Christine McVie
Christine McVie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christine Anne Perfect 12 July 1943 Greenodd, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 30 November 2022 (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, vocalist |
| Years active | Mid-1960s–2022 |
| Known for | Keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriter for Fleetwood Mac |
Christine Anne McVie (; Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was a distinguished English musician renowned for her roles as keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriter within the rock ensemble Fleetwood Mac.
Her musical journey commenced in the British blues circuit of the mid-1960s, performing with groups such as Chicken Shack. Initially contributing to Fleetwood Mac as a session musician in 1968, she officially became a full member by 1970. McVie's songwriting first appeared on the band's fifth studio release, Future Games. Throughout numerous personnel shifts, she played a pivotal role by composing and delivering lead vocals before stepping back from full-time involvement in 1998.
Often recognized as "the driving force behind several of Fleetwood Mac's major chart-toppers," McVie penned or co-penned eight tracks included on their 1988 Greatest Hits compilation. Notable songs include "Say You Love Me", "Don't Stop", "Everywhere", and "Little Lies". She also contributed as a session artist on their last studio project, Say You Will. Beyond her band work, McVie released three solo records and collaborated on a duet album with Lindsey Buckingham, showcasing her rich contralto vocal style.
As an essential figure within Fleetwood Mac, McVie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and honored with the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 1998. Following nearly thirty years with the group, she departed that year and entered semi-retirement, issuing a solo album in 2004. Her return to the stage with Fleetwood Mac occurred at London's O2 Arena in 2013, leading to her official rejoining for the band's 2014 On with the Show tour.
Throughout her career, McVie received numerous accolades including the Gold Badge of Merit from BASCA (now The Ivors Academy) in 2006, the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2014, and the Trailblazer Award at the UK Americana Awards in 2021. She was also honored twice with Grammy Awards.
Early life
Born on 12 July 1943 in Greenodd, Lancashire (currently part of Cumbria), McVie spent her childhood in Bearwood near Smethwick, close to Birmingham. Her father, Cyril Percy Absell Perfect, was both a concert violinist and music lecturer, while her mother, Beatrice Edith Maud (née Reece), practiced as a medium and faith healer. Additionally, her grandfather served as an organist at Westminster Abbey.
McVie began piano lessons at four years old and commenced formal musical training at age eleven under the mentorship of a local musician linked to her brother John. She pursued classical music studies until fifteen but later transitioned toward rock and roll after her brother introduced her to a collection of songs by Fats Domino. Early musical inspirations also encompassed the Everly Brothers.
Early music
For five years, McVie attended Moseley School of Art in Birmingham, where she studied sculpture with aspirations of becoming an art educator. During this period, she engaged with musicians active in Britain's blues community. Her performance career began upon meeting Stan Webb and Andy Silvester from Sounds of Blue; impressed by her musical abilities, they invited her to join as bassist. She also provided vocals alongside Spencer Davis, another art student. After Sounds of Blue dissolved and faced financial constraints preventing further art studies, McVie relocated to London where she briefly worked as a window dresser at Dickins & Jones department store.
Chicken Shack
In 1967, McVie became a member of Silvester and Webb's newly formed blues group, Chicken Shack, where she played piano and keyboards and provided backing vocals. She contributed to their first release, "It's Okay with Me Baby," which she also composed. Her genuine blues influence was clear in both her vocal delivery and piano technique. Chicken Shack achieved success with their rendition of Ellington Jordan's "I'd Rather Go Blind," featuring McVie as the lead singer. She earned the Melody Maker award for the UK's top female vocalist consecutively in 1969 and 1970. After marrying Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie in 1969, she left Chicken Shack to focus on joining her husband’s band.
Fleetwood Mac
As an admirer of Fleetwood Mac, McVie frequently crossed paths with the band during tours while performing with Chicken Shack; both groups were signed to Blue Horizon Records. She played piano as a session artist on Peter Green’s tracks for Fleetwood Mac’s sophomore album, Mr. Wonderful. Motivated to advance her career, she released a solo debut later reissued under the title The Legendary Christine Perfect Album. In 1970, following Peter Green’s exit, McVie officially joined Fleetwood Mac as their keyboardist. Prior to this, she had already contributed uncredited piano parts and backing vocals on their album Kiln House, as well as creating its cover art. The band sought a new member to enrich their sound after Green’s departure.
