Fleetwood Mac Members: You Can ‘Never Break the Chain’ — See the Rock Band Then & Now
Learn more about the Fleetwood Mac members' solo careers and find out whether they'll reunite!
The captivating blues-turned-rock group, Fleetwood Mac, has been drawing in an audience for over five decades. From Stevie Nicks’ alluring lyrics to the illicit affairs that have ensued throughout the years, the Fleetwood Mac members have always given the world something to talk about.
Their 1997 performance of “Silver Springs” recently shook up the internet after it resurfaced, where there was seemingly lots of tension between former flames Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
MUST-READ: Fleetwood Mac ‘Rumours’: Secrets About The Album That Turned Heartbreak into Hits
The group originally came together in 1967, but the lineup was a bit different than the Fleetwood Mac we all know and love. Long-time members Mick Fleetwood and John McVie joined Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer to create the British blues band, finding instant success during the blues boom.
The Fleetwood Mac members everyone loves
After Green and Spencer left the band, McVie’s wife, Christine McVie, joined in 1970. It wasn’t until a few years later in 1974 that the lineup of Fleetwood Mac members locked into the group everyone knows as they welcomed Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. This five-piece rock band quickly became one of the most influential of the 70s.
MUST-READ: Stevie Nicks Songs Stand The Test Of Time: 15 of Her Greatest Solo Hits + Must-Read Facts
Their 1977 album Rumours was a massive success, the record created in the aftermath of the Nicks and Buckingham breakup and the dissolution of the McVie’s marriage. Although each of the Fleetwood Mac members used the album as an outlet to express their pain, they turned out smash hits. With singles like “Dreams” and “The Chain,” Rumours charted at number one for over 30 weeks and scored the group their first Grammy for Album of the Year.
In 1998, Fleetwood Mac, including former members Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Most recently, the group inspired the best-selling book and hit TV show, Daisy Jones and the Six. The fictional story is loosely based on the Fleetwood Mac members, the romances between them and their time in the band.
Check in with the Fleetwood Mac members and see where they’ve been in recent years.
MUST-READ: Is ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ a Real Band? The Wild True Story That Lead To the Hit Show
Stevie Nicks
The alluring vocalist is widely recognized for her ethereal stage presence and bohemian style. The name Stevie Nicks became a cornerstone in rock music and the 70s wouldn’t have been what they were without the musician. After she and her then-boyfriend, Lindsey Buckingham, joined Fleetwood Mac, Nicks’ fame skyrocketed.
Born as Stephanie Lynn Nicks in Phoenix, Arizona, she was a musician from very early on. Nicks began songwriting and performing in high school, where she would later meet Buckingham, and joined his band, Fritz. After a few years in the group, Nicks would become the front woman of Fleetwood Mac.
After Nicks penned the major hits “Dreams” and “Gold Dust Woman” for Rumours, which earned the band its first Grammy, her popularity only grew. In 1981, she started her solo career, with the release of debut album Bella Donna. While Nicks was working on her first solo effort, she was also still touring with Fleetwood Mac.
Although the singer’s career was soaring, she was also dealing with addiction — Nicks went to rehab in 1986, but relapsed afterwards. In 1993, the singer fully detoxed and she continued with her solo work. Nicks and other Fleetwood Mac members reunited in 1997 when they released The Dance and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Over the years, Nicks continued to record solo albums and work with other artists, among them Sheryl Crow, has reunited with Fleetwood Mac multiple times over the years and recorded with and without the group. In 2019, the vocalist became the first woman to be twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
After Daisy Jones & the Six was released, fans were itching for Nicks’ and other Fleetwood Mac members’ reactions. The singer took to Instagram months after the show’s debut to share her thoughts. “In the beginning, it wasn’t really my story, but Riley seamlessly soon became my story. It brought back memories that made me feel like a ghost watching my own story.”
