(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Sun 15 February 2026 18:38, UK
It’s lucky that Fleetwood Mac was named after the band’s rhythm section (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie), because they were the only two members to consistently remain in the band from start to finish. From their genesis in 1967, all the way up to the present day, the iconic rock outfit have sported a number of different band members in their time, namely in the lead vocals department.
In those early years, the band were spearheaded by the blues rock icon, Peter Green, who, with his captivating and charming brand of performance, almost thrust them into hard rock royalty. At that time, they were akin to the burgeoning blues icons around them, Led Zeppelin, Cream and The Jeff Beck Group and a far cry from the sort of mythical dream rock outfit they would soon become.
But then came that shift, at the hands of Peter Green’s breakdown. With his drug use making his position in the band untenable, they pivoted to Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who together took the band to new heights. Their own personal rifts became the bedrock of their chart-topping songwriting, and suddenly, the band had a globally known line-up.
Between Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie, this bizarre band of warring lovers had a chemistry yet unmatched in the music industry. All three vocalists boasted a unique sense of style that made the individual performance of their own songs deeply captivating, yet their harmonic coming together on group tracks was equally as astonishing.
But in 1998, after three decades in music’s most tumultuous band, Christine McVie had decided to briefly retire from Fleetwood Mac and step away from touring. It left an unfillable void in the band that was very nearly filled by Sheryl Crow, until Nicks scared her away.
When asked if the Crow rumours were true, the band’s dictator, Buckingham, said, “It was considered. I think what happened was Sheryl kind of took it upon herself to announce that she was joining Fleetwood Mac, and nothing had ever really been decided.”
But Nicks leapt to her defence, highlighting the underlying truth in the rumours. She said, “I would like to say something in Sheryl’s defence. Sheryl had the chance, she and I are really good friends… When I told her how difficult Fleetwood Mac was, it’s like being in the army – once you sign up for Fleetwood Mac, you have no life, you have no opinion.”
She added, “And I said, ‘So understand what you’re signing up for,’ and she said, ‘Are you trying to talk me out of this?’, and I said, ‘No, I’m just telling you the truth about what it is to be in this band, and honey, you’ve got to really think about it,’ and she called me back and said, ‘I think you’re right, I think I’m going to pass.’
Nicks was doing a lot more than just protecting the chemistry of the band. She was fulfilling her duty as both an artist and friend, warning someone who was otherwise completely unprepared to join the Fleetwood Mac circus. If anyone understood that best, it was Nicks.