McVie quickly established herself as a vital contributor—serving as keyboardist, songwriter, and female lead vocalist. The band had contemplated disbanding before her arrival; Mick Fleetwood later described her as "the glue [that held the band together]." Her first full-length album with them was Future Games (1971), which also marked American guitarist Bob Welch’s debut with the group. In 1974, Fleetwood Mac relocated to California; following the release of Heroes Are Hard to Find, Welch departed and was succeeded by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham from Buckingham Nicks. McVie and Nicks formed an immediate connection, their voices harmonizing seamlessly. On the 1975 self-titled album, McVie penned and performed four songs including hits like "Over My Head" and "Say You Love Me," both achieving Billboard top 20 status and enhancing the band's presence on American radio.
In 1976, McVie's romantic involvement with the band's lighting director inspired "You Make Loving Fun," a top-10 single from the 1977 album Rumours. The album’s most prominent hit from her was "Don't Stop," which climbed into the top five. Additionally, Rumours featured her emotive ballad "Songbird." By the conclusion of the Rumours tour, McVie and John McVie had divorced. She secured a US top-20 hit with "Think About Me" from the 1979 double album Tusk, which did not replicate the previous album's commercial triumph. After a break, Fleetwood Mac reunited in 1981 to produce Mirage (1982), reclaiming their dominance on US charts. McVie co-wrote the top-five single "Hold Me," inspired by her relationship with Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson; her track "Love in Store" reached number 22 in early 1983.
Her second solo effort, Christine McVie (1984), yielded hits such as "Got a Hold on Me" (peaking at number 10 on US pop charts and number one on Adult Contemporary) and "Love Will Show Us How" (#30 US pop). She described this work as sincere music that satisfied her own artistic standards. In 1986, she married keyboardist Eddy Quintela; together they co-wrote material featured on later Fleetwood Mac albums. Returning to the band in 1987, she participated in recording Tango in the Night, their most successful release since Rumours, reaching top-five positions in both UK and US charts. The album’s biggest hit was "Little Lies," co-written with Quintela; "Everywhere" also achieved notable chart success, peaking at number four in the UK and number 14 in the US.
In 1990, without Buckingham’s involvement, Fleetwood Mac released Behind the Mask, which earned Gold certification in the US and Platinum status in the UK. McVie's song "Save Me" entered the US top 40; meanwhile, "Skies the Limit" found success on adult contemporary radio. Following her father’s passing during that tour, McVie withdrew from touring but remained active within the band, contributing new songs for their 1992 compilation 25 Years – The Chain and five tracks on 1995’s Time. With Nicks having left by then, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie collaborated with Buckingham on his solo projects; eventually Nicks rejoined for the 1997 live album The Dance, which topped US charts.
McVie resumed touring for Fleetwood Mac's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and appeared at major award ceremonies but opted not to continue touring afterward due to developing aviophobia.
1999–2014: Hiatus from Fleetwood Mac and semi-retirement
Following The Dance, McVie relocated back to England to be closer to family and withdrew from public attention until receiving an honorary music doctorate from the University of Greenwich in 2000. Five years after departing from Fleetwood Mac, she divorced Quintela.
In a 2004 interview, she remarked that she rarely listened to pop music anymore, favoring Classic FM instead. She contributed session work on Fleetwood Mac's final studio album, Say You Will. In December 2003, she attended but did not perform at Fleetwood Mac's last UK show during that tour. That same year saw the release of her third solo record, In the Meantime.
McVie was honored with the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors' Gold Badge of Merit in 2006. That year, Paste ranked her alongside Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks as number 83 among living songwriters or songwriting teams. She did not participate in Fleetwood Mac's final UK performance of their Unleashed tour in November 2009. When their world tour was announced for 2012, Stevie Nicks indicated that McVie was unlikely to rejoin as she had been residing in England since 1998.
In October 2013, McVie began working on a solo album for the first time in nearly a decade; however, this project was never released.
2014–2022: Return to Fleetwood Mac and collaboration with Lindsey Buckingham
In 2013, Christine McVie returned to performing after a fifteen-year absence by appearing with Mick Fleetwood’s Blues Band in Maui, Hawaii. Later that year, she joined Fleetwood Mac on stage at London’s O2 Arena for a well-received rendition of "Don't Stop." On January 11, 2014, Mick Fleetwood officially announced her reinstatement into the band.
By August 2016, Mick Fleetwood revealed that new recordings were underway primarily featuring Lindsey Buckingham and McVie with minimal input from Stevie Nicks. He emphasized the strong songwriting partnership between Buckingham and McVie and suggested they might pursue a duet album.
