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Known for his brief stint as a member of Fleetwood Mac, Bob Welch (Born Robert Lawrence Welch Jr. on August 31, 1945) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose silky-smooth brand of soft rock enjoyed moderate success in the late 70s. After relocating to Paris during his teenage years, he came back to his native Southern California and joined the Northern Soul vocal group The Seven Souls as a guitarist in 1964. Despite the success of the singles “I’m No Stranger” and “I Still Love You,” the group disbanded in 1969. Welch soon moved back to the City of Lights and formed the hard rock power trio Paris with bassist Glenn Cornick (of Jethro Tull fame) and drummer Thom Mooney. The short-lived outfit released two albums in 1976 (Paris and Big Towne, 2061), whose commercial failure precipitated the band’s breakup. 1971 marked the beginning of his involvement with Fleetwood Mac, with whom he recorded the albums Future Games (1971), Bare Trees (1972), Penguin (1973) and Mystery to Me (1973). Frustrated by the band’s internal turmoil, Welch left the group in 1974 to focus on his solo career. Spearheaded by the singles “Sentimental Lady” and “Ebony Eyes,” French Kiss (1997), his studio debut, gave Welch his first taste of success as a solo artist. The album, which featured contributions by Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, and Mick Fleetwood, peaked at Number 12 on Billboard’s 200 list and was certified platinum after selling more than a million copies. He continued his winning streak with Three Hearts (1979), a disco rock effort that spawned the hits “Precious Love” and “Church.” During the 80s, Welch released a string of albums that failed to chart commercially, motivating a sixteen-year retirement from the public eye. He reappeared in 1999 with Bob Welch Looks at Bop, an experimental record inspired by early jazz and bebop that was followed by His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond (2003) and its 2006 sequel, featuring re-recordings of Fleetwood Mac songs as well as some of Welch’s biggest hits. In 2012, plagued by chronic pain after undergoing spinal surgery, Welch took his own life at the age of 66.
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