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Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John McVie (the only two members to appear on every studio album during the band's run) to form the name of the band, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998.
Born in Redruth, Cornwall, Fleetwood lived in Egypt and Norway for much of his childhood. Choosing to follow his musical interests, Fleetwood travelled to London at the age of 15, eventually forming the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning. After several album releases and line-up changes, the group moved to the United States in 1974. Fleetwood then invited Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to join. Buckingham and Nicks contributed to much of Fleetwood Mac's later commercial success, including the celebrated album Rumours, while Fleetwood's own determination to keep the band together was essential to the band's longevity.Carroll (2004) p. 1–12.Brackett (2007) p. xvi–xx. Fleetwood has also enjoyed a solo career, published written works, and flirted briefly with acting.
Biographer Cath Carroll describes the young Fleetwood as "a dreamer, an empathetic youth" who, though intelligent, did not excel academically. According to his own autobiography, Fleetwood had an extremely difficult and trying time academically at the English boarding schools he attended, including King's School at Sherborne House in Gloucestershire and Wynstones School in Gloucestershire. He performed poorly on exams, which he attributed to his inability to memorise facts. He nevertheless enjoyed acting during school, often in drag, and was a competent fencing. At tall, he was an imposing figure, and sported a beard and long hair for much of his life. "Mick was very aristocratic," recalls Ken Caillat, a sound engineer on Rumours. "The way he formed sentences was impeccable. When he spoke, everyone stopped and listened. He was quiet and wise, and he had a great sense of humour. He loved to laugh, but he was also a straight shooter."Caillat (2012) p. 38.
Abandoning academic pursuits, Fleetwood took up the drums after his parents, recognising that he might find a future in music, bought him a "Gigster" drum kit when he was thirteen. His family encouraged his artistic side, as his father composed poetry and was an amateur drummer himself. Fleetwood was inspired—as he said at the Brits Awards ceremony in 1989—by Cliff Richard, Tony Meehan (drummer of the Shadows), and The Everly Brothers. With his parents' support, he dropped out of school at 15 and, in 1963, moved to London to pursue a career as a drummer. At first, he stayed with his younger sister Sally in Notting Hill.Evans (2011) p. 22–23. After a brief stint working at Liberty in London, he found his first opportunity in music.
Green became a supportive bandmate who helped Fleetwood in his early experimentation with the drum kit.Carroll (2004) p. 16. Fleetwood was, however, dismissed from the Bluesbreakers for repeated insobriety during gigs.Carroll (2004) p. 19. Both Fleetwood and McVie were heavy drinkers, and their combined efforts were too much for Mayall and the band to cope with. Green, feeling trapped within the Bluesbreakers, also left in June 1967. Recalling "his favourite rhythm section, 'Fleetwood Mac'"—Mick Fleetwood and John McVie—Green elected to invite both to join him in his new band, Fleetwood Mac. Though McVie hesitated briefly due to financial reasons, both joined Green by the summer of 1967 with a record contract on the horizon.Evans (2011) p. 24.
The band's first album, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, was released in 1968, and the band toured the United States for the first time, though Green was reluctant to do so for fear of gun crime.Carroll (2004) p. 24. Upon their return, they recorded a second album, Mr. Wonderful, under simply "Fleetwood Mac" with Green's name dropped.Carroll (2004) p. 25. A guest musician on the album, Christine McVie, became close with the group. She and McVie married in 1968. A third guitarist, Danny Kirwan, was also added to the line-up. Despite the success of their third album, Then Play On, and a string of hit singles including "Albatross" and "Man of the World", Green himself drifted away from the band, struggling both creatively and with increasing use of LSD.Brackett (2007) p. 35–36.
By early 1971, with Christine McVie becoming an official member of the band, Fleetwood and the group boarded a plane to San Francisco. Spencer, fearful following the recent 1971 San Fernando earthquake, reluctantly boarded the plane.Mick Fleetwood (1990). 028306126X, Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd. 028306126X He left the hotel abruptly one afternoon and disappeared. He was found several days later to have joined Family International, then known as Children of God, a religious group. Once more, Fleetwood attempted to mediate; however, Spencer would not return. Bob Welch would become their next member.Carroll (2004) p. 33. Their next album, Future Games, was released later that year. Bare Trees came a year later, in 1972.Carroll (2004) p. 34–35. During the subsequent tours to promote the latter, Fleetwood once more adopted the role of mediator. Kirwan's self-destructive personality and problems with alcohol culminated in a refusal to go on stage before one concert; Fleetwood himself made the decision to fire the band member.Carroll (2004) p. 35–36. Furthermore, there were early signs of strife in the marriage of John and Christine McVie. Fleetwood again stepped in to mediate between the two members, talking Christine out of a decision to leave the group.Carroll (2004) p. 35. The band added guitarist Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker, formerly of Savoy Brown and the Idle Race. The resulting turmoil, however, negatively affected their next album, Penguin, released in 1973 to poor reviews.Carroll (2004) p. 37. Walker was subsequently asked to leave the group, and the next album Mystery to Me was received more warmly.Carroll (2004) p. 38–39.
