Since the band’s founding, they have cycled through 18 different band members-some with brief tenures, others outraged by their dismissal, and even some who quit on their own accord only to return to the line-up years later. While Green was the first member to leave the band, he was certainly not the last. He ultimately reunited with the band, but only to play eight notes on their 1979 track, “Brown Eyes.” In total, Fleetwood Mac has had 18 different band members. His mental health continued to deteriorate, eventually landing him in an institution. On May 20, 1970, a few weeks after penning one final hit, “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Prong Crown),” Green quit the band. They picked up the first of many alternate members along the way, hiring 18-year-old Danny Kirwan as a third guitarist to account for Green’s increased drug usage and subsequent unreliability.īy 1970, Green, who is regarded as one of England’s greatest blues guitarists, was on a steady diet of LSD and self-loathing, which lead to a mental breakdown. Over the next two years, the band released three more albums and continued to tour. In 1968, Fleetwood Mac released their eponymously-titled debut album and their first hit single, “Albatross.” Shortly after their album release, the band set off on their first tour, where things began to take a turn for their founder and leader, Green, who discovered LSD while on the road. Things move fast for the new band, who took the stage for their first live show that August as part of the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival, where 40,000 guests gathered over four days to watch artists like Cream, Small Faces, and Jeff Beck. Mick Fleetwood, MaNiedersachsenhalle, Hannover, Germany || CC: W.W.Thaler – H.

Having used the combination of Fleetwood and McVie’s surnames as the title of an instrumental piece created during the recording session that inspired them to form the band, Green suggested using it as the band’s name.

Former bandmate and bassist, John McVie, was invited to join them and initially declined but soon changed his tune. Though known for their west coast pop-rock sound, Fleetwood Mac actually began as a British blues-rock band in 1967, when singer and guitarist, Peter Green, and drummer, Mick Fleetwood, left their previous band to strike out on their own, along with second guitarist, Jeremy Spencer. Fleetwood Mac began as a British blues band. But behind their signature, laid-back California pop-rock sound is a history of drama, turbulence, and rampant drug use.Īs old becomes new again, it’s time to take a look back at the messy legacy of rock legends Fleetwood Mac. 6 bestselling album of all time.įew bands have had as illustrious of a career as Fleetwood Mac. That record alone has sold over 45 million copies, making it the No. Believe It or Not!, one in six American households owns a copy of the record “Rumours,” on which “Dreams” was featured. Lest you fool yourself into thinking the band was on the brink of failure, Fleetwood Mac has already had a history of transcending generations.

Then, only a week later, music giant BMG came out of a three-year acquirement retirement to purchase 100% of Mick Fleetwood’s royalty interest in more than 300 of the band’s recordings, including some of their biggest hits like “The Chain,” “Go Your Own Way,” and “Landslide.” Lindsey Buckingham followed suit a month later. Over the next eight weeks, it would gain over 3.2 billion views and streams, catapulting the 43-year-old song to the 21st spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart!īy December, Stevie Nicks sold off 80% of her publishing rights for $80 million. Apodaca’s video was an overnight sensation, even garnishing attention from the band’s official Twitter account and inspiring Mick Fleetwood himself to recreate the video.

Fleetwood mac live videos 70s