Bruce Welch - Biography

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. 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.

In September 1958 Welch and Marvin joined The Drifters, later to become The Shadows, as Cliff Richard's backing band. As well as success with The Shadows, Welch also acted as producer for (among others) Cliff Richard 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 number 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 Flingle 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. Daniel Martin replaced Phil Kelly in 2012 due to illness.

Welch has organised Shadowmania since 1998 and has featured his own band as well as Shadows-style bands including The Rapiers, The Reflections and The Foottappers amongst others.

At Shadowmania 2011 he included a Tribute To Jet Harris which featured himself alongside The Rapiers, Phil Kelly, Alan Jones, Cliff Hall and Daniel Martin.

He was appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 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 the 1990s.

Welch lives in Richmond, London.