Fleetwood Mac is one of the most important bands in rock music history and, needless to say, one of the most commercially-successful and critically-acclaimed classic rock groups throughout the passage of time. The history of the band is quite a complex one, with many chapters as well as a tumultuous series of ups and downs. Starting off as a blues rock act in 1967 (which became known most notably for the hit song Albatross, a very dear piece to me) under the leadership of the greatly gifted and technical guitarist and vocalist Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac’s sound would change during the 1970s as some original members would leave, eventually leading to the subsequent inclusion of talented and charismatic guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks (at the request of the band’s drummer, Mick Fleetwood, the only fully constant member of the band throughout all its past incarnations, iterations, or versions).
The only constant members over the decades were the two musicians which represent the rhythm section of the band, more specifically drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie (Mick being there from the very beginning of the group and John joining a little bit later, after Bob Brunning left). The most successful line-up of the band was that of the mid-late 1970s which included Mick Fleetwood on drums, John McVie on electric bass guitar, Christine McVie (John’s wife, previously known under her maiden name Christine Perfect, a surname she had certainly lived up to musically speaking, who also played in Chicken Shack before joining the group) on keyboards and vocals (sometimes backing vocals, sometimes co-lead vocals), Lindsey Buckingham on electric guitar and co-lead vocals, and Stevie Nicks on lead vocals. But, before delving more into the band’s history, let’s have a short look into their very name and its origins.
Here’s a photograph of the most successful line-up of Fleetwood Mac from 1977 (essentially, a trade ad for the classic studio album Rumours taken from Billboard magazine). From left to right: Mick Fleetwood (drums), Stevie Nicks (lead vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (co-lead vocals and electric guitar), John McVie (electric bass guitar), and Christine McVie (keyboards and vocals). Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Fleetwood Mac or Fleetwood Mick (or that is the question)? Otherwise, what is the origin or the true meaning of the band’s name?
To cut a long story short, if you ever wondered about the origins or the true meaning of the band, well, it’s basically the ‘brainchild’ of musical genius Peter Green, who basically combined the family names of his bandmates Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. True story, I kid you not. 🙂
Literary influences
The band members were very well read intellectuals as well as highly creative, sensitive, romantic, and intelligent youngsters who were influenced by William Shakespeare (in the case of the studio album Then Play On released in 1969, a great musical masterpiece which has been very dear to me for quite some years), or Welsh literature and mythology (e.g. The Mabinogion, but not only, i.e. other related works) in the case of the hit song Rhiannon (which is the name of a Celtic goddess) and, last but not least, also the poem The Highwayman by the English poet Alfred Noyes for the touching and bittersweet song Everywhere (a very dear one to me for many years to date).
Now, without further needless ado on my behalf, I wholeheartedly recommend watching the following informative documentary on the band’s history embedded below via YouTube:
P.S. R.I.P. Christine McVie and thank you so, so much for all your music. A wonderful musical lady, gone, but never forgotten.
On a personal note, the music of Fleetwood Mac also influenced me as an amateur guitarist and bassist throughout the passage of time, so much so, in point of fact, that I decided to learn their songs in my spare time and via Yousician, a great Finnish app in which you can learn to play on several musical instruments (and also on vocals). I am very grateful for the memories that I have with this amazing band. They made my life (and not only, of course) much more beautiful and bearable, especially at times during which I was quite lonely and lonesome as well, not only lonely… Their music is a must listen for all hopeless romantics out there (and, believe me, in case you don’t already know them or haven’t even remotely listened to them on the radio or watched their music videos on TV on the now unfortunately bygone MTV or VH1, both with which I was quite fortunate to have grown up with, you should definitely do so as soon as possible and… don’t stop).
Documentation sources and external links:
- Fleetwood Mac on www.britannica.com (on Encyclopædia Britannica online)
- Fleetwood Mac on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- Fleetwood Mac on www.wikipedia.org (in Norwegian Bokmål; an article within which I also contributed a little bit in the past)
- Fleetwood Mac discography on www.wikipedia.org (in English)