The joint album Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie was released on June 9, 2017; it was preceded by the single "In My World". The supporting tour spanned from June through November of that year across thirty-eight dates showcasing eight out of ten tracks from the album alongside classic Fleetwood Mac songs and Buckingham's solo material. The Wallflowers opened select shows. Additional North American dates extended into August and October due to demand.
Fleetwood Mac headlined major festivals in 2017 including Classic West at Dodger Stadium and Classic East at Citi Field. On April 9, 2018, it was announced that Mike Campbell and Neil Finn would replace Lindsey Buckingham for upcoming tours.
In 2019, McVie was featured prominently in BBC’s documentary Fleetwood Mac's Songbird – Christine McVie. In 2022 she released a compilation titled Songbird (A Solo Collection), further solidifying her legacy within Fleetwood Mac.
Other collaborations
McVie worked alongside Christopher Cross on "Never Stop Believing" from his 1988 album Back of My Mind and teamed up with Bob Welch on his solo rendition of "Sentimental Lady".
Personal life
Christine married John McVie in 1968 with Peter Green serving as best man. Their wedding celebration took place at a Birmingham hotel alongside Joe Cocker, prior to touring commitments with their respective bands. Although they divorced in 1976, they maintained both friendship and professional collaboration thereafter. During production of Rumours, Christine engaged in an affair with Fleetwood Mac's lighting engineer which inspired "You Make Loving Fun". Between 1979 and 1982 she dated Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. In 1986 she wed Portuguese keyboardist Eddy Quintela; together they co-wrote songs such as "Little Lies". They divorced in 2003; Quintela passed away in 2020.
At Fleetwood Mac's height during the seventies, McVie resided in Los Angeles. In 1990 she moved into a Grade II-listed Tudor manor house located in Wickhambreaux, near Canterbury, Kent where she retired following her departure from touring in 1998 to concentrate on solo projects and home restoration. After rejoining Fleetwood Mac in 2014 she spent more time living in London and placed her Kent residence on sale by 2015.
Death
Christine McVie passed away in hospital on 30 November 2022 at the age of 79 due to a stroke. She had been contending with metastatic cancer of an unidentified primary source.
In the aftermath of her passing, Fleetwood Mac honored her as "the finest musician anyone could wish to have in their band and the most loyal friend one could have in life." Stevie Nicks referred to McVie as her "closest friend in the entire world."
Solo albums
| Album | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Indie |
UK | Australia | Canada | ||
| Christine Perfect | 1970 | 104 | — | — | — | — |
| Christine McVie | 1984 | 26 | — | 58 | 67 | 39 |
| In the Meantime | 2004 | — | 32 | 133 | — | — |
| Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie (collaboration with Lindsey Buckingham) | 2017 | 17 | — | 5 | — | — |
Compilation albums
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Albatross (with Fleetwood Mac) | 1977 |
| Songbird (A Solo Collection) | 2022 |
Singles
Additional Contributions
| Title | Year | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "Can't Help Falling in Love" | 1986 | Included on the soundtrack of A Fine Mess |
| "Roll with Me Henry" (featuring 'Friends') | 1989 | Cover version of Etta James classic for Rock, Rhythm & Blues |
| "Coventry Carol" | 1993 | Featured on The Stars Come Out for Christmas - Volume V |
| "All You Gotta Do" | 2022 | Original song created for Songbird |
Collaborations with Chicken Shack
| Album Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve | 1968 | 12 |
| O.K. Ken? | 1969 | 9 |
Work with Fleetwood Mac
| Album Title | Year Released | Peak Chart Rankings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | ||
| Future Games | 1971 | 91 | — |
| Bare Trees | 1972 | 70 | — |
| Penguin | 1973 | 49 | — |
| Mystery to Me | 1973 | 67 | — |
| Heroes Are Hard to Find | 1974 | 34 | — |
| Fleetwood Mac | 1975 | 1 | 23 |
| Rumours | 1977 | 1 | 1 |
| Tusk | 1979 | 4 | 1 |
| Live | 1980 | 14 | 31 |
| Mirage | 1982 | 1 | 5 |
| Tango in the Night | 1987 | 7 | 1 |
| Behind the Mask | 1990 | 18 | 1 |
| Time | 1995 | — | 47 |
| The Dance | 1997 | 1 | 15 |
Primary and Additional Sources
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- 1943 births
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