Bob Weston (guitarist)

Early life and career

Weston was born in Plymouth on 1 November 1947 and moved to London in the mid-1960s. He joined a band called The Kinetic, and supported Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry at concerts in France.

Fleetwood Mac

Weston was recruited into the Fleetwood Mac line-up in late 1972 as replacement for the recently sacked guitarist Danny Kirwan. Together with fellow new band member, vocalist Dave Walker, Fleetwood Mac recorded the Penguin album in January 1973. Weston's contribution to the album was mainly as a lead guitarist alongside Bob Welch, but he stood out thanks to his slide guitar, especially on the Christine McVie song "Remember Me", and his accomplished harmonica and banjo playing. He also sang with Christine McVie on the song "Did You Ever Love Me", and wrote the instrumental that closed the album, "Caught in the Rain".

Later in 1973 Dave Walker was asked to leave the band, and the remaining members of Fleetwood Mac recorded their next album, Mystery to Me. Weston contributed yet more solid guitar work, for example his slide intro on "Why", a song for which he felt he did not receive the credit he deserved. He also co-wrote one track, "Forever", with Welch and John McVie.

During a tour of the US in late 1973, when the band were beginning to gel particularly well onstage, it emerged that Weston had been having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife, Jenny Boyd. Fleetwood tried to carry on regardless, but eventually after a gig in Lincoln, Nebraska, he had had enough and informed Welch and the McVies that he could no longer play with Weston. Weston was fired by their roadie John Courage and the rest of the tour was cancelled, the band members each travelling to a different part of the world to gather their thoughts. It was this situation which gave rise to the "Bogus Fleetwood Mac" saga in which manager Clifford Davis recruited a new group of musicians, passed them off as Fleetwood Mac, and sent them out to complete the tour. Although the fake band were quickly rumbled by fans, the subsequent legal battle kept the genuine Fleetwood Mac from recording until late in 1974.

Arguably Bob Weston had a very big effect on the Fleetwood Mac story, perhaps greater than his musical legacy, since it was this turmoil which strongly contributed to Welch's disenchantment with life in Fleetwood Mac, and his departure in late 1974 paved the way for the arrival of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who would help the band on to superstar status.

Solo

Weston went on to record with Murray Head, then briefly join, along with bassist Nick South and drummer Ian Wallace, Steve Marriott's newly formed All-Stars Band. When Marriott opted to play lead guitar himself, Weston went on to do a few solo albums, all of which are now quite hard to find. Perhaps proving that there were no hard feelings over the affair he had conducted with Boyd back in 1973, Mick Fleetwood contributed drums to one track on Weston's second solo album, Studio Picks.

In January 2008, Weston announced he started working on new recordings, which would be released later in the year and would be recorded at Markant Studios in the Netherlands.

While Frank Baijens, a Dutch singer-songwriter, was recording his album Odd Man Out, he accidentally met Weston who was also recording an album. Baijens asked Weston if he would play on one of the tracks, "Where the Heart Belongs", which he did.

Death

Weston, who lived alone in a flat in Brent Cross, London, was found dead on 3 January 2012. He is survived by his younger brother Peter. His post-mortem showed he died of a gastrointestinal haemorrhage.

With Fleetwood Mac

Solo albums

Other releases featuring Bob Weston