How Christine McVie became a member of Fleetwood Mac
Christine McVie was a vital component of Fleetwood Mac, a band that had already existed within their orbit for some years before she officially became a group member in 1970. However, various sliding door moments occurred that allowed her arrival to happen.
Before joining Fleetwood Mac, McVie rose to prominence as a member of Chicken Shack. Although she wasn’t a founding member of that band either, as the musician was recruited in 1968, similarly to Fleetwood Mac, her arrival proved significant. However, despite their success following the single ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’, McVie’s head had already been turned.
Chicken Shack and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac toured together in 1968 due to both being signed to Blue Horizon. The record label was an exciting place to be, and due to their connection, McVie also assisted on the Fleetwood Mac album Mr. Wonderful as a session musician, which would kickstart a beautiful partnership.
As the two bands were in close proximity, McVie became crestfallen for Fleetwood Mac guitarist John McVie, and he was equally smitten. Suddenly, nothing else mattered to Christine apart from being with her partner, whom she married in 1969, and quit Chicken Shack shortly afterwards.
She never intended to become a member of Fleetwood Mac. Christine was content with stepping back from the music industry if it allowed her to be close to her husband. She initially planned to retire, but it was short-lived as McVie decided to record a solo album in 1970, released on Blue Horizon.
Looking back on that time, McVie told The Guardian in 2022: “Chicken Shack used to open for them. I got to know John, fell in love with him and it was just sensational and exciting. Fleetwood Mac were fantastic and really funny. The biggest joker was probably Peter Green, but they all had a very copacetic sense of humour with each other. It was heartbreaking for them when Peter left.”
Following Green’s departure, Fleetwood Mac were in flux, and they felt McVie could help alleviate their woes. For her, this opportunity was a lifeline that provided a gateway back into music following her unsuccessful solo debut and, more importantly, allowed her to collaborate with her husband.
During the same aforementioned interview, McVie recalled the precise moment she officially became a member of Fleetwood Mac: “They were rehearsing at Kiln House [Hampshire], and I was down there with all the wives. They came out of the rehearsal room and said: ‘Hey Chris, do you want to join?’ I couldn’t believe my luck. I said: ‘Are you serious?! I’m just a girl who plays piano.'”
She continued: “The style had to change because I was a keyboard player, and it developed a more commercial bent. It was thrilling, and I have to say to this day it still kind of is, knowing that I did that. Then it just got better.”
If it weren’t for Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack sharing a record label at Blue Horizon, the group’s future would have been entirely different, as they’d never have recruited McVie. Thanks to her, Fleetwood Mac allowed themselves to express themselves in a more commercially friendly manner, which changed the course of pop music history.
