Mick Fleetwood names his drumming “hero”
Mick Fleetwood, the iconic drummer of Fleetwood Mac, is a true, percussive hero who will be remembered for generations to come for his consistently creative approach and stylistic versatility. Throughout his band’s tempestuous history, marked by wild stylistic upheaval and personal struggles, Fleetwood has remained the firm mast at sea, providing the rhythmic foundation that defines their eclectic sound.
With each chapter of Fleetwood Mac’s evolution, from their formative blues-rock period to the pop-rock superstardom of Rumours, Fleetwood’s drumming virtuosity has been a constant, reliable force, anchoring the band’s ever-changing dynamics. As a blues man, first and foremost, Fleetwood’s early interest in percussion was piqued by Sonny Freeman.
Freeman was best known as the melodic drummer from B.B. King’s backing band. According to Fleetwood, he was the “master of the shuffle”. In his 2014 autobiography Play On, Fleetwood continued: “I listened until my eardrums fell out. He just was so swingin’, and of course, B.B. King became a huge favourite of mine. He was one of our heroes”.
“When we started, Peter [Green] and John [McVie] were so into Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters,” he added. “You can hear the influence in Peter’s playing. That album would epitomize the style of the world that I was going into, with the early days of Fleetwood Mac. No matter what you do or don’t do, you have ups and downs, the good and the bad, but no matter what, you gotta swing. If you don’t take it to the bank on that level, go home.”
During the 1950s and ’60s, Fleetwood was also partial to a bit of jazz-infused rock, especially if Sandy Nelson was behind the kit. The intricately skilled musician was most popular as a session drummer, receiving credits on a host of popular hits, including the Teddy Bears’ 1958 song ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’, The Hollywood Argyles’ ‘Alley Oop’ and Kathy Young and the Innocents’ ‘A Thousand Stars’.
“Sandy Nelson was someone who was played on the radio, and I couldn’t believe you’d have a drummer with a hit record. He became a hero,” Fleetwood wrote of the virtuoso. “My dream was to be Sandy Nelson. And all I’ve done is drum, so I have no complaints.”
Throughout his career, Nelson released a selection of charting instrumental tracks as a solo artist. Listen to his most popular track, ‘Let There Be Drums’, below.
