Welch started his career with a show band, the Seven Souls, playing night clubs around the country. Las Vegas lounges, and chic European resorts after having a Top-20 hit on the L.A. R&B charts. While living in Europe , where he was majoring in French at the Sorbonne, he was chosen to fill the guitar spot in Fleetwood Mac . He flourished with the band as a songwriter and guitarist, and wrote and sang 22 of the 50 songs on five albums.
Welch left Fleetwood Mac to form the group Paris with Soupy Sales' son, Hunt Sales, and Jethro Tull's bass player, Glenn Cornick.. After two albums with Paris , Welch's solo career took off in 1977 with a series of albums that generated 8 top-ten singles. During this time, he appeared and often guest-hosted on TV shows like Dick Clark's New American Bandstand, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Solid Gold and Bert Sugarman's Midnight Special.
This led to Welch hosting his own pre-MTV syndicated weekly music variety TV series Hollywood Heartbeat for Gold Key Media. His two-hour live TV musical special, "Bob Welch and Friends" was an MTV first. He continued on, recording more solo albums for RCA Records, and the worldwide sales of Welch's Fleetwood Mac and solo career record output continued to soar into the tens of millions.
During his career as a solo artist, Welch received numerous awards including Billboard's "Favorite debut artist" award and the North American Rock Radio's "#1 Pop singlenew male artist" award, as well as playing in front of the largest rock concert audience ever (over 300,000 people) at California Jam II. Both Rhino Records and Curb Records have recently released collections of Welch's solo material, and Fleetwood Mac has released a 25th anniversary boxed set, "The Chain," which includes some of Welch's work with that band, as well as re-releasing on CD all his former recordings with Fleetwood Mac.
Welch helped found AFTRA'S "Singer's Night" at the famous Bluebird Cafe, when he served on the their Board of Directors. He is currently a member of ASCAP (32 years), NSAI and is a voting member of NARAS. Bob's songs have been cut by Sammy Hagar, The Pointer Sisters, Bruce Channel, Don Nix, and most recently, by Kenny Rogers. Bob has had his material used in HBO movies, like "Tough and Deadly," and one of his compositions is featured in the Dreamworks.Steve Spielberg production directed by Cameron Crowe, "Almost Famous."
Welch has music compositions with various production music libraries such as DSM Producers in New York.
As an endorsee of Gibson guitars, Welch performed at guitar clinics at different cities in the area, such as Chicago, Memphis, and Birmingham. Welch was one of the first on-line interviews and one of the first endorsees for Compuserve's Music Forum, Bob performed on the "First Virtual Guitar Lesson" on CD ROM in conjunction with Gibson guitars for Compuserve Magazine. He continued to do the multiple interviews and rock bios for TV networks like the Disney Channel and the BBC.
Welch received an award from A.S.C.A.P commemorating over 25 years of consecutive airplay for his compositions Sentimental Lady and Hypnotized.
In 1999 Welch released a new CD , "Bob Welch Looks At Bop", a tribute to the "BE BOP" music of the 1940's. He also wrote a column for the music professionals website and magazine "artistpro.com", and is an audio consultant for A.M.D computers and for Steinburg Gmbh, the audio production specialists.
Welch was featured in a July 2002 Wall Street Journal article spotlighting "songwriting by e-mail collaboration."
Welch's song , "Sentimental Lady" featured in the November 2002 release, About Schmidt," starring Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates.
On July 8th 2003, One Way Records released Welch's CD; "Bob Welch; His Fleetwood Mac Years And Beyond"
Welch died on June 7, 2012 of an apparent suicide. He had been having health issues prior to his death.
Devil wind
Bob Welch Lyrics
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I've been patiently waiting, let me show you around
Did you bring lots of money, do you have nerves of steel
And are you ready to gamble, put your heart on the wheel
Oh oh, the devil wind
Big town claims another win
Is this how it all begins
Oh oh, the devil wind
Breaks another young heart again
So this is how it always ends
How the innocents have changed
I was born in this city, I destroyed my old man
But he came to this city from an innocent land
Now I should know better, I'd be a fool if I got hurt
But you do what you have to, let me be the first
Oh oh, the devil wind
Big town claims another win
Is this how it all begins
How the innocents have changed
Oh oh, the devil wind
Breaks another young heart again
So this is how it always ends
How the innocents have changed
After the devil wind stops blowin'
Wake up and find your heart's been broken
The lyrics of Bob Welch's Devil Wind reflect the harsh realities of big city life. The song tells a story of a young newcomer to the city who is being welcomed by someone who has been there longer. The singer of the song warns the girl that the city is a rough place where one needs to have nerves of steel, lots of money and above all, must be ready to take risks. He also mentions how the city can change people through its roughness, hence the phrase "how the innocents have changed." The lyrics of the song emphasize the pervading presence of the devil wind, which is an allusion to the difficult and confusing circumstances one can face in the city.
The singer of the song also talks about growing up in the city and how he destroyed his father, who moved from an innocent land to the city. He acknowledges that he should "know better," but he feels compelled to take risks in the city. He justifies his actions by saying that it is something he has to do, and it is part of the reality of living in the city. The song acknowledges the dark underbelly of the city and how it can chew people up and spit them out. When the devil wind stops blowing, one wakes up to the reality of a broken heart.
Overall, Devil Wind is a commentary on the harsh realities of urban life. It portrays the city as a place of struggle and danger that can change people, while acknowledging that people must still take risks to survive in it. The song presents a cautionary tale for people venturing into the city, urging them to be wary of what the city can do.
Line by Line Meaning
Well hello little girl, welcome to this big town
Bob Welch greets a naïve girl who has just arrived in the city and wants to show her around.
I've been patiently waiting, let me show you around
Welch has been waiting for this girl to show up so he can show her the ropes.
Did you bring lots of money, do you have nerves of steel
Welch is probing the girl to see if she's got enough cash and courage to handle the challenges of the city.
And are you ready to gamble, put your heart on the wheel
Welch is asking if she's ready to risk everything and test her luck.
Oh oh, the devil wind
The devil wind is a symbol of the forces of fate that seem to conspire against the innocent.
Big town claims another win
The city claims yet another victim, swallowing the girl and her dreams.
Is this how it all begins
Welch is questioning whether this is just the start of a long, hard path of disillusionment and heartache.
How the innocents have changed
The once-innocent girl, like so many others, will likely be changed forever by the hardships of the city.
Breaks another young heart again
The devil wind breaks yet another young heart, another dreamer who dared to take a chance in the big city.
So this is how it always ends
Welch reflects pessimistically that this is how things always turn out for these naïve young newcomers.
I was born in this city, I destroyed my old man
Welch reveals that he himself comes from a family that was destroyed by the city and its ways.
But he came to this city from an innocent land
Welch's father came from a place of innocence, only to be corrupted by the city.
Now I should know better, I'd be a fool if I got hurt
Welch has learned from his own experiences that he shouldn't be naïve or vulnerable.
But you do what you have to, let me be the first
Welch is willing to take the risk and show the girl the ropes, as it's just another part of surviving in the city.
After the devil wind stops blowin'
Welch suggests that after the hardships and challenges have passed, there may still be hope.
Wake up and find your heart's been broken
But as the girl will likely discover, the damage may already have been done, and her heart will be broken.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB WELCH, ROBERT L WELCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
long island cereal killer
this should have been on mystery to me album
jetclntn
We all have one debt to pay
Ricky Parker
Stevie Nicks does background vocals on the second half of the song!!!! Peace Ricky Parker 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏
jetclntn
Bob was a hero to me. He was an underdog but he had the courage to end his life. He suffered enough and did what was necessary