Bruce Welch

Bruce Welch
Background information
Birth name Bruce Cripps
Born 2 November 1941 (1941-11-02) (age 70)
Bognor Regis, England
Origin Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Occupations Guitarist, producer and owner of a music publishing company
Years active late 1950s–present
Associated acts Cliff Richard, The Shadows, Olivia Newton-John
Website brucewelchtribute.com

Bruce Welch OBE, (born Bruce Cripps, 2 November 1941, Bognor Regis, Sussex, England) is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer and singer, best known as a member of The Shadows.[1]

Contents

Biography

His parents (Stan Cripps and Grace Welch) never married but his mother relocated him to 15 Broadwood View, Chester-le-Street: she died when Welch was aged 6. Welch grew up with his Aunt Sadie in Chester le Street, County Durham. After learning to play the guitar, he formed a Tyneside skiffle band called The Railroaders when he was fourteen.[2] His Rutherford Grammar School friend Brian Rankin (later to be known as Hank Marvin), joined the group and they travelled to London in 1958 for the final of a talent competition. Although they did not win, they joined with members of other entrant bands and formed The Five Chesternuts with Pete Chester (born 1942), son of comedian Charlie Chester on drums.

On moving to London Bruce and Hank Marvin briefly operated as the Geordie Boys before enlisting in an outfit called The Drifters.[2]

In September 1958 Welch and Marvin joined The Drifters, later to become The Shadows,[2] as Cliff Richard's backing band. As well as success with The Shadows, Welch also acted as producer for (among others) Cliff Richard[2] and songwriter for his ex-fiancée, Olivia Newton-John. He also released a solo single "Please Mr. Please", which was not commercially successful, even though the song has been covered by several recording artists (most notably Newton-John, who would take it into the top 10 of the U.S. pop and country charts in 1975).

Welch wrote several #1 hit singles for Cliff and for The Shadows. Among songs written or co-written by Welch are the Shadows' hits "Foot Tapper" and "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt", Marvin Welch & Farrar's "Faithful" and "My Home Town", and Cliff Richard hits ""Please Don't Tease", In the Country", "Summer Holiday", "I Love You" and "I Could Easily Fall (In Love With You)".

He was the musical consultant for the West End musical Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story.

Welch plays occasionally with his second band, The Moonlight Shadows, a Shadows-style band with Phil Kelly taking Hank Marvin's place on lead guitar at various Shadows style conventions such as Shadowmania.

He was appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to music.

Welch has been married (and divorced) twice. His only son, from his first marriage to Anne (née Findlay), is Dwayne Welch who currently works within the music industry as a record label executive. Welch divorced his 2nd wife Lynne Welch in 199?.

Early career groups (pre-Shadows/Drifters)

1956/7 - The Railroaders(#1)
1956/7 - The Railroaders(#2)
1958 - The Five Chesternuts

Groupography

Discography

Guest Vocals

Production credits

Instruments

Instruments (career)

electric guitar
acoustic guitar
Amplifiers
bass
keyboards

Bibliography

Books
Sheet music

All the hit (& misses) singles e.g. Apache (et al.) were published as individual (2xA4 page) music sheets during the release of the single until the late 1970s when publishers switched to books featuring multiple hits.

References

  1. ^ Allmusic for Bruce Welch
  2. ^ a b c d "The Religious Affiliation of Guitarist Hank Marvin". 2005-07-24. http://www.adherents.com/people/pm/Hank_Marvin.html. Retrieved 2008-01-13. "When his Crescent City Skiffle Group won a South Shields Jazz Club talent contest, he was asked to join Bruce Welch's Railroaders. On moving to London, Marvin and Welch operated briefly as the Geordie Boys before enlisting in an outfit called the Drifters, which evolved into the Shadows. While backing and, later, composing songs (such as The Day I Met Marie) for Cliff Richard, the quartet recorded independently and became generally acknowledged as Britain's top instrumental act." 

External links

The Shadows

Hank Marvin · Bruce Welch · Brian Bennett
Mark Griffiths · Jet Harris · Tony Meehan · Brian 'Licorice' Locking · Warren Bennett · John Rostill · John Farrar · Alan Tarney · Alan Jones · Alan Hawkshaw
The Drifters: Ian Samwell · Terry Smart  · Ken Pavey  · Norman Mitcham
Studio albums

The Shadows · Out of the Shadows · Dance With The Shadows · The Sound of The Shadows · Shadow Music · Jigsaw · From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John · Shades of Rock · Rockin' with Curly Leads · Specs Appeal · Tasty · String of Hits · Change of Address · Hits Right Up Your Street · Life in the Jungle · XXV · Guardian Angel' · Moonlight Shadows' · Simply Shadows · Steppin' to the Shadows' · At Their Very Best · Reflection
Singles

The Drifters: Feelin Fine · Jet Black · The Shadows: Saturday Dance · Apache · Man of Mystery / The Stranger · FBI · The Frightened City · Kon-Tiki · The Savage · Wonderful Land · Guitar Tango · Dance On! · Foot Tapper · Atlantis · Shindig · Geronimo · Theme for Young Lovers · The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt · Rhythm and Greens · Genie With the Light Brown Lamp · Mary Anne · Stingray · Don't Make My Baby Blue · The War Lord · I Met a Girl · A Place in the Sun · The Dreams I Dream · Maroc 7 · Tomorrow's Cancelled · Bombay Duck · Somewhere · Running out of World · Dear Old Mrs. Bell · Slaughter on Tenth Avenue · Turn Around and Touch Me · Let Me Be the One · Run Billy Run · It'll Be Me Babe · Another Night · Love Deluxe · Don't Cry for Me Argentina · Theme from the Deer Hunter (Cavatina) · Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto · Riders in the Sky · Heart of Glass · Equinoxe (Part V)" · "Mozart Forte · The Third Man · Telstar · Imagine/Woman · Treat Me Nice
Production
Norrie Paramor · Malcolm Addey · Peter Vince · Abbey Road Studios
Related articles
Book:The Shadows