Fleetwood Mac, a rock band, best known for their album Rumours, has experienced several changes in their musical journey, like their infamous temporary disbandment and the fake Fleetwood Mac mishappening.
When the original members temporarily disbanded, Clifford Davis, the band manager, claimed ownership to the name ‘Fleetwood Mac’ and hired an entirely new group to play under the same band name.
The Rocky Beginnings of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac is known for experiencing various ups and downs throughout its musical career ever since its establishment in 1976.
The roots of Fleetwood Mac are rooted back in 1976 when Peter Green and John McVie were still part of a blues band called John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. They’ve already known Mick Fleetwood then as they’ve already played with him in the past, inviting him to join their band as a drummer.
Green and Fleetwood then decided to form a new band named Fleetwood Mac, a name of an instrumental track they had. McVie only solidified his decision to join the two weeks after their first performance in August 1967. It was only a year after when Christine McVie and Danny Kirwan joined the band, expanding the diversity of the bands’ songs.
In 1969, Fleetwood Mac released their first rock album featuring the hit Rattlesnake Shake. A year after, Green’s mental health took a toll for the worse, making him leave the band after their European tour. The same year, Christine McVie, now John McVie’s wife, joined as a fully dedicated member.
1971 came, and Fleetwood Mac hired a new full-time guitarist named Bob Welch as their former member, Jeremy Spencer, disappeared to join a religious cult. The same year, the release of the Future Games album brought them traction in the United States.
When 1972 arrived, band members lessened again as Fleetwood fired Kirwan due to his alcohol dependency and refusal to perform, making Bob Weston join the band as a guitarist. The following year, Fleetwood fired Weston when he discovered that Weston and Fleetwood’s wife, Jenny Boyd, had been having an affair. (Source: Planet Radio)
The Infamous Faux Fleetwood Mac
It was during Fleetwood Mac’s American tour that Fleetwood fired Weston because of his affair with Boyd. With the immediate cancelation of their tour, the band informed their sound engineer that Fleetwood Mac was now over.
Clifford Davis had no intention for the remaining gigs to be canceled, and since Davis claimed his ownership of the band name, he hired entirely different members to perform under the name Fleetwood Mac. Elmer Gantry, Kirby, Paul Martinez, David Wilkinson, and Craig Collinge comprised the fake Fleetwood Mac. (Source: Rolling Stone)
When crowds noticed the lack of the original ensemble, the tour finally stopped.
The Continuation of Fleetwood Mac’s Journey
The authentic Fleetwood Mac rejoined in September 1974, engaging in a new record contract, making them the first renowned rock band to manage themselves.
1975, the year Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band, was a rough time for Fleetwood Mac as John & Christine and Stevie & Lindsey broke up, with Fleetwood in the middle of a divorce.
Two years later, the band released their most esteemed album, Rumours, which landed them the 1977 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In 1979, Fleetwood Mac joined the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star.
Since then, Fleetwood Mac went on hiatus after the release of their 13th album but reunited again in 1987. Band members continued to leave and join the group, albums were still released, and the remaining members continued to perform. (Source: Planet Radio)