B] wife, Wendy.
Bob married Wendy in 1985, and they moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he continued to
put out music and perform, [Ab] retaining his sobriety for the rest of his life.
Infamously, in [Eb] 1988, Bob Welch was snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when members
of Fleetwood Mac became eligible for consideration.
The members inducted included Christine and John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Peter [G] Green, Danny
[A] Kerwan, Jeremy [Ab] Spencer, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham.
[G] While there were indeed several members that had been a part of the band that [Db] were left
out of consideration, Bob Welch's [B] omission was considered a snub by many critics and
fans to this day.
Bob himself originally thought that his fractured relationship with Mick Fleetwood, who at the
time was involved with another lawsuit with Welch over royalties, was to blame for his
snub, but later made amends with Mick Fleetwood and the band, and stated that the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame committee board just didn't like his style [Abm] of music.
Fleetwood Mac itself would experience periods of inactivity and waning commercial success
that would always remain in the public eye.
At the turn of the 2010s, Fleetwood Mac and their Rumors-era music would experience [Gb] a
revival mostly due to TV producer Ryan Murphy's hit TV show's American Horror Story and Glee.
Earlier periods Fleetwood Mac albums were also being [E] rediscovered by fans, [B] and a new
generation of listeners would propel their 1977 hit Single Dreams back onto the charts
in 2020 when it became part [Ab] of a viral meme.
Bob himself would not live to see a new generation of fans discover his music, as tragically
in 2012, at the age of [F] 66, Bob Welch was found [Em] dead by his wife Wendy in their Nashville home.
The [F] cause of death was ruled to be a self [Gb]-inflicted gun injury.
Months before, Bob had undergone surgery [E] to treat a spinal issue.
However, Bob was left in an incredible [F] amount of [Gb] pain, and towards the end of his life became an invalid.
He left behind a note 9 pages long to his wife, which declared his undying love to her.
Wendy would [C] pass away in 2016, and is buried beside her husband [Abm] in Memphis, Tennessee.
It's easy for us to say that some people within the music industry are underrated.
There are plenty of artists out there putting music out every single day, and there's only
so much room and so much money to be made.
The music industry is a constantly shifting business.
Trends change, and new innovations come in to do away with old traditions.
It's a constant cycle.
Bob Welch is a figure, though, that I can say is definitely underrated, and his [Dbm] contributions
to rock music are more [E] than deserving of recognition, especially with this new generation of fans
that have discovered Fleetwood Mac's music through social media.
Bob Welch made an undeniable impact on music, and [Gb] we'd be without one of the most successful
[Abm] and immaculate albums [Db] of all time had it not been for his efforts.
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