Lindsey Buckingham: Fleetwood Mac members
Fleetwood Mac’s lead guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham, is the other half of the notorious duo with Stevie Nicks. Buckingham, who started in the band Fritz, joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974. Everyone knows Buckingham as Nicks boyfriend and muse for many of the songs on Rumours, but the guitarist also has his solo work that makes him the musician he is.
In 1987, Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac to focus on his solo career, which has included the albums Law and Order (1981), Go Insane (1984) and Out of the Cradle (1992). Fleetwood Mac reunited briefly in 1993 for Bill Clinton’s inauguration, but came together officially in 1997 with the release of The Dance.
In 2000, Buckingham married photographer Kristen Messner and they have three children together. His wife remained by his side through everything, including his 2019 emergency heart surgery. Two years later, Messner reportedly filed for divorce, but the couple has remained strong since and are still together.
Buckingham left the band again in 2018 after a disagreement over touring. The musician ended up suing the group for a variety of reasons, but the lawsuit was quickly settled. Unfortunately, Buckingham never returned to Fleetwood Mac.
Mick Fleetwood
The legendary drummer is one half of the band’s name, Fleetwood Mac, which was the combination of Fleetwood and John McVie’s surnames. Mick Fleetwood, who was an original member of Fleetwood Mac, is also one of the longest-standing members.
Throughout the band’s run, Fleetwood struggled with his drug use, which became more prominent in the 70s while writing Rumours. Fleetwood was married to Jenny Boyd from 1970 to 1974 and they remarried in 1977.
Later that year, Fleetwood and Nicks began an affair, which seemingly led to his second divorce from Boyd in 1978. He later married Nicks’ friend, Sara Recor, who was married when they met, which caused tensions between Fleetwood and Nicks.
Fleetwood has four children, two with his previous wife, Jenny, and two with his last wife, Lynn Frankel. In 2012, Fleetwood opened his own restaurant, Fleetwood’s on Front St., in Lahaina, Hawaii. Unfortunately, the restaurant was destroyed in the Maui wildfires of 2023.
Christine McVie: Fleetwood Mac members
Fleetwood Mac keyboardist, Christine McVie began her musical journey being classically trained, though at about age 15 she turned towards rock and roll music. Before she joined Fleetwood Mac with her husband, McVie was in the group Chicken Shack.
In 1970, McVie joined the lineup of Fleetwood Mac members. Although she was consistently the keyboardist, the musician also contributed to the songwriting process. While working on Rumours, McVie penned “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun” and “Songbird.” This album also noted the end of Christine’s marriage to John McVie, but they continued to work together professionally.
McVie officially left the band in 1998 after playing with them for 28 years, later sharing the reasons behind her exit. “I think that I was probably just burned out when I left and I was frightened to fly.” She continued with her solo career for a little while, but in 2012 McVie decided she missed playing. “The truth of the matter is, the only people I wanted to play with were the people I had played with all my life — these guys — Fleetwood Mac.”
Sadly, Christine McVie passed in 2022 at age 79. Fleetwood Mac members have made it clear that the band wouldn’t perform without McVie, but never say never. “I truly think the line in the sand has been drawn with the loss of Chris,” Mick Fleetwood explained. “I’d say we’re done, but then we’ve all said that before.”
John McVie
One of Fleetwood Mac’s founding members, John McVie, is also one of the band’s longest-standing musicians, his name serving as inspiration for one half of the band’s, hence Fleetwood Mac. The musician has been the band’s bassist since 1967.
McVie recruited his wife, Christine, to join Fleetwood Mac in 1970, which created the most popular lineup in the band’s history. Unfortunately, Christine and John divorced in 1976, which led to the recording of Rumours. In 1978, John McVie married Julie Ann Reubens and the couple had one child together.
In 1992, he recorded his lone solo album, Gotta Band, but all his other music was recorded with the band. In 2013, McVie was diagnosed with colon cancer, so Fleetwood Mac canceled a leg of their tour for him to undergo treatment. By 2017, McVie was in remission.
