She had been behind the band’s biggest hits like ” Don’t Stop ” and ” Little Lies “. Christine McVie has died aged 79.
Christine McVie, long-time vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter of the band Fleetwood Mac, is dead. She was 79 years old.
The band confirmed McVie’s death in a note shared on social media. ” There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one of a kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician you could have in your band and the best friend you could have in your life. We were very lucky to live with her. Individually and together, we have deeply cherished Christine and are grateful for the amazing memories we have. She will be greatly missed “.
—Fleetwood Mac (@fleetwoodmac) November 30, 2022
In a statement, McVie’s family said that she had died on November 30 in a hospital ” after a short illness “. ” She was with her family. We ask that you respect the privacy of the family at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to hold Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and a revered musician who was universally loved. . RIP Christine McVie “.
McVie joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970. She went on to write (and co-write) some of the band’s most memorable songs, including the classics ” Don’t Stop ” and ” You Make Loving Fun ” of rumors, as well as ” Tiens moi », « Little Lies ” and ” Over My Head “. Although she remained with the band through tumultuous years, notably in the early 1990s, she left after their big 1998 reunion tour. After a long hiatus away from the stage, she returned to Fleetwood Mac in 2014 and was still playing with them in 2019.
Throughout his time in Fleetwood Mac, McVie was something of an eye of the storm within the group. “ It’s apparently true, but I didn’t realize it at the timeshe joked in a interview with RollingStone earlier this year. Yes, I was supposed to be Mother Teresa hanging out with everyone or just trying to keep everything cool and relaxed. But they were great people, great friends. »
McVie was born Christine Anne Perfect on July 12, 1943. Her father was a concert violinist and music teacher, her mother was a medium and healer. She began to play the piano from childhood and studied classical music until adolescence, when she became interested in blues and rock and roll.
She played in various bands during the 1960s, forming the most notable of them, Chicken Shack, with Andy Silvester and Stan Webb, in 1968. Chicken Shack released two albums with Perfect (40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve and Okay Ken) and his interpretation of ” I’d Rather Go Blind by Etta James reached the UK Top 20 in 1969. Prefect left the band after Okay Ken and released an eponymous solo record in 1970.
The same year Chicken Shack was formed, in 1968, Perfect married John McVie, the longtime bassist of Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack were also signed to the same label at the time, Blue Horizon). McVie contributed to a few of Fleetwood Mac’s early albums, including Mr Wonderful in 1968 and Kiln House in 1970 (she also painted the latter’s cover). She officially joins the group after Kiln Househelping to fill the void left by the departure of founding guitarist Peter Green.
The early 1970s were a strange time for Fleetwood Mac, with members coming and going, a series of tours and albums that did reasonably well, but failed to produce any major hits. Of course, that all changed when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band and Fleetwood Mac released their self-titled album in 1975. McVie contributed many songs to the album, including hits like ” Over My Head ” and ” Say You Love Me “.
The Scrapbook Rumors, which conquered the whole world, followed in 1977. It is an album filled with hits, inspired by as many internal dramas in the group. The previous year, John and Christine divorced while John was plagued by alcoholism. And while the band was on tour, McVie began a relationship with Fleetwood lighting chief Mac, about whom she wrote the track ” You Make Loving Fun “. To spare John, McVie allegedly told him the song was about his dog.
Rumors also contained what would arguably become McVie’s signature song: ” Songbird “. It wasn’t his biggest hit for the band, but the ballad was a frequent conclusion at Fleetwood Mac gigs, especially after McVie reunited with the band in 2014. Guardian in 2016, McVie explained the song’s sudden origins: ” I woke up in the middle of the night and the song came to mind. I got out of bed, I played it on the little piano I have in my room, and I sang it without a tape recorder. I sang it from beginning to end: everything. I can’t tell you what I felt; it was as if I had been visited…it was a very spiritual thing. »
McVie’s contributions remain key to Fleetwood Mac’s success on tusk in 1979, and in the 1980s with Mirage in 1982. The latter contained “ Tiens moi a Top 5 hit that McVie co-wrote with Robbie Patton about the end of her relationship with the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson. It’s also the first Fleetwood Mac song to feature in a music video, which the band shot in the middle of the summer in the desert of Palm Springs, California: ” I don’t know what took us to do thisMcVie recalled in 2016. But sometimes we do crazy things. »
After MirageMcVie attempted to embark on a solo career again with his self-titled 1984 record. Although it included a song that entered the Top 10 (” Got a Hold On Me ), his success remained modest, and it would be another 20 years before McVie released another solo album.
Fleetwood Mac’s next release, however, will feature some of the greatest songs of McVie’s career. The Scrapbook Tango In the Night from 1987, the last studio album with the classic line-up of Fleetwood Mac, contains two McVie hits, ” Everywhere ” and ” Little Lies ,” which McVie co-wrote with her new husband, Eddy Quintela.
After Tango In the NightBuckingham left Fleetwood Mac, and Nicks followed after the album Behind the Mask from 1990 (this album had only one Top 40 track, ” save me by McVie). McVie stays for another Fleetwood Mac album, Timein 1995, but the group then disbanded.
Over the next few years, the members of Fleetwood Mac (including McVie) continued to work together on various projects, and in 1997 the full classical line-up embarked on a reunion tour. Things seemed set to continue their momentum the following year, when Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But McVie then decides to leave the band for good.
For the next 16 years, McVie led a quiet life in England. As she said to RollingStone in 2014, she felt compelled to experience a ” normal life, at home, with roots and she spent much of her time renovating her home and spending time with her dogs. She recorded a solo album, In the Meantime, in 2004, but her fear of flying prevented her from promoting it or touring. She also later admitted that she didn’t think the album was ” very good “.
McVie did, however, stay in touch with her former bandmates and even saw them perform live on a few occasions (“ It was weird, but at the same time fantastic to watch them without me “). Then, around 2012, he started to miss all of that. The music, the camaraderie… with the help of her therapist, she was able to overcome her fear of flying and rejoin the group in 2014.” It was a revelation because I suddenly knew I wanted to join the band again.she said at the time. Obviously, my muscle memory was a little damaged, but I told myself that I had to go for it. I can’t sit in the countryside rotting. I have to do something, and something special “.
With McVie back in the lineup, Fleetwood Mac embarked on a lengthy tour and there were even rumors of a new album, although this never materialized. Instead, Buckingham and McVie teamed up for an album of their own, Lindsey BuckinghamChristine McViereleased in 2017. A year later, however, Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac.
McVie and Fleetwood Mac did one last tour in 2019. She took the stage for what would turn out to be her last time on February 25, 2020 at the London Palladium, for a Peter Green tribute concert.
During the last years of her life, as her health began to decline, McVie kept very busy creatively. Last June, she released a new albumthe aptly named Songbird (A Solo Collection), which includes songs from his two self-titled solo albums, as well as some unreleased songs. Of course, an interpretation of the song ” Songbird was included, which pairs McVie’s original vocals with a new string arrangement by composer Vince Mendoza.
In one of his last interviews with RollingStone, we asked her what advice she would give herself if she could return to 1976, when Fleetwood Mac was on the verge of success. Despite all the drama and tension, McVie seemed happy with how her life had turned out: To be honest, I don’t think I would give myself any advice. I made do with what I had and enjoyed every moment of it. Obviously, my best days were in the Buckingham and Nicks version of Fleetwood Mac. It was the best for me. »
Moments later, she adds: I enjoyed the storm… Even though I am a peaceful person, I must admit that I enjoyed this storm. People say we often argued, but in reality, we spent a lot of time laughing. »
Jon Blisten
Translated by the editor