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The Continuing Evolution of Bob Collum & the Welfare Mothers

First there was Alt-Country singer-songwriter Bob Collum. This Tulsa Oklahoma native had released two very well received solo albums of Americana styled rock; 1997’s More Tragic Songs of Life and 2000’s Low Rent Romeo.

Bob’s hard work and constant gigging earned him a following of dedicated supporters and lots of glowing reviews. But something was missing and he knew he had to cross an ocean to find it. So, he booked a one-way ticket to the UK.

Critics and doubters reared their ugly heads, but Bob silenced them all by proving that, yes, it is possible to be an exile in a foreign land and still play great Americana music. Throughout the mildly distracting events of his wedding and birth of his son, Bob continued to write and play his music religiously, resulting in positive reviews and airplay on local and national radio - Bob Harris’ Radio 2 slot, being a particular highlight.

After several months on the UK singer-songwriter circuit Bob knew what he had to do…he wanted drums. He wanted bass. He wanted a 12 piece gospel choir, a horn section, 6 female backing singers, and he even wanted a rhinestone encrusted jumpsuit at one point too, but soon saw sense.

What Bob wanted was to form a band. Enter bassist Dan Wilkinson and drummer Paul Quarry.. thus Bob Collum & the Welfare Mothers were born.

So, where are they at today? Well, a new album is out ‘The Boy Most Likely To...’ which has been heralded as some of Bob’s finest work to date. The album, produced by Pat Collier, features thirteen carefully crafted songs with strong melodic hooks and outstanding musical performances from the band. And then, of course, there’s those famous Collum lyrics that refuse to leave your head and make you realise you’ve just heard something truly special.