Fleetwood Mac, as one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time, are known for two things:some of the most influential rock songs of the 70s, and extremely messy interpersonal drama. Their songs have been used asthe soundtrack to some incredibly memorable film moments. Plus, there was that timeMick Fleetwood was onStar Trek: The Next Generation. One of the biggest contributors to both the music and drama was lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist Lindsey Buckingham.
Although Buckingham wasn’t a founding member of Fleetwood Mac,he was essential to their successes and failures both, not only because of his direct contributions, but also because, when he joined the band, he brought with him the one and only Stevie Nicks. The face of rock and roll changed forever when the two of them joined Fleetwood Mac.
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Fleetwood Mac originally formed in 1967, with a lineup of Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer, and Bob Brunnin. This changed rapidly over the next few years as members came and went thanks to drugs, arguments, cults, and affairs. So when Fleetwood encountered Lindsey Buckingham in an LA recording studio in 1974,the band already had a reputation for instability.
Buckingham was immediately invited to join the band, but told Fleetwood he only would if his partner Stevie Nicks could come with him. The two officially joined the band on New Year’s Eve of 1974, and the new lineup of Fleetwood, Nicks, Buckingham, and the married couple John and Christine McVie began work on the album that catapulted the band to stardom when it hit number one on the US charts, 1975’sFleetwood Mac. Unfortunately, that success would also bring the next wave of strife.
By 1976, the McVies' marriage had ended, Buckingham and Nicks had broken up, and Fleetwood was pursuing a divorce with his wife while also having an affair with Nicks.All of this tension coalesced into their next smash album, 1977’sRumors, which revealed just how messy things had gotten among them with songs like Buckingham’s “Go Your Own Way” and Nicks' “Dreams.”
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Over the next several years, Fleetwood Mac recorded several more albums, including the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessfulTusk, but they never recaptured the success ofFleetwood MacorRumors, and they began pursuing solo projects in the early 80s. 1987’sTango in the Nightwas the last album recorded by this version of the band, becauselater that year the tension between them all finally reached a breaking point.
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On August 05, 2025, a band meeting at Christine McVie’s house turned into a ruckus, with Buckingham saying he wanted out of the ten-week tour the band had scheduled to supportTango in the Nightbecause he felt his creative skills weren’t being appreciated. Mick Fleetwood’s autobiography later said that Buckingham and Nicks came to blows, buthowever the meeting ended, Buckingham officially quit the band the following day.
Fleetwood Mac continued on without Buckingham, and Buckingham continued on without them, but it was only a matter of time before they reunited.The band actually dedicated 1988’sGreatest Hitscompilation to Buckingham, and when they went on tour to support 1990’s albumBehind the Mask, he joined them onstage for the final show in Los Angeles. He also helped produce a new song for 1992’s special anniversary box set re-release ofThe Chain.
In 1993, US President Bill Clinton, who had used “Don’t Stop” as a campaign song, requested theRumors-era lineup perform at his Inaugural Ball, and they did so happily, although with no intention of reuniting. Soon after, though, Buckingham reached out to Fleetwood for assistance with a song on his solo album,which led to theRumorslineup reuniting againforThe Dancereunion tour in 1997. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and played at the ceremony, as well as at that year’s Grammys, after which Christine McVie left the band.
By 2003, most of the band, including Buckingham, reunitedto recordSay You Will, which McVie did contribute to as a guest artist, and after the album’s supporting tour ended in 2004, Buckingham returned to working on his solo material. They toured without McVie in 2009 and 2013, the latter of which ended prematurely due to John McVie being diagnosed with cancer.
2014 brought Christine McVie back into the fold, though, with back-to-back tours and conversations about a new album. Yet with her return came the old drama, this time asStevie Nicks was reluctant to invest the time necessary to record new material with the rest of the band. Instead, Buckingham released an album with Christine McVie, with both John McVie and Mick Fleetwood contributing, and Fleetwood Mac continued on, only performing live.
Why Lindsey Buckingham Was Fired From Fleetwood Mac
Buckingham’s Unstoppable Force Came Up Against The Immovable Object Of Stevie Nicks
April 2018 brought about Buckingham’s second departure from Fleetwood Mac, andthis time it wasn’t on his own terms.Rolling Stonereportedthere had been a disagreement about their upcoming tour, although initially there was little additional information released, with Mick Fleetwood saying onCBS This Morninglater that month that Buckingham hadn’t been fired, and they still respected him.
It seems that Buckingham didn’t feel that respect, though, as in October of that year he filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates, alleging breach of contract and fiduciary duty, among other charges. The suit was settled out of court, and the terms were not made public. Buckingham then provided his own side of the story toRolling Stone, sayinghis departure was the result of Nicks giving the rest of the band an ultimatum: either Buckingham went, or she would.
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Since his ousting from the band, Buckingham has continued on with his own solo career, releasing another solo album and collaborating with numerous top artists, guesting on Halsey’s 2021 albumand playing onstage with the Killers in 2022. Fleetwood Mac continued with several more tours and sawRumorsreturn to the Billboard Top 10 in 2020 when “Dreams” was used in a viral TikTok, but the band officially came to an end in 2022 when Christine McVie passed away from a stroke.
Mick Fleetwood did say in an October 2024 interviewwithMojothat he is again open to aFleetwood Macreunion, but all other signs show that Buckingham and Nicks are still unlikely to reconcile. Unfortunately, the chain that must never be broken had too weak of a link.
