Revisit Christine McVie’s first hit single
Christine McVie had quite the career before ever joining Fleetwood Mac. The singer and keyboardist born Christine Perfect was on her own bluesy path as a teenager playing with local bands, but it wouldn’t be until the late 1960s that she got her own chance at stardom.
That was with British blues band Chicken Shack, which consisted of a few of McVie’s former bandmates. After three years of minor success as a trio, Chicken Shack added McVie to flesh out its sound. McVie wasn’t the leader or even the main lead singer of the band, but her talents made her a valuable asset as a piano player and harmony vocalist.
Chicken Shack wasn’t unlike a number of blues bands that emerged out of England in the 1960s. They relied heavily on covers, they had an ever-shifting lineup of musicians, and they even managed to snag a job as the house band at the Star Club in Hamburg, nearly a decade after The Beatles made a strong impression in the role.
The band’s debut, 40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve, was released in 1968 and climbed all the way to number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. The album showed off McVie’s first self-written songs, including ‘When the Train Comes Back’ and ‘You Ain’t No Good’. The follow-up, 1969’s O.K. Ken?, charted even higher at number nine. McVie once again had a number of songwriting credits, but it would take a cover for Chicken Shack to score a hit single.
Instead of pulling from traditional blues, McVie opted to cover a pioneer of soul and R&B, Etta James. The two vocalists had contrasting styles: James was brash and brassy, not afraid to scream or holler to add the right amount of emotion. McVie was more restrained and contained, but she could still imbue the same level of emotion out of a song through quietness than James could through loudness.
Chicken Shack’s version of ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ landed at number 14, giving McVie her first top 20 hit. However, shortly after the song reached its peak on the UK Singles Chart, McVie left Chicken Shack after marrying Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie. Christine initially tried to start a solo career, releasing the self-titled Christine Perfect in 1970, but it didn’t chart. Soon after, Peter Green officially left the Mac, and McVie was recruited initially to fill in, becoming a full-time member by 1971’s Future Games.
Check out Chicken Shack’s version of ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ down below.
