Kevin Stephen Welch (August 17, 1955) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

artist. He has charted five singles on the ''

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'' Hot Country Songs charts and released eight studio albums. He is also one of the cofounders of the Dead Reckoning Records label, which he founded with fellow musicians Kieran Kane, Tammy Rogers, Mike Henderson, and Harry Stinson.

Biography

At the age of 7, Welch and his family moved to Midwest City, Oklahoma. After graduating high school, he began touring with bands like New Rodeo and Blue Rose Cafe. Welch moved to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

in 1978 to work as a songwriter. Singers like

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ...

, Moe Bandy,

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

, Patty Loveless,

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

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and Don Williams were using his material. At the same time he was very active in local clubs, performing with

John Scott Sherrill John Scott Sherrill is an American songwriter whose work is primarily in the field of country music. His brother, Donn Sherrill, was a Vanderbilt student. He introduced John Scott to his fraternity brother, Scott Siman who recorded demos of his ...

and the Wolves in Cheap Clothing, The Roosters, and finally his own band – The Overtones. His popularity grew and in 1988 he signed a record contract with Reprise Records. In 1990 the album ''Kevin Welch'' was recorded and 2 years later ''Western Beat''. The former produced four charting singles on Hot Country Songs, including "Til I See You Again," which reached No. 39. In 1994 he co-founded Dead Reckoning Records along with Kieran Kane, Tammy Rogers, Mike Henderson and Harry Stinson. The following year ''Life Down Here on Earth'' was published and in 1999 ''Beneath My Wheels''. The majority of songs are Welch's originals. In 2002 the album ''Millionaire'' was recorded partially in Nashville and mostly in Denmark with a stellar line-up of Scandinavian players. In 2004 Welch teamed up with fellow Dead Reckoning artists Kieran Kane and Fats Kaplin to produce ''You Can't Save Everybody''. The trio followed this up with ''Lost John Dean'' in 2006, to general acclaim. ''Lost John Dean'' reached number one on the Americana charts, and resulted in nominations for several awards including Duo/Group of the year at the 2006 Americana Honors and Awards. The following eponymous Kane Welch Kaplin, with the addition of Lucas Kane, was also nominated for Duo/Group. The group traveled to Australia 10 times, as well as Europe and the UK, Canada, and all over the United States. Throughout the 2000s, Welch has teamed up with Australian band

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. They have recorded albums and DVDs together, and toured the country twice. Welch moved to Wimberley, Texas, on April 1, 2008. In 2009, he recorded ''A Patch Of Blue Sky'', his first solo project in 8 years. The recording features Texas musicians as well as his son Dustin, who played banjo and slide guitar, and his daughter Savannah, who appeared with her band the Trishas.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Guest singles

Music videos

References

External links

Official siteDead Reckoning Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Kevin 1955 births Living people American country singer-songwriters Reprise Records artists Musicians from Long Beach, California Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma People from Midwest City, Oklahoma Singer-songwriters from California Country musicians from California Country musicians from Oklahoma