Welch, Brian 1970- (Brian "Head" Welch, Head Welch)

PERSONAL:

Born June 19, 1970; married; wife's name Rebekah (divorced, 2000); children: Jennea.

ADDRESSES:

Home—AZ.

CAREER:

Musician. Korn, lead guitarist, 1992-2005.

WRITINGS:

Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story, Harper-One (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Brian Welch is a musician and song composer. Welch served as the lead guitarist for the nu-metal band Korn, which first started performing in 1992 in Los Angeles clubs. Welch, who grew up in Bakersfield, California, became overwhelmed by the drugs, alcohol, and hard-core lifestyle of the Los Angeles metal music scene as the band's success saw record sales go platinum. Welch's personal life began falling apart as well. He and his wife, Rebekah, divorced in 2000, two years after having their daughter, Jennea. When Rebekah did not appear at the custody hearing, Welch was left with full custody. Although he assumed responsibility for raising his daughter, he did not alter his lifestyle much until he witnessed her singing the lyrics of one of Korn's songs and it sunk in. He needed to make some changes in his life for the sake of his daughter.

His years of alcohol and drug abuse, ups and downs with Korn, and other personal aspects of his life were all documented in 2007 when Welch published a memoir, Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story. The book also describes his rehabilitation from drugs and his newfound spiritual direction after accepting Christ in front of a crowd of 10,000 people at a church in Bakersfield. After leaving the band and seeking help for his addiction problems, he began writing music with more of a spiritual tilt, highlighting the messages he learned and wished to share with others.

In an interview with Dena Ross on the Beliefnet Web site, Welch explained the difficulties he faced in quitting Korn. Welch said: "When I gave my life to God, I felt like He gave me the courage to say no to my rockstar dream, to say no to my own desires, and to look at [Jennea] and say, ‘Yes, I'm going to be home, and I'm going to take care of you. It's about you now.’ So, it wasn't that hard."

Shirley Halperin, writing in Entertainment Weekly, remarked that the prose at times seems "juvenile and preachy." Halperin conceded, however, that "this story of faith tested is surprisingly compelling." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews found the book to be "mildly inspirational, fairly clichéd, and an extremely tough sell." The contributor noted that "only a small percentage of Korn's fan base is likely be interested in reading about the guitarist's spiritual awakening," and pointed out that many hard-core Christians will have never heard of the band or of Welch. Christine M. Chagaris, reviewing the book on the Phantom Tollbooth Web site, thought differently, writing that "what could have ended up as a … preachy tome … instead is a well-written, unflinchingly honest look at a life that Welch pulled from the abyss in the nick of time." Chagaris stated that the book "makes you want to root for him that he stays on his chosen path. Skeptics be darned, somehow, it seems that he will."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 48, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2004.

Welch, Brian, Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story, HarperOne (New York, NY), 2007.

PERIODICALS

Christ Community Music Magazine, April, 2007, review of Save Me from Myself.

Entertainment Weekly, July 6, 2007, Shirley Halperin, review of Save Me from Myself.

Houston Chronicle, February 27, 2005, "Korn Member Quitting Band to Follow Christ," p. 3.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2007, review of Save Me from Myself.

UPI NewsTrack, February 23, 2005, "Korn Guitarist Gets Religion, Leaves Band."

World Entertainment News Network, July 4, 2007, "Korn Star Welch Ashamed of Introducing Innocents to Wild Ways."

ONLINE

Beliefnet,http://www.beliefnet.com/ (January 27, 2008), Dena Ross, author interview.

Blabbermouth.net,http://roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/ (January 27, 2008), author interview.

Brian Welch Home Page,http://www.headtochrist.com (January 27, 2008), author biography.

Christian Broadcasting Network Web site,http://www.cbn.com/ (January 27, 2008), Tim Branson and Shannon Woodland, "Why Brian Welch Walked Away."

Christianity Today,http://www.christianitytoday.com/ (August 13, 2007), Troy Anderson, author interview.

Go Fish Productions Web site,http://www.gofishproductions.net/ (January 27, 2008), Jason Chatraw, "Addicted to Jesus."

Music Television Web site,http://www.mtv.com/ (February 22, 2005), James Montgomery, "Brian ‘Head’ Welch Leaves Korn, Citing Moral Objections to Band's Music."

Phantom Tollbooth,http://www.tollbooth.org/ (July 21, 2007), Christine M. Chagaris, review of Save Me from Myself.

Save Me from Myself MySpace Profile,http://www.myspace.com/savemefrommyselfbook (January 27, 2008), author profile.