Lenny Welch, born Leon Welch on May 31, 1938 in New York City, is an American singer. Raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey by his godparents, Welch began his musical journey at the age of 16 when he joined a local vocal group called The Mar-Keys. In 1960, Welch signed with Cadence Records and released his first notable single "You Don’t Know Me" that same year. His breakthrough came in 1963 with a cover version of the big band standard "Since I Fell for You", which reached number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and sold a million copies. Welch's subsequent hits included covers of "Ebb Tide" (1964) and the vocal version of "A Taste of Honey" (1962). He also performed the theme to the 1967 CBS TV series Coronet Blue. In 1970, Welch reimagined Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" as a torch song, which became a Top 40 hit. Welch released several albums including Two Different Worlds (1965), Rags To Riches (1966) and It’s All About Love (2005). After his recording career ended, Welch resumed his education, earning a high school equivalency degree and later graduating from the College of New Rochelle with a bachelor's degree. He passed away in Kissimmee, Florida on April 8, 2025 at the age of 86.
