What started out as a blues band in the late 1960s would later become one of the most enduring and successful mainstream pop bands in recording history.
Fleetwood Mac was the brainchild of John McVie, Christine Perfect (later marring John and becoming
Christine McVie) and Mick Fleetwood, who moved from their native Britain to America in the early 70s, where they met the duo of Lindsay Buckingham and
Stevie Nicks and incorporated them into the group. In 1975, the new line-up released the self-titled Fleetwood Mac, which has since informally occasionally become known
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as the "White Album" due to its cover. The album proved to be a breakthrough for the band and became a huge hit (reaching #1 in the US). Among the hit Fleetwood Mac songs from this album were Christine McVie's "
Over My Head" and "
Say You Love Me", and Stevie Nicks' "Rhiannon" and "Landslide.” Amidst person turmoil, the group released its second album, Rumours, in 1977. It became the best-selling album of the year, spending over 6 months at the top of the U.S. chart, and was the recipient of the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year for 1977. Hit singles included Buckingham's "
Go Your Own Way" and Nicks's "Dreams.”
All in all, Fleetwood Mac has had 15 different personnel lineups and has weathered the romances and subsequent breakups of Buckingham and Nicks, and the McVies. The band has released a total of 42 albums, including studio, live, and compilation albums. Of the 45 singles that came from those albums, 34 charted in both the US and UK. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and two of the band’s original members, Fleetwood and John McVie, have remained with the group since its inception. In 2003, the lineup of Nicks, Buckingham, Fleetwood and John McVie released Say You Will, and last toured in 2004, spawning that year’s Live in Boston album. Christine McVie left the band in 1998. She, Nicks and Buckingham all pursued solo careers in addition to their work with the band, which continues to tour. All in all, Fleetwood Mac has sold more than 100 million copies of its albums - including 25 million for Rumours alone – a monumental achievement by any musical standard.
