Fleetwood Mac is one of the world’s best selling bands in history with more than 120 million records sold worldwide. In July of 1967, Peter Green left the band he was previously in with Mick Fleetwood, “John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.”After Mayall had gifted Green free recording time, Fleetwood, McVie (bass guitar), and Green recorded five songs. After this Green encouraged the guys to leave Mayall behind to form their band, “Fleetwood Mac,” but McVie turned it down in fear of losing a steady salary. Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood found guitarist Jermery Spencer and temporary bassist Bob Brunning. Brunning was soon replaced by McVie who couldn’t pass up on this amazing opportunity. 

In February of 1968, Fleetwood Mac’s first self-titled album was released and reached number four in the UK. Quickly following this, the band released two singles. After the release of their second studio album, Mr.Wonderful, they decided to add a young guitarist to their band to add some new flavor. Danny Kirwan was the guitarist in a band called Boilerhouse but after all, being asked to play support slots for Fleetwood Mac, the bassist and drummer were not ready for professional gigs. Kirwan was a huge asset to the band and Green praised his performance during “Albatross,” which was their first number-one single. 

The band went on tour in January of 1969 and decided to switch labels to accommodate their changing sound. The Beatles even requested they joined them with Apple Records but the band settled down with Warner Bros. Records. 

In 1970, Peter Green ran into some issues with drugs leading to his mental health decline and ultimate quitting of the band after a show on May 20th, 1970. Christine Perfect who was married to John McVie came out of retirement and began to perform with Fleetwood Mac in August of 1970. After Jeremy Spencer walked out on the band, they hired Bob Welch. By 1972 tours became nearly impossible for the band and Danny Kirwan suffered a breakdown. The band was consistently changing their line-ups. The band announced that they were splitting up in October of 1973. After the band manager heard of this, he recruited a fully new band as he claimed ownership of Fleetwood Mac and promised the new members Fleetwood would be back to perform with them on tour. After fans got word that the band was not the original, the tour collapsed and ended in legal issues. 

The original Fleetwood Mac now consisting of Fleetwood, Welch and McVies reformed and decided to manage themselves and change their base of operation to the US instead of England. Welch was soon replaced by Lindsey Buckingham and agreed to do so if his girlfriend Stevie Nicks could be included too. 

On October 10th of 1979, Fleetwood Mac received the honor of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In that same year, a more experimental album was released by the name of Tusk which was followed by an 11-month world tour. Buckingham left the band right before the tour of their hit album Tango in the Night and was replaced by Billy Burnette and Rick Vito. 

In 1990, the band began to veer away from the sound Buckingham had created and this received mixed reviews from critics, some devastated Buckingham had left but others saying the two new guitarists were the best things to ever happen to Fleetwood Mac. 

In 1993, Buckingham, Nicks, J McVie, C McVie, and Fleetwood reunited per request of US President Bill Clinton to perform at his first Inaugural Ball. This sparked the revamp of the band once again while members continued to alternate. In 1998 Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the original band members Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and Danny Kirwan. Also inducted were the later added members of the band, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Lindsey Buckingham. At the induction ceremony, Peter Green did not perform with the band but instead performed his composition. Fleetwood Mac also received the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the British Phonographic Industry Awards in 1998. 

The group continued to tour and make music and perform for large crowds but a large interest in the band immediately sparked after six of the songs of their 1977 album, Rumors, was featured in the Fox Network series, “Glee.” The popularity of the show grew attention back to Fleetwood Mac’s most commercially successful album and led it to reenter the Billboard Top 200. Nicks then announced they would reunite for a tour in 2013. The tour was set for 34 cities but was cut short when John McVie was diagnosed with cancer. 

After 20 tours, 18 studio albums, 9 live albums, 62 singles, 3 Grammys, and years of success, it is safe to say that Fleetwood Mac is well-deserving for the July 2020 Flashback Artist Selection. Every band has its ups and downs and breakups and makeups but Fleetwood Mac has persevered for decades and never fails to deliver amazing music and shows. They are a group that will be remembered for years to come and are praised by music lovers around the world.