Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in London in 1967 by guitarist and singer Peter Green. Green recruited drummer Mick Fleetwood, guitarist and singer Jeremy Spencer and bassist Bob Brunning, with John McVie replacing Brunning a few weeks after the band’s first public appearance at the 1967 National Jazz & Blues Festival in Windsor. The band became a five-piece in 1968 with the addition of guitarist and singer Danny Kirwan. Primarily a British blues band in their early years, Fleetwood Mac achieved a UK number-one single in 1968 with the instrumental ‘Albatross’, and had other UK top ten hits with ‘Man of the World’, ‘Oh Well’ (both 1969), and ‘The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)’ (1970). Green left the band in May 1970, and Spencer and Kirwan also left in 1971 and 1972 respectively. By the end of 1974, the band was without a guitarist or male vocalist.
While scouting studios in Los Angeles, Mick Fleetwood discovered the American folk-rock duo Buckingham Nicks, consisting of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. He invited Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac, under the condition that Nicks could also become a member. The addition of Buckingham and Nicks transformed the band’s sound to a more pop rock style. Their album ‘Fleetwood Mac’ in 1975 reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart. The iconic ‘Rumours’ album in 1977 produced multiple top 10 singles, won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978, and sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Despite personal breakups within the band during the recording, Fleetwood Mac continued their success and stable line-up through several studio albums.
However, by the late 1980s, the band faced internal challenges leading to lineup changes. After Lindsey Buckingham’s departure in 1987, Fleetwood Mac welcomed Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, before Nicks also left in 1990. A significant reunion occurred in 1993 during President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, and a full-scale reunion took place four years later resulting in the release of ‘The Dance’ in 1997. Christine McVie rejoined the band in 2014 for the ‘On With the Show Tour’. Subsequently, changes continued with Buckingham’s replacement by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn in 2018. Fleetwood Mac’s enduring legacy includes over 120 million records sold worldwide, numerous accolades such as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.