Musician Spotlight: Fleetwood Mac

Starting off life as a British blues band and ending as one of the biggest pop-rock fusion groups in the world (their 1977 album Rumours is one of the best selling albums ever), Fleetwood Mac has inspired many a musician and has adoring fans all over the world who love to listen to the smooth, delicately beautiful songs they create, all of which have a much deeper meaning than you might first imagine.

The original line-up of Fleetwood Mac was drummer Mick Fleetwood (born 24th June 1947), bass guitarist John McVie (born 26th November 1945), guitarist Peter Green (29th October 1946 – 25th July 2020), and singer and guitarist Jeremy Spencer (born 4th July 1948). As with many groups of the time – and now – the line-up was subject to change, and later members were singer and guitarist Danny Kirwan (13th May 1950 – 8th June 2018), singer and keyboard player Christine McVie (born 12th July 1943), electric guitarist Bob Welch (31st August 1945 – 7th June 2012), singer Stevie Nicks (born 26th May 1948), and singer and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham (born 3rd October 1947).

Back at the start, though, Fleetwood Mac was the brainchild of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, and it was started by the pair in 1967 after they had worked together previously in Bluesbreakers. With them was Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. It wasn’t long before their debut album, The Pious Bird of Good Omen, caught the world’s imagination, and their specific brand of British blues became listened to all around the world, particularly thanks to the smash-hit ‘Albatross’ (1968).

This instant hit of fame, however, did not help the band in the least; in fact, it was after ‘Albatross’ that there were a number of personnel changes, the most seismic being Green’s departure and the addition of John McVie’s wife, Christine, who would go on to become an integral member of the group. However, although moderate success followed, nothing quite matched up to that first album and the hit that made their name more recognizable. It wasn’t until a move to the US in 1974, and the addition of Lyndsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – both vocalists, with the former also being an impressive guitarist – that Fleetwood Mac finally came into its own. It was at this time that the blues basis of the music was given an added, lighter lift of pop, and it was this combination that caught on, resulting in their 1975 album, Fleetwood Mac, becoming a multi-million seller.

Fleetwood Mac was a brilliant live performing band. Check out this performance of “Rhiannon”:

Rumours, however, released in 1977, was what really sealed the deal. This album was infused with personality and emotion, thanks in part to the breakup of the McVie’s marriage and the breakdown of the relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lyndsey Buckingham playing a big part in the narrative of the album. As sad as the backstory might be, Rumours went on to win a Grammy for album of the year, and it was this, ironically, that kept Fleetwood Mac together for a number more years, despite the failed relationships within it.

In 1998, Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.