Christine McVie

McVie was born in the Lake District village of Bouth, Cumbria, and grew up in the Bearwood area of Smethwick near Birmingham. Her father, Cyril Percy Absell Perfect, was a concert violinist and music lecturer at St Peter's College of Education, Saltley, Birmingham and taught violin at St Philip's Grammar School, Birmingham. McVie's mother Beatrice Edith Maud (Reece) Perfect, was a medium, psychic and faith healer. McVie's grandfather was an organist at Westminster Abbey.[8]

Although McVie was introduced to the piano when she was four, she did not study music seriously until age 11, when she was re-introduced to it by Philip Fisher, a local musician and school friend of McVie's older brother, John.[9] Continuing her classical training until age 15, McVie shifted her musical focus to rock and roll when her brother, John, came home with a Fats Domino songbook.[10] Other early influences included The Everly Brothers.[11]

McVie studied sculpture at an art college in Birmingham for five years, with the goal of becoming an art teacher. During that time she met a number of budding musicians in Britain's blues scene.[9] Her first foray into the music field did not come until she met two friends, Stan Webb and Andy Silvester in a pub one night. At the time, they were playing in a band called Sounds Of Blue. Knowing that McVie had musical talent, they asked her to join.[12] She often sang with Spencer Davis. After five years, McVie graduated from art college, but by that time Sounds of Blue had split up. McVie found she did not have enough money to launch herself into the art world, so she moved to London and worked briefly as a department store window dresser.[12]

McVie was a fan of Fleetwood Mac, and while touring with Chicken Shack, the two bands would often meet. They also were both signed to Blue Horizon, and Fleetwood Mac had asked her to play piano as a session musician for Peter Green's songs on the band's second album, Mr. Wonderful.[15]

Encouraged to continue her career, McVie recorded a solo album, Christine Perfect; following her success as a member of Fleetwood Mac, the album was reissued under the name The Legendary Christine Perfect Album. After marrying Fleetwood Mac bassist, John McVie, she joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970. She had already contributed backup vocals and painted the cover for Kiln House. The band had just lost founding member Peter Green, and its members were nervous about touring without him. McVie had been a huge fan of the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac; and since she knew all the lyrics to their songs, she went along.[16]

McVie went on to become an integral member, another lead vocalist, and keyboardist of the group and the first album with her as a full-fledged band member was Future Games. It was recorded at London's Advision Studios and included the first with American-born member Bob Welch in place of founding member Jeremy Spencer. Danny Kirwan was still in the band at this point, but he was fired in 1972 after an incident on tour where he refused to perform at a gig after a row with Welch.

The early 1970s was a rocky time for the band, with a revolving door of musicians; and only the albums Bare Trees and Mystery to Me were successful.[17] Furthermore, a group impersonating Fleetwood Mac (which later became Stretch) was touring the United States with encouragement from the band's manager, Clifford Davis. The tour collapsed, but it led to a protracted lawsuit between Davis and Fleetwood Mac.[18]

In 1974, McVie reluctantly agreed to move with the rest of Fleetwood Mac to the United States. Within a year Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Buckingham Nicks joined the band, giving it an added dimension. Their first album together, 1975's Fleetwood Mac, had several hit songs, with McVie's "Over My Head" and "Say You Love Me", both reaching Billboard's top-20 singles chart. It was "Over My Head" which first put Fleetwood Mac on American radio and into the national Top 20.[19]

In 1976, McVie began an on-the-road affair with the band's lighting director,[20] which inspired her to write "You Make Loving Fun", a top-10 hit on the landmark smash Rumours, one of the best-selling albums of all-time. Her biggest hit was "Don't Stop", which reached number three. The Rumours tour also included McVie's "Songbird", a ballad played as the encore of many Fleetwood Mac concerts.

By the end of the Rumours tour the McVies were divorced. The 1979 double album Tusk produced three more US top-20 hits ("Tusk", "Sara", and Christine's "Think About Me"), but it came nowhere near to matching the success of the Rumours album.[21] The Tusk tour continued into 1980 after which the band took time apart. They reunited in 1981 to record the album Mirage at the Château d'Hérouville's studio in France. The album, released in 1982, returned the band to the top of the US charts and contained the top-5 hit "Hold Me", co-written by McVie. McVie's inspiration for the song was her tortured relationship with Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson.[22] Her song, "Love in Store", became the third single from the album peaking at #22 in early 1983.[23]

In 1984, McVie recorded another solo album which included the hits "Got a Hold on Me" (#10 US pop, #1 adult contemporary and #1 Mainstream Rock Tracks) and "Love Will Show Us How" (#30 US pop). A third single, "I'm The One", was released but did not chart. McVie is quoted in The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits as saying of her solo album, "Maybe it isn't the most adventurous album in the world, but I wanted to be honest and please my own ears with it."[24]

McVie also met keyboardist Eddy Quintela, whom she married on 18 October 1986. Quintela went on to co-write many songs with her that were featured on subsequent Fleetwood Mac albums. She rejoined Fleetwood Mac to record the Tango in the Night album, which went on to become the band's biggest success since Rumours ten years earlier. The biggest hit from the album, which was top 5 in both the UK and U.S., was McVie's "Little Lies", co-written with her husband Quintela. Another McVie single from the album, "Everywhere", reached #4 in the UK, which would be the band's third highest ever chart peak there, and their final top 40 UK hit to date (the single peaked at #14 in the U.S.).[25] In 1990, the band (now without Lindsey Buckingham) recorded Behind the Mask, but the album only reached Gold status in the U.S.,[26] and only McVie's song "Save Me" made the U.S. Top 40. The album did enter the UK album chart at #1 and reached Platinum status there. The second US single release from the album, McVie's "Skies the Limit" did not make the top 100, but did reach #10 on the adult contemporary chart.

