Christine McVie Biography Songbird Reveals Stevie Nicks Jealousy

Fleetwood Mac's lineup changed several times over the years, but when Stevie Nicks again Lindsey Buckingham he joined the group, everything changed.

In a new book titled Songbird: An Intimate Biography of Christine McViepublished on Tuesday, November 19, the author Lesley-Ann Jones explains the first time Nick, now 76, and Buckingham, now 75, were introduced to the team members present Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and her husband at the time, John McViein the mid-1970s.

“Mick planned a New Year's Eve dinner for the last three Mackers and Lindsey and Stevie at El Carmen, a Mexican restaurant in LA,” Jones wrote. “The deal was that, while the tequila and tacos flowed, Christine would raise Stevie and put him through his paces. If he feels that they can play together in the same team, the right to refuse would be his.”

According to Jones, Christine and Nicks “got along famously.” The group met again at Fleetwood before they started practice. “I started playing them 'Say You Love Me' on the piano, we got to the chorus and they both just squealed in perfect three-part harmony,” Christine said. Songbird. “I just remember thinking, 'This is it!' Then Lindsey took his guitar, Mick his drums, John his bass and that's how it happened…”

Related: Revisiting Stevie Nicks' Close Friendship With the Late Christine McVie

Steve Nicks and Christine McVie connected instantly when they joined Fleetwood Mac. “Being in a band with another girl who was an amazing singer – [McVie] she became my best friend right away,” Nics said in a February 2022 New Yorker interview. “Christine was another ball game. He liked to be alone […]

Nicks and Buckingham officially joined the band in 1974. Despite the “legendary” music that might suggest otherwise, Jones writes that Christine did not “object to the suggestion that the band should absorb another woman.”

“It was important that I continue [Stevie],” said Christine Songbird. “Because I have never played with another girl. But I fell in love with him right away. He was funny and nice, but also no competition.”

Christine admitted “frankly”, however, that she has a feeling of envy as Nicks takes center stage during the group's history. Rumors period; the 1977 album remains one of the best-selling albums of all time and put the band on the world stage, with Nicks front and center. “Of course, I was jealous,” she said. “It didn't last long. You quickly realize where your role is … I could no sooner do twirls in chiffon than Stevie could play the piano.”

According to Nicks, his teammate “wouldn't even” come forward with his feelings. “He would have known that would have puzzled me. … He always said to me, 'I don't want to be in front. I love being here playing my piano, being one of the men,'” Nicks said.

Related: Fleetwood Mac's Ups and Downs Over the Years: News, Lineup Changes, More

The stuff of legend. Fleetwood Mac's history of breakups, affairs and lineup changes is so famous that their name is now synonymous with rock 'n' roll drama. Formed in 1967 by Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Mick Fleetwood, the group originally started out as a blues band before veering into a rock-forward sound early on. […]

The first album Nicks and Buckingham was in 1975 Fleetwood Macwhich was followed in 1977 Rumorsin 1979 Tuskin 1982 The Mirage and 1987 Tango at nightthe final album with the powerhouse five-person lineup before Buckingham's departure.

Although drama has plagued Fleetwood Mac over the years, Nicks and Christine remain close. When Christine died in November 2022 at the age of 79, Nicks wrote a tribute to her old friend.

“A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away,” he shared in a post posted on Instagram. “I didn't even know he was sick … until Saturday night. …See you on the other side, my love.”