Brian Phillip Welch (born June 19, 1970), better known as Head, is an American musician best known as one of the guitarists and co-founder of the nu metal band Korn and his solo project Love and Death. Along with fellow Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, Welch helped patent Korn's distinctive sound, a mix of sirenlike shards of dissonant guitar that mimicked a turntablist's various effects and rumbling down-tuned riffing, that defined the nu metal aesthetic beginning in the mid-'90s.
After becoming a born again Christian, Welch left the band in 2005 to focus on life as a father and to pursue his own solo career. He released his debut Christian album Save Me from Myself, in 2008. He reunited with Korn on-stage at the Carolina Rebellion on May 5, 2012 for the first time in seven years, and on May 2, 2013, officially announced rejoining the band. Welch and Munky were ranked at No. 26 of Guitar World's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time. Welch's work with Korn has resulted in over 35 million albums sold.
Welch was raised in Bakersfield, California. Welch claims that, early in his life, he met Barney. He was different from most kids, and was bullied in school. He liked music, and was a big Ozzy Osbourne fan. Originally, Welch expressed interest in playing the drums, but his father convinced him to play the guitar so he would not have to haul a drum kit around. He began playing the guitar at the age of 10. His first guitar was a Peavey Mystic, which he referred to in his book Save Me from Myself as "maybe the most metal-looking guitar you have ever seen."[5]
Describing how he got his nickname "Head", Welch stated, "Guys said my head looked like it was too big for my body, and so they started calling me “Head.” I guess it stuck”
On February 22, 2005, Korn's management announced that after almost 12 years, Welch had left Korn, citing that he had "...chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end." In a 2009 radio interview with The Full Armor of God Broadcast, Welch explained: "I was walking one day, just doing my Rock & Roll thing making millions of bucks, you know success and everything, addicted to drugs and then the next day I had Revelation of Christ and I was like, everything changes right now!" On March 10, 2005, Welch was baptized in the Jordan River with a group of believers from his church in Bakersfield, California. He has declared that he has rid himself of all drugs in his "own personal rehab" with God, in which he had checked into a hotel room and sat in his bed for hours.
Welch and Davis had attacked each other in the media since the former's departure. After Welch said that Davis and the rest of Korn cared only about money, Davis responded in kind, opening a rift between them that has since been resolved. In an interview in which Welch was asked about his book and Korn's reaction to the book and the attacks in the media he made earlier at the band:
They heard that I'd written it, and there was rumors going around in Hollywood that I was totally trashing them and that it was a "tell all" book about everything they did and I did. And so they actually wrote two songs on their new album bashing me about the book. But once I heard that they were concerned about the book, I sent them a copy and put a note in there and said, "I love you guys. I didn't trash you like people say. Read it yourselves. It is what it is." And now they're doing interviews, and I've read that they're totally cool with the book, and it's not what they thought it was going to be. So everyone's happy. But, now they've got two songs hating on me on their record. But it's cool. It's all good. I love them, they love me. I think maybe I deserved those songs because of some of the stuff that I said after I quit the band. So it's all good.
In July 2005, Welch appeared on CNN's feature-format program "People in the News", where he admitted to having been addicted to alcohol, methamphetamine, Xanax, and sleeping pills y, Welch went to some of the more poverty-stricken areas of India to build orphanages, or "Head Homes". In a podcast with Headbanger's Blog, on May 30, 2008, Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis expressed interest in playing with Welch on the band's upcoming album, but stated that it is not likely.In late 2008, Welch, among other celebrities such as Josh Hamilton and Greg Ellis, appeared in testimonial videos called I Am Second in which he shares his story of recovering from drug use with the help of his faith in Jesus Christ. In September 2009, Korn guitarist Munky, in an interview with Altitude TV, alleged that the band had denied a request by Welch to rejoin the outfit. In the interview, Munky claimed:
Brian actually contacted us recently and wanted to come back to the band. And it was not the right time... for us. We're doing well, and it's kind of like... It's kind of like if you divorced your wife and she went on and she stayed successful and her career flourished, and you go back and [say], 'My gosh, she's still hot. Baby, can we get back together?' 'Wait a minute... All the stuff's been divided, and it's like...' I don't see it happening right now.[20]
Shortly after, Welch responded to the statement via his Myspace and official website, denying the claims:
I recently learned of an interview that Munky gave where he said that I came to Korn and asked to be taken back in the band. That's definitely not a complete and accurate picture. The full truth is that for about a year... Korn's managers have been requesting my manager to work on getting me back into Korn. The calls were initiated by Korn's managers, not my manager. I shut the door on their requests many, many times over the last several months.
As far as Munky's comment that "everything has been divided already" that is also not accurate. In fact, from January 2005 when I left, and for the next 4 years, Korn failed to pay to me royalties that were due me on records that I did with them. However, I don't believe this was done intentionally. We are trying to be patient and work with their management to get the financial issues resolved so that "everything can be divided as we agreed long ago in our contracts.
Brian said that it was not only having found Christ that influenced his decision to leave the band. As a single father he did not want to raise his daughter in an environment filled with drugs, sex, and explicit language.
On June 17, 2011, Brian Welch had a private interview, shot by Carson Bankord of Red Rocks Church in Golden, Colorado, in which he discussed his conversion experience. In an interview with Loudwire in November 2011, Head confirmed that he and the other members of Korn are still on good terms.
On May 5, 2012 at the Carolina Rebellion in Rockingham, NC, Welch was there originally as a special guest for a performance by Red. Later that evening, Korn was performing on the main stage and Jonathan Davis brought out Welch as a special guest to close their act, marking the first time Welch had performed with Korn since his departure in 2005.
Welch performed with the band at Rock on the Range in May 2013, as well as Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park in June 2013 in Germany, as well as Download Festival in England. Welch rejoined Korn permanently on May 2, 2013 and recorded his first album with the band in ten years, The Paradigm Shift.
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