McVie has often been reluctant to go on concert tours, preferring to stay close to home with friends and family. Upon the death of her father, Cyril Perfect, while she was touring for Behind the Mask, McVie made the decision to retire from touring altogether.[27] Despite the departure of Stevie Nicks, McVie remained with the band, writing and recording a new track ("Love Shines") for the 1992 boxed set 25 Years - The Chain, and five songs for the band's 1995 album Time. After Fleetwood, John McVie, and Buckingham got together for one of Buckingham's solo projects in the mid-1990s, she was asked to sing and play on some of the tracks. Then, the four decided a full reunion was possible and Nicks joined them. The live album, The Dance, reached #1 on the US album charts.

Despite her reservations, McVie complied with the band's touring schedule, and then performed for the group's 1998 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the Grammy Awards show, and the BRIT Awards in the UK. McVie later revealed in a 2014 Rolling Stone interview that she had developed a phobia about flying, which was later treated with psychotherapy. This phobia was the reason she decided not to continue with Fleetwood Mac after 1998.[27] In 2006 Paste magazine named McVie, together with bandmates Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, as the 83rd greatest living songwriter or songwriting team.[28]

Return to Fleetwood Mac and album with Lindsey Buckingham (2014–present)

In 2013, McVie appeared on stage in Maui, Hawaii performing with the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band which included Mick Fleetwood and ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Rick Vito. This was her first appearance on stage in 15 years.[38] Later in September, Christine McVie joined Fleetwood Mac on stage for the first time in 15 years to play "Don't Stop" at The O2 Arena, London. She played on two dates and her appearance on stage was received with rapturous applause.[39][40] On 11 January 2014, Mick Fleetwood announced during a concert in Maui that McVie would be rejoining the band,[41] and it was officially announced two days later that she had rejoined.[42] The band's most popular lineup (Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks) performed together for the first time since 1998 in its On with the Show tour beginning in Minneapolis at the Target Center on 30 September 2014.

In August 2016, Mick Fleetwood said that while the band has "a huge amount of recorded music", virtually none of it features Stevie Nicks. Lindsey Buckingham and McVie, however, have contributed multiple songs to the new project. Fleetwood told Ultimate Classic Rock, "She [McVie] ... wrote up a storm ... She and Lindsey could probably have a mighty strong duet album if they want. In truth, I hope it will come to more than that. There really are dozens of songs. And they're really good. So we'll see."[43]

Buckingham and McVie performing live in 2017.

Buckingham and Christine McVie announced a new album titled Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie, which also features Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.[44] The album was originally planned as a Fleetwood Mac album. Stevie Nicks did not participate due to her preference for a solo tour with The Pretenders. Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie was released on 9 June 2017, and was preceded by the single, "In My World". A 38-date tour began on 21 June 2017 and ended on 16 November.[45][46]

On 11 April 2017, the duo announced a 14-date North American tour was announced.[45] Eight of the album's ten tracks were played live, with the rest of the set list consisting of Fleetwood Mac songs and Buckingham solo cuts.[47][48] The Wallflowers opened for the band on select nights.[49] In June, the band appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform the album's first single, "In My World".[50]

Some extra North American shows were later added in August, including one in Los Angeles and another in New York City.[51] Another North American leg began in October, which saw the addition of 22 more shows.[52]

Fleetwood Mac headlined the second night of the Classic West concert (on 16 July 2017 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles) and the second night of the Classic East concert (at New York's Citi Field on 30 July 2017). On 9 April 2018, Fleetwood Mac announced that Mike Campbell would be joining the band along with Neil Finn to replace lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham who was fired.[53]

When McVie married John McVie in 1968, Peter Green was best man. They honeymooned in Birmingham before going off with their own separate bands. The couple divorced in 1976.[54] From 1979 to 1982 she was engaged to Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. She married keyboardist Eddy Quintela on 18 October 1986.[55] They divorced in 2003. During the height of Fleetwood Mac's success in the 1970s, McVie resided in Los Angeles in a house that had previously been owned by Joan Collins and Elton John.[56] She later moved to a Grade II-listed Tudor manor house in Wickhambreaux, Kent where she recorded some of her solo material and retired to after leaving Fleetwood Mac. After rejoining the band, she announced her intention to sell the property.[57][58]

McVie sang with Dennis Wilson on his song "Love Surrounds Me" for The Beach Boys' 1979 album L.A. (Light Album). She also sang with Christopher Cross on the song "Never Stop Believing" on his 1988 album Back of My Mind, as well as with Bob Welch on his solo version of "Sentimental Lady". McVie released an album with fellow Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham titled Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie on 9 June 2017.

• Christine McVie at AllMusic
• Christine McVie at IMDb
• Extensive bio, links to charts, discography