What made the January 26 show at the Academy even worse was that half an hour before the New Fleetwood Mac was supposed to take the stage, it seemed that the new vocalist Elmer Gantry lost his voice.
At the venue, Davis responded to a question by saying, “this is my band… I’ve always been the leader of the band as such.” He also claimed that Mick Fleetwood had come to the States on January 13 but had to fly back to England due to “family troubles.” News had spread that there was a fake Fleetwood Mac touring, and Clifford Davis was interviewed and asked about this rumor. Trouble continued at the next stop on January 26 at the Academy of Music in New York. (Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/ Stringer/ Getty Images) Mick Fleetwood playing the drums circa 1970. No sort of announcement was made regarding the change in lineup and fans immediately recognized that this was not the Fleetwood Mac they had bought tickets to see. Engler complained to the manager of the venue but to no avail. At the first concert date in Pittsburgh, on January 16, 1974, promoter Rich Engler got wind that Fleetwood Mac had arrived for the gig, but it was not the group he knew. Trouble started as soon as the tour began. In late 1973, Davis recruited members of the band “Legs” to tour the States as “The New Fleetwood Mac.” These new members of the band were told that the other members of Fleetwood Mac would join them once the tour had already started. ‘Fleetwood Mac’ was a song written by Peter Green when he was with John Mayall.” Davis claimed that he owned the name “Fleetwood Mac,” and as such he legally could choose the band members who would be allowed to tour under this name.Īnd that’s exactly what he did. A lot of people over the years have misconstructed the Fleetwood Mac as Fleetwood and McVie. However, we don’t know Davis’s side of the story, so it is possible that he was concerned that the band would lose their hard-won commercial momentum in the United States, just as their Mystery to Me album was about to hit the shelves of record stores in the States.ĭavis largely felt he was the leader of Fleetwood Mac, emphasizing time and time again, “I’ve always been the leader of the band as much. None of the band members accepted Clifford Davis’s ultimatum, so he was forced to put together another band. (Photo Credit: Ian Dickson/ Getty Images) From left to right- John McVie, Bob Weston, Mick Fleetwood, Bob Welch. If effects what happened was that we got offered gigs, which is not really his place to do.”įleetwood Mac performing in Newcastle City Hall, May 1973. Guitarist Bob Welch has stated that “we all got letters from Clifford Davis indicating his intentions to put a new band on the road. However, Davis didn’t necessarily agree with the band’s approach. They emphasized to him that the band wasn’t breaking up they were just unsure of what they wanted to do and needed a long break. Without Mick, the remaining members of Fleetwood Mac told Clifford Davis they needed a break. At the time of the disbandment, Fleetwood Mac had only been two weeks into their tour, with an additional 26 concerts scheduled. He felt that he could not continue on with the tour, and despite band manager Clifford Davis allegedly threatening Fleetwood, stating, “if you blow this tour, you’ll never get another chance,” Mick Fleetwood still fired Weston and canceled the rest of the American tour. Mick Fleetwood soon learned of this affair while on tour and was emotionally devastated. (Photo Credit: Michael Putland/ Getty Images) Replacement guitarist Bob Weston, September 1973. However, while on tour, Weston would have an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife, Jenny Boyd. In 1973, Fleetwood Mac went on tour to promote their Mystery to Me album. Guitarist Bob Weston was a replacement for Danny Kirwan and played on the 1973 albums, Penguin and Mystery to Me. The replacement members now in the band were Bob Welch (guitar and vocals), Christine McVie (vocals and keyboards), and Bob Weston (vocals and guitar). By 1973, Fleetwood Mac consisted of only two original members- Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass). Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer were the first band members to leave the group in 1971, followed by Danny Kirwan in 1972.įleetwood Mac’s Rumours era in the late 1970s is often hailed as the band’s most dramatic years, but the lesser-known early ’70s era was pretty dicey as well. The original members of Fleetwood Mac consisted of Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood, joined soon after by Danny Kirwan. From left to right- Bob Welch, Christine McVie, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Bob Weston.
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