NOT JUST 'RUMOURS': Inside the sordid and scandalous Fleetwood Mac affairs that gave us a CLASSIC album
Fleetwood Mac was founded in the 1960s by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer before bassist John McVie joined the band. They released their 11th studio album ‘Rumours’ on February 4, 1977. The album went on to become one of the world's best-selling and best-loved LPs at that time, but there was a lot happening behind the scene. The band almost broke amid scandalous love affairs between the band members.
Stevie Nicks, who was brought into the band in 1975 by then-boyfriend, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, Lindsey Buckingham, and was recognized as the face of the band, split up with Buckingham when the band started to record ‘Rumours.’ Nicks said she was insulted by a lyric in 'Go Your Own Way' by Buckingham, who also took a dig at her via 'Second Hand News' and 'Never Going Back Again.’ She said at that time, as quoted by MamaMia, “I very much resented him telling the world that 'packing up, shacking up' with different men was all I wanted to do. He knew it wasn't true. It was just an angry thing he said. Every time those words would come out onstage, I wanted to go over and kill him. He knew it, so he really pushed my buttons through that.”
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Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood love story
Following their break up, Nicks fell in love with Fleetwood, who was married to model Jenny Boyd at the time. When Fleetwood told Buckingham that he and Nicks were together, Buckingham said, "Nice of you to tell me. I appreciate it," states MamaMia. In 1978, Fleetwood and Boyd parted ways, after which Fleetwood started dating Nicks' best friends, Sara Recor. Nicks narrated it during the recording of 1979 album 'Tusk', "Well, here's a big one for ya. I had started to see Mick Fleetwood romantically. I had a very dear friend whose name was Sara [Recor] who just went after Mick. And they fell in love, and the next thing, Sara's husband is calling me to say 'Sara moved in with Mick this morning. And I just thought you might wanna know."
Christine McVie's divorce with John McVie
On the other hand, Christine McVie, the late singer, songwriter, and keyboard player behind some of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits and who joined the band in 1970 after marrying the band's bassist John McVie, reportedly began having problems in the marriage that reached a crisis point in the mid-1970s. The couple divorced in 1976 while Fleetwood Mac was touring, which Christine admitted was “irresponsible.” She told Rolling Stone in March 1977, "I broke up with John in the middle of a tour. I was aware of it being rather irresponsible. I had to do it for my sanity. It was either that or me ending up in a lunatic asylum.”