{"id":505217,"date":"2025-10-16T22:10:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505217\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T22:10:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:10:13","slug":"the-fraternity-band-that-helped-birth-fleetwood-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505217\/","title":{"rendered":"The “fraternity” band that helped birth Fleetwood Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fleetwood<\/p>\n

(Credits: Columbia \/ Sony BMG)<\/p>\n

Thu 16 October 2025 21:45, UK <\/p>\n

We\u2019re all guilty of getting swept up in the illusion that Fleetwood Mac<\/a> are just part of the furniture of rock music \u2013 now getting towards the era of being a little aged and antiquated, but undeniably with some great stories to tell. <\/p>\n

Yet, just like any other band on the scene, they haven\u2019t been around forever and had to go through the process of learning the ropes just like everyone else, even if that time has faded into distant memory now. If there were ever a school for superstar musicians, you can imagine the slew of icons that would roll off the production line. But contrary to popular belief, Mick Fleetwood and his gang were hardly the greatest group of golden pupils.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Long before they even knew the names of Stevie Nicks<\/a> and Lindsey Buckingham, or were aware of the constant swirl of drama and allure that would surround them over the course of the decades to come, Fleetwood and his original core bandmates of Peter Green and John McVie were given a masterclass in everything it means to be truly rock and roll. In some ways, the comment about the school was made in jest, but really, if you were to find anything closest to it, it would be the band John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. <\/p>\n

Having hosted stints for everyone from Eric Clapton to Mick Taylor, when the three future Fleetwood Mac amigos rocked up to that door, knowing that they were about to not only learn a few tricks of the trade but also be put somewhat in their place, it wasn\u2019t without a certain level of trepidation. Green, as the resident sonic mastermind<\/a>, had joined up to the band first, before inviting his two mates along \u2013 but Fleetwood particularly had some reservations. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Greeny said he wanted me in the Bluesbreakers I was like: \u2018What do you mean? I can\u2019t do that!\u2019,\u201d he later recalled. \u201cBut very quickly Greeny said: \u2018That\u2019s exactly why we want you \u2013 because you can\u2019t do that\u2019. Peter Green had a well-worn phrase that we still use, especially me and John, as a blueprint. He used to say: \u2018Less is more\u2019. And that\u2019s what he saw in me.\u201d We all know now that Green had an incredible casting eye for spotting talent, but it\u2019s fair to say that he had his work cut out in convincing the rest of the Bluesbreakers that his two friends were the right choice. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that me and John McVie drank too much,\u201d Fleetwood then openly admitted. \u201cHe was laid off a couple of times for being disorderly. But because he\u2019s such a great bass player John Mayall always took him back. But the two of us was just a bridge too far.\u201d Under the thumb of a true band leader, who was disciplined and always kept everyone in line, was evidently a true wake up call. The future frontman even described it \u201clike being part of a fraternity, with a schoolmaster\u201d. <\/p>\n

Yet it was still more than clear that, despite a few harsh lessons and tough home truths, that the experience of being recruited for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers was one that definitively changed the lives of every person who ever graced its presence, not least Fleetwood, Green, and McVie. It\u2019s without question that if this band never existed, we wouldn\u2019t have many of rock and roll\u2019s greatest exports. The fact Fleetwood Mac are just one example is testament to that power.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Credits: Columbia \/ Sony BMG) Thu 16 October 2025 21:45, UK We\u2019re all guilty of getting swept up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3936],"tags":[77,43282,165597,269,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-505217","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-fleetwood-mac","10":"tag-john-mayall","11":"tag-music","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115386137150535164","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}