Christine McVie

Christine McVie was a British singer, songwriter and keyboardist who was best known as one of the lead vocalists and songwriters of Fleetwood Mac, one of the most successful and influential rock bands of all time. She was also a member of Chicken Shack, a blues band that had a hit with "I'd Rather Go Blind" in 1969. McVie was born Christine Anne Perfect on July 12, 1943 in Greenodd, Lancashire, England. She came from a musical family: her father was a concert violinist and music lecturer, her mother was a medium and psychic, and her grandfather was an organist at Westminster Abbey. She started playing piano at the age of four and developed a passion for rock and roll music as a teenager. She studied sculpture at Birmingham Art College and briefly worked as a window dresser before joining Chicken Shack as their keyboardist and backing vocalist. McVie met Fleetwood Mac when they were both signed to the same label, Blue Horizon. She played piano as a session musician on some of their songs and married their bassist John McVie in 1968. She left Chicken Shack in 1969 and released a solo album under her maiden name, Christine Perfect, in 1970. She then joined Fleetwood Mac as a full-time member and changed her name to Christine McVie. McVie's first compositions with Fleetwood Mac appeared on their fifth album, Future Games, in 1971. She soon became one of the main songwriters of the band, along with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who joined in 1974. She wrote or co-wrote some of their most popular songs, such as "Don't Stop", "You Make Loving Fun", "Say You Love Me", "Over My Head", "Everywhere", "Little Lies" and "Hold Me". Her distinctive voice and keyboard style added to the band's unique sound and appeal. McVie's personal life was turbulent during her time with Fleetwood Mac. She divorced John McVie in 1976 after he had an affair with another woman. She then had a brief relationship with the band's lighting director Curry Grant, followed by a long-term affair with the band's guitarist Bob Weston, who was fired in 1973 for having an affair with Mick Fleetwood's wife Jenny Boyd. McVie married keyboard technician Eduardo Quintela in 1986, but they divorced in 2003. McVie remained with Fleetwood Mac until 1998, when she decided to retire from touring and live a quiet life in England. She released another solo album, In the Meantime, in 2004 and occasionally appeared on stage with Fleetwood Mac as a guest. She rejoined the band in 2014 for their On with the Show tour and recorded a duet album with Lindsey Buckingham, Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie, in 2017. McVie was widely regarded as one of the greatest female singers and songwriters in rock history. She received many awards and honors for her work, including two Grammy Awards, an Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Fleetwood Mac. She also influenced many artists, such as Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, Florence Welch and Haim. McVie died of a stroke and cancer on November 30, 2022 at the age of 79 in London. She was cremated and her ashes were temporarily placed in a safe deposit box at the Irish Presidential mansion in Dublin, pending burial in Galway, Ireland near the home of her daughter Kate. She was survived by her ex-husbands, her daughter, her brother John Perfect, and her bandmates and friends. She was mourned by millions of fans around the world who loved her music and her spirit.