In October 1973, Fleetwood instructed Weston—who had engaged in an affair with Fleetwood's wife—to leave Fleetwood Mac.Carroll (2004) p. 39–40.Carroll (2004) p. 109, 121–122. Meanwhile, manager Clifford Davis began to lead a separate group of musicians under the name 'Fleetwood Mac', and his increasing legal assault on the original group pushed Fleetwood and his fellow band members to consider managing themselves. Fleetwood took on more managerial responsibility and leadership over the group.Carroll (2004) p. 40–41.
The next year, the new line-up released Fleetwood Mac. The album proved to be a breakthrough for the band and became a huge hit, reaching No.1 in the US and selling over five million copies. Fleetwood and Olsen collaborated on a number of drumming innovations. "It was all about 'plastic puke.' First off, for the kick drum I had Mick use a real skin, not a plastic head. All the bass drum sounds had snap and rack and warmth, but the snare drum on the whole album was a plastic puke."Carroll (2004) p. 72. The album had reached No. 1 come November 1976, and at this time Fleetwood Mac became self-managing, with Fleetwood himself arguing that an external manager would be less apt at holding together such a group of dynamic personalities.Carroll (2004) p. 73–74. He put forward an idea of promising to reimburse any losses suffered by promoters should they occur, in an attempt to raise the group's profile and earn more contracts and gigs. "Self-management was the right decision," remembered freelance Rolling Stone writer John Grissim. "Mick Fleetwood had great leadership skills ... had a great deal of experience—nine years. They were business-like, they always delivered the product and had the right lawyers and accountants for the job. They didn't need what Van Morrison called 'pressure mongers,'... they just needed to get on and make a really good album."Carroll (2005) p. 79–80. Ken Caillat, sound engineer on Rumours, concurred that Fleetwood "had superb intuition and a flair for taking risks".Caillat (2012) p. 4.
Like many musicians during the 1970s in Los Angeles, Fleetwood Mac began using copious amounts of cocaine.Carroll (2004) p. 82–86. Fleetwood would go on to recollect in his autobiography that "Until then, Fleetwood Mac hadn't had much experience with this Andean rocket fuel. Now we discovered that a toot now and then relieved the boredom of long hours in the studio with little nourishment." The personal relationships between the band members were becoming frayed. After six months of non-stop touring, the McVies divorced in August 1976, ending nearly eight years of marriage.[1]Carroll (2004) p. 109. The couple stopped talking to each other socially and discussed only musical matters. Classic Albums, c. 09:15–11:50 Buckingham and Nicks also fought often, a fact that was revealed to fans by Rolling Stone in April 1976. The duo's arguments stopped only when they worked on songs together. Classic Albums, c. 05:20–05:30 At the same time, Christine McVie and Nicks became closer.Carroll (2004) p. 91. Fleetwood, meanwhile, began searching for a new recording location, and landed on the Record Plant of Sausalito, California.Carroll (2004) p. 99. Grissim, working for Rolling Stone, frequently met with the group and took a particular liking to Fleetwood, whom he described as "a real pro."Carroll (2004) p. 105.
Fleetwood Mac convened at the Record Plant February 1976 with hired audio engineer Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. Most band members complained about the studio and wanted to record at their homes, but Fleetwood did not allow any moves. Classic Albums, c. 11:50–12:30 Despite his talent at keeping the group together, the recording of Rumours was fraught with emotional turmoil due to the collapsing relationships within the line-up. Christine McVie and Nicks decided to live in two condominiums near the city's harbour, while the male contingent stayed at the studio's lodge in the adjacent hills. Classic Albums, c. 31:30–32:55 Chris Stone, one of the Record Plant's owners, recalled that "The band would come in at 7 at night, have a big feast, party till 1 or 2 in the morning, and then when they were so whacked-out they couldn't do anything, they'd start recording". Fleetwood often played his drum kit outside the studio's partition screen to better gauge Caillat's and Dashut's reactions to the music's groove. After the final audio mastering stage and hearing the songs back-to-back, the band members sensed they had recorded something "pretty powerful". Classic Albums, c. 50:30–51:50
Rumours was a huge commercial success and became Fleetwood Mac's second US number one record. It stayed at the top of the Billboard 200 for 31 non-consecutive weeks, while also reaching number one in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The album was certified Platinum record in America and the UK within months of release after one million units and 300,000 units were shipped respectively. Note: User search required. The band and co-producers Caillat and Dashut, would go on to win the 1978 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. By March, the album had sold over 10 million copies worldwide, including over eight million in the US alone.
