Fleetwood Mac are undisputed legends of classic rock, having recorded and performed since
1967.
Their founding members were Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and Jeremy Spencer, and they added
John McVie shortly after.
Of course, the band's premiere lineup didn't come to fruition until 1975, when Lindsey
Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band.
Though there have been other musicians who have come and gone as part of the Fleetwood
Mac lineup, the core of Mick, Lindsey, and Stevie are arguably what gave the band its
signature sound over the years, and what drew millions of fans in.
Of course, as often happens with successful bands, there have been many ups and downs
over the years.
And some of Fleetwood Mac’s troubles have been common to what rock bands go through.
But what gives the Fleetwood Mac story a little more intrigue is the romantic aspect.
Join Facts Verse as we talk about the chaotic affairs within Fleetwood Mac that nearly broke
up the band!
When Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974, the band’s sound
immediately shifted from a more folk sound to a more rock and pop one.
The resulting sound was one that truly resonated with audiences around the world, sending their
singles to the top of the charts and their albums to multi-platinum status.
They released their self-titled album, Fleetwood Mac, in 1975 and it shot to number one in
the United States.
And as remarkable as that was, they topped it with their next album, Rumours, in 1977.
That album produced four top 10 singles in the U.S. and was the number one album in the
country for an incredible 31 weeks.
It also topped the charts in a variety of other countries and wound up winning the 1978
Grammy for Album of the Year.
It wasn’t just a flash in the pan during the late ‘70s either.
The album continued to sell over the next several decades and has sold over 40 million
copies.
That means it’s one of the best-selling albums in music history.
While the end product was an album that was critically acclaimed, popular on the charts,
and long lasting, Rumours was also the center of a whirlwind of romantic craziness within
the band.
John and Christine McVie In the early sixties, bassist John McVie was
a part of John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, a popular blues band in England.
During his time in that band, he met and played alongside Mick Fleetwood, a talented drummer.
Before long though, the two decided to leave Mayall and join up with their friend Peter
Green’s new project.
That was the 1967 origin of Fleetwood Mac.
McVie went to a jazz festival in 1967, where he met vocalist and pianist Christine Perfect.
She was playing with a band called Chicken Shack at the time.
In 1969, McVie found that he couldn’t stop thinking about Christine since their meeting
two years prior.
Despite the fact that McVie was engaged at the time, he couldn’t resist dating and
falling in love with Christine.
They started dating and were married within six months.
Christine not only became McVie’s partner in life but also in music.
She joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970, right around when Peter Green left.
But there was trouble in paradise, and the couple began experiencing marital problems
in the mid ‘70’s.
This was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to romantic drama that would plague
the band.
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Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks Next up on the list are Lindsey Buckingham
and Stevie Nicks.
The two met in the 1960s at a church gathering they both sang in.
They were in high school at the time, and they had immediate musical chemistry.
Together with some of their high school pals, they formed the Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band
in 1966.
The band played for a few years before calling it a day in 1971.
And while their music might not have had a lasting impact, the relationship between Lindsey
and Stevie certainly did.
The two began dating as the band broke up.
They also continued their musical journey together.
After moving to LA, they scored a deal with Anthem Records and released an album called
Buckingham Nicks.
And shortly after they were recruited to join Fleetwood Mac.
Unfortunately, in what was otherwise an exciting and life-changing time for them, their relationship
had already begun falling apart as they were joining Fleetwood Mac.
Nicks later revealed that the only reason they stayed together after joining the band
was to make sure that an album got made.
She said that the relationship was already in 'dire straits and they likely would have
split up a lot sooner had they not been trying to keep things copasetic for band unity.
Bob Weston and Mick Fleetwood’s wife, Jenny But the romantic drama wasn’t limited to
only band members.
Guitarist Bob Weston joined the band in 1972, replacing former member Danny Kirwan.
Weston was immediately liked by the rest of the band and was a talented player to boot.
But perhaps his attributes of being “charming and funny,” as Mick once called him, were
also what got him in hot water.
Mick’s wife, Jenny, joined the band on tour in those days, so she had a personal relationship
with the band’s members.
However, one of those relationships turned romantic…
her relationship with Bob Weston.
What started out as friends turned into a full-on affair.
And of course, since the band was literally together all the time, it wouldn't be long
before Mick found out.
During their tour in 1973, Mick noticed that something was going on between the two, and
questioned Jenny about it.
She admitted to having an affair with Weston.
Mick was so angry he immediately fired Weston from the band.
In later years, Weston admitted he strongly regretted the affair.
He said it was a very expensive affair since it cost him a career as a member of Fleetwood
Mac.
Christine McVie and Martin Birch Even fans of Fleetwood Mac are likely not
familiar with the name Martin Birch, but he still had a large role in the band and in
its romantic chaos.
Birch was the band’s sound engineer, helping to make their carefully crafted music sound
as good as possible as they gained more and more fame.
But Birch soon became more than that.
After three happy years of marriage, Christine and John McVie started having marital issues.
By 1973 things had gone quite off the rails for them.
Christine later likened her husband to the famous characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
She claimed that, due to John’s excessive drinking, he was turning into a monster (Mr.
Hyde) a lot more, and leaving his normal self (Dr. Jekyll) aside a lot.
Thus she found herself turning to the affection of another man.
She had an affair with Martin Birch, only fanning the flames of her troubles with her
husband.
McVie eventually found out, and Birch was fired from the band.
Christine McVie and Curry Grant Curry Grant is likely another name you aren’t
familiar with, but he played a role in the band’s romantic tumult.
After ending things with Martin Birch when he was fired from the band, Christine decided
to ‘keep it in the family’ if you will.
She began an affair with Curry Grant, the band’s lighting director.
At that point, Christine and John’s marriage was in utter shambles.
They were recording Rumours, and the tension in the studio was palpable.
Christine later admitted that the two were essentially not speaking to each other, beyond
any relevant information about the songs they were recording.
Unfortunately, the entire band was aware of Christine’s affair with Grant, which made
things that much more awkward and difficult during the recording sessions.
Eventually, the strain of the affairs and their crumbling marriage was too much, and
Christine and John divorced in 1976 after seven years of marriage.
John later admitted that he didn’t have hard feelings about the affairs, since he
knew his behavior played a big part.
Incidentally, the Fleetwood Mac song, “You Make Loving Fun” was secretly written about
Curry Grant.
At the time, Christine told John that it was about her dog, but it was actually an ode
to her fling with the lighting director.
Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood After Stevie and Lindsey broke up, she began
dating other people.
She was in the middle of a relationship with another man when she entered into a love affair
with Mick Fleetwood in the later 1970s.
He was also in a relationship at the time.
In his book, Play On, Mick admitted that he fell in love with Stevie over the course of
the 1970s as they recorded and toured together.
He said their romance lasted on and off for several years.
But even Nicks admitted it was primarily fueled by drugs and booze.
She also said regretted that their relationship took a toll on Mick’s family.
Now it’s time to hear from you.
What’s your favorite Fleetwood Mac song?
Do you think these tumultuous romances helped fuel the band’s creativity, despite causing
personal rifts in the band?
Or do you think they would have been even more successful if the romances weren’t
a part of their story?
Let us know in the comments section below.
And before you go, be sure to give this video a like, and subscribe to Facts Verse if you
haven’t already.
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