And the harmonies and music making of Nicks, Buckingham and Christine McVie insured that such albums as “Fleetwood Mac,” “Rumours” and “Mirage” had an enviable quality and variety of songwriting and vocal styles.īut the group’s overwhelming success also led to inevitable conflicts and the desire for solo work. Nicks and Christine McVie formed a lasting friendship, agreeing that as two of the rare women in rock they would always stand up for each other.
The new lineup proved ideal, and almost instantly magical. While spending time in Los Angeles, Fleetwood learned of a young duo from California, Buckingham and Nicks, that had recorded the little known album “Buckingham Nicks.” Impressed by their sound, he initially planned to ask just Buckingham to join, but the guitarist insisted the band also include Nicks, his girlfriend at the time. In the mid-1970s, Fleetwood Mac was down to just three members, Fleetwood and the two McVies. It was rescued by unexpected returns and interventions - including Clinton’s - and one of rock’s most fortuitous and lucrative hunches. Green was among the many performers who left the group, and at various times Fleetwood Mac seemed on the verge of ending, or fading away. By 1970, she had joined the group and married John McVie.įew bands succeeded so well as Fleetwood Mac, which has sold well over 100 million records, against such long odds. Among the rival bands she admired was Fleetwood Mac, which then featured the talents of blues guitarist Peter Green along with the rhythm section of Fleetwood and John McVie. While studying at the Moseley School of Art, she befriended various members of Britain’s emerging blues scene and, in her 20s, joined the band Chicken Shack as a singer and piano player. She had been playing piano since childhood, but set aside her classical training once she heard early rock records by Fats Domino and others. Her father was a violinist and music teacher and her grandfather played organ at Westminster Abbey. McVie, born Christine Anne Perfect in Bouth, Lancashire, came from a musical family.
Her boyfriends included the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, about whom she wrote “Only Over You.”
McVie’s two marriages, to John McVie and Eduardo Quintela, both ended in divorce. The midtempo rocker “Don’t Stop,” inspired by the end of her marriage, would gain unexpected political relevance when Bill Clinton adopted the song - and its “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow” refrain - as a theme to his 1992 presidential run. The group’s many other hit singles included Nicks’ “Dreams,” Buckingham’s “Go Your Own Way” and McVie’s “Little Lies.” One of McVie’s most beloved works, the thoughtful ballad “Songbird,” was a showcase for her in concert and covered by Willie Nelson, among others. The McVies’ breakup - along with the split of Nicks and Buckingham - was famously documented on the 1977 release “Rumours,” among the bestselling albums of all time.įleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Her death is the first among Fleetwood Mac’s most famous incarnation of McVie, Nicks, Buckingham, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, Christine’s ex-husband.įleetwood Mac started out as a London blues band in the 1960s, and evolved into one of the defining makers of 1970s California pop-rock, with the talents of McVie, Nicks and Buckingham anchored by the rhythm section of Fleetwood and John McVie.ĭuring its peak commercial years, from 1975-80, the band sold tens of millions of records and fascinated fans as it transformed personal battles into melodic, compelling songs. McVie was a steady presence and personality in a band known for its frequent lineup changes and volatile personalities - notably fellow singer-songwriters Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure,” the band’s statement reads in part. No cause of death or other details were immediately provided, but a family statement said she “passed away peacefully at hospital this morning” with family around her after a “short illness.” Her death was announced on the band’s social media accounts.
NEW YORK - Christine McVie, the British-born Fleetwood Mac vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped define such classics as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and “Don’t Stop,” died Wednesday at age 79.
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