In 1983, Fleetwood formed Mick Fleetwood's Zoo and recorded I'm Not Me. The album featured a minor hit, "I Want You Back", and a cover version of the Beach Boys' "Angel Come Home".Evans (2011) pp. 214–215. By 1987, the band consisted of himself, Billy Burnette, Steve Ross, Kenny Gradney, and Bobbye Hall. The band embarked on some live shows before Fleetwood Mac's Shake the Cage Tour commenced.
A later version of the group featured Bekka Bramlett on vocals and recorded 1991's Shaking the Cage. Fleetwood released Something Big in 2004 with the Mick Fleetwood Band, and his most recent album is Blue Again!, Blue Again press release San Francisco Business Times, 12 February 2009 appearing in October 2008 with the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band touring to support it, interspersed with the Unleashed tour of Fleetwood Mac. NPR interview of Mick Fleetwood 28 March 2009
Fleetwood has played drums on many of his bandmates' solo records, including Law and Order, where he played on the album's biggest hit, "Trouble". Other albums include French Kiss, Three Hearts, The Wild Heart, Christine McVie, Try Me, Under the Skin, Gift of Screws, and In Your Dreams. In 2007 he was featured on drums for the song "God" along with Jack's Mannequin in the Pop album , a collection of covers of John Lennon songs.
Fleetwood co-authored Fleetwood—My Life and Adventures with Fleetwood Mac with writer Stephen Davis. The book was published in 1990. In the book, he discussed his experiences with other musicians including Eric Clapton, members of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, as well as the affair with Stevie Nicks and his addiction to cocaine and his personal bankruptcy. Reception was mixed. Robert Waddell of the New York Times described the piece as "a blithe, slapdash memoir." The Los Angeles Timess Steve Hochman noted that "Fleetwood tells the story as if he was sitting in your living room, which is good for the intimacy of the tale, but bad for the rambling, sometimes redundant telling." Hochman did acknowledge that Fleetwood was "one of rock's more colorful characters."
Fleetwood has a secondary career as a TV and film actor, usually in minor parts. His roles in this field have included a leader of the Resistance in The Running Man (1987), and as a guest alien in the episode "Manhunt" (1989).
Fleetwood co-hosted the 1989 BRIT Awards, which contained numerous gaffes and flubbed lines. In the wake of this public mishap, the BRIT Awards were pre-recorded for the next 18 years; the awards are now again broadcast live to the British public.
In 1998, Fleetwood was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Fleetwood Mac.
As of March 2021, Fleetwood had been a member of Fleetwood Mac for 53 years and was the only band member who had been in the band for its entire history.
Bob Brunning recalled from his early involvement with Fleetwood Mac that Fleetwood was "very open to playing with different people as long as he didn't have to change his style. He was, and is, a completely straightforward drummer, and it works with a lot of different styles. I don't s'pose sic he's played a traditional drum solo in his life!"Carroll (2004) p. 18. Biographer Carroll highlights this ability as integral to the success of Fleetwood Mac, arguing that Fleetwood was not a virtuoso, but his disciplined and in-distractable manner of play allowed him to hold together a band of strong leading personalities without impinging upon their expression.Carroll (2004) p. 18–19.
Caillat, in contrast, cites Fleetwood as "still one of the most amazing drummers I've ever met. He had his rack of tom drums arranged back to front. Most drummers place them from high to low (in pitch) from their left to right, but Mick chose to place his mid, high, low. I think perhaps this helped him develop his unique style. He hit his drums very hard, except for his kick drum. For some reason, when he played his high hat, it distracted him. He would keep perfect beat with his kick, but he played it so softly that we could hear his mouth noises through his kick mic."
