Great Magazine Reads: Bob Welch played a major role shaping 1970s arena rock

Bob Welch (pictured giving the universal “rock n’roll hand signal) grew up in what is referred to as Old Hollywood, across the street from actor Yul Brynner. He was an L.A. lifer, all the way up to the times long after he had appeared on five albums as a member of Fleetwood Mac, had solo power-pop hits like “Ebony Eyes” and “Sentimental Lady,” and partied with Guns ‘N Roses while they used his garage as an early practice space.

These are among the stories told by author Mark Blake in his new book Dreams: The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac. An excerpt in last October’s issue of Classic Rock Magazine is all about Welch, whose story, music, and those album covers (always with the freewheeling woman on his arm) have captivated me for along time. Still, he feels like a mostly forgotten player in the magical history of 1970s arena rock.

He joined the Mac in 1971 as guitarist Peter Green departed and the band immediately took to him. He was formally made a member of the band without even playing a note in front of them and jumped right into action, adding the title track to that year’s album Future Games. Welch played on 1972’s Bare Trees, 1973’s Penguin and Mystery to Me, and 1974’s Heroes Are Hard to Find. But IRS tax problems as well as all the partying led up to him leaving the band right before their smash albums Fleetwood Mac and then Rumours. He remained friends with the Mac, having many of them guest on his solo albums, and he opened for their summer 1978 tour.

In the Classic Rock article, Welch discusses the split:

“I didn’t feel like I was missing the boat, because it’s a different group,” he insisted. “But I contributed something to the group’s sound and felt very proud that they were making it.”

In 1988, Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, and Welch’s name was missing from the roll-call of past members. “Mick Fleetwood dedicated a whole chapter of his biography to my era of the band,” Welch told the press. “He credited me with ‘saving Fleetwood Mac’. Now they want to write me out of the history of the group. Mick treats most past band members as if they didn’t really have anything to do with Fleetwood Mac, with the exception of the Rumours band, Peter Green and, rarely, Jeremy Spencer. Everybody else he shuts out of his mind.” In 1996, Welch revised his story, blaming Warner Bros for the financial mismanagement and the Hall Of Fame for the snub.

In a rare interview, he was asked what he did besides music, and replied: “UFOwatching.” His website linked to articles about extraterrestrial visitation, antigravity technology, and bio-mind superpowers.

All that said, he was no doubt a key player in building the foundation of what would become the iconic and long legacy of Fleetwood Mac.

(And as a footnote, which a superfan commenter pointed out to me on Reddit, this passage seems to be somewhat inaccurate by Classic Rock because Fleetwood Mac wasn’t inducted into the Hall of Fame until 1998.)

Welch’s life ended sadly in June 2012. While finally sober after years of hard drug abuse, including introducing GNR drummer Steven Adler to crack cocaine, the talented songwriter and guitarist shot himself in the chest. He had supposedly decided that he didn’t want his wife to have to take care of him after a spinal surgery that would cost him much of his mobility.