In the 1960s, Fleetwood became infatuated with model Jenny Boyd, the younger sister of Pattie Boyd. In June 1970, Fleetwood and Jenny Boyd were married. In 1973, during Fleetwood Mac’s Mystery to Me U.S. tour, Fleetwood discovered that Boyd was having an affair with band member Weston. Fleetwood, after wrestling with the idea of leaving the band, was later critical of his own role in "neglecting" his family. Upon cancelling the remaining Mystery to Me tour, Fleetwood travelled to Zambia to convalesce. Christine McVie, who was also suffering marital problems, travelled with him for part of the journey. Fleetwood and Boyd divorced in 1976.Brackett (2007) p. 83.
Boyd and Fleetwood began living together once more in 1976, and temporarily remarried to help their children emigrate from the UK to the US.Carroll (2004) p. 151. In November 1977, Fleetwood and Nicks began having an affair.Carroll (2004) p. 175. The affair continued sporadically for the next two years until the pair mutually decided to end it. Fleetwood and Boyd's second marriage also ended in divorce. They had two daughters together.
In November 1978, Fleetwood moved into a Bel-Air home with Sara Recor, a mutual friend of Fleetwood and Nicks who was at the time married to another music producer. Fleetwood married Recor in 1988; the couple divorced in 1995. Fleetwood married Lynn Frankel in 1995. Fleetwood and Frankel had twin daughters who were born in 2002. The couple divorced in 2015.
Fleetwood was a heavy cocaine user starting in the 1970s, which continued throughout the 1980s during the making of Fleetwood Mac's Tango in the Night album. Fleetwood quit cocaine cold turkey in the early 1990s with the help of his third wife, Lynn. He became a U.S. citizen on 22 November 2006 in Los Angeles.
Fleetwood has lived in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii for years. His restaurant and bar called Fleetwood's were lost to the 2023 Hawaii wildfires. He previously owned a restaurant in West Hollywood, California, which closed eight weeks after it opened due to difficulties in securing a liquor license. In 1994, he opened a restaurant/blues club in Alexandria, Virginia.
Fleetwood had played Paiste cymbals from the late 60s to early 90s, favouring their expressiveness and higher frequencies over Zildjian cymbals. He stopped using Paiste cymbals by 1994 and subsequently switched over to Zildjian.
He also uses Remo drumheads, Easton Ahead 5B Light Rock drumsticks and Latin Percussion. Fleetwood has incorporated many percussion instruments into his drum rig, including a 40 inch Zildjian gong, two rows of Mark tree, and congas.
| 1981 | The Visitor | 43 | 80 | Mick Fleetwood |
| 2004 | Something Big | – | – | The Mick Fleetwood Band |
| 2008 | Blue Again! | 96 | The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band feat. Rick Vito |
| 2021 | Mick Fleetwood & Friends Celebrate the Music of Peter Green | 35 | Mick Fleetwood & Friends |
| 1983 | I'm Not Me | Mick Fleetwood's Zoo |
| 1992 | Shakin' the Cage | The Zoo |
| 1969 | "Fighting for Madge" (Mick Fleetwood) | ||
| 1970 | "Jewel Eyed Judy" (Kirwan, J. McVie, Fleetwood) | - | - |
| 1971 | "The Purple Dancer" (Kirwan, J. McVie, Fleetwood) | - | - |
| 1971 | "What a Shame" (Bob Welch, Kirwan, Christine McVie, J. McVie, Fleetwood) | - | - |
| 1977 | "The Chain" (Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, C. McVie, J. McVie, Fleetwood) | 51 | 30 |
| 1970 (1985) | "On We Jam" (Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, Jeremy Spencer, John McVie, Fleetwood) | ||
| 1990 | "Lizard People" (Pete Bardens, Fleetwood) | ||
| 1995 | "These Strange Times" (Ray Kennedy, Fleetwood) | ||
| 1975 (2004) | "Jam No.2" (Lindsey Buckingham, C. McVie, J. McVie, Fleetwood) | - | - |
| 1977 (2004) | "For Duster (The Blues)" (Buckingham, C. McVie, J. McVie, Fleetwood) | - | - |
| 1977 (2004) | "Mic the Screecher" (Fleetwood) | - | - |
| Short |
| TV movie |
| Special Guest |
| Co-Presenter with Samantha Fox |
| Episode "" |
| Episode "And It Comes Out Here" |
| Episode: "Fleetwood Mac" |
| Episode: "Fleetwood Mac" |
| Series 19 Episode 2 "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" |
| Series 26 Episode 14 |
| 1996 | You Don't Know Jack Volume 2 | Himself |
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