Everything about John Mcvie totally explained
John Graham McVie (born
26 November 1945) is a
British bass guitarist best known as a member of the rock group
Fleetwood Mac. He joined
Fleetwood Mac shortly after its formation by guitarist
Peter Green in 1967, replacing the band's (albeit temporarily-hired) first bassist,
Bob Brunning. In 1968 he married blues
pianist and singer
Christine Perfect, who became a member of
Fleetwood Mac two years later. John and Christine McVie divorced, however, in 1977, about the time the band recorded the album
Rumours, a major artistic and commercial success, and which borrowed its title from the turmoils in McVie's and other band members' marriages and relationships.
Early life
John Graham McVie was born on
26 November 1945, in
Ealing,
West London,
United Kingdom to Reg and Dorothy McVie and attended Walpole Grammar School. Aged 14, McVie began playing the guitar in local bands covering songs by
The Shadows. However, he soon realized that all of his friends were learning to play lead guitar, so he decided to play the bass guitar instead. Initially, he just removed the top two (E and B) strings from his guitar to play the bass parts. When his parents became aware of his musical abilities, his father bought him a pink Fender bass guitar.
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
Around the time of McVie’s tenure as a tax inspector,
John Mayall began forming a Chicago-style Blues band,
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Initially Mayall wanted to recruit bass player
Cliff Barton of the Cyril Davies All Stars for the rhythm section of his new band. Barton declined, however, but gave him John McVie's phone number, urging Mayall to give the talented young bass player a chance in the Bluesbreakers.. Mayall contacted McVie, and asked him to audition for his band. Soon thereafter, McVie got offered to play bass in the Bluesbreakers. McVie accepted while still holding down his daytime job for a further nine months before becoming a musician full time. Under Mayall's tutelage, McVie, not having had any formal training in music, learnt to play the blues mainly by listening to
BB King &
Willie Dixon records given to him by Mayall.
Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood
In 1966, a young
Peter Green was asked to join Mayall's Bluesbreakers as the band's new lead guitar player, after
Eric Clapton, the original guitar player, had left the band. The arrival of Peter Green to the Bluesbreakers coincided with the joining of
Mick Fleetwood as new drummer, replacing
Aynsley Dunbar. Later the same year, after having been replaced by
Mick Taylor in the Bluesbreakers, Peter Green opted to form his own band, which he called "Fleetwood Mac" after his preferred rhythm section (McVie and Fleetwood). Mick Fleetwood immediately joined Green's new band, having been dismissed earlier from the Bluesbreakers for drunkenness. However, McVie initially was reluctant to join Fleetwood Mac, not wanting to leave the security and well-paid job in the Bluesbreakers, forcing Green to temporarily hire a bassist named
Bob Brunning. A few weeks later McVie changed his mind, however, as he felt that The Bluesbreakers musical direction were shifting too much towards
jazz, and he joined Fleetwood Mac on bass in December 1967.
Fleetwood Mac
With McVie now in
Fleetwood Mac, the band recorded its first album, the eponymous
Fleetwood Mac in the following months. The album was released in February 1968, and became an immediate national hit, establishing Fleetwood Mac as a major part in the English Blues movement. However, following the departure of Peter Green from Fleetwood Mac in 1970, McVie successfully persuaded Christine McVie to join him in Fleetwood Mac.
International success and personal life
In the years to follow, Fleetwood Mac went through several different line-ups, which occasionally became the source of friction and unease within the band. In addition, frequent touring as well as John McVie’s heavy drinking began to put some strain on his marriage to Christine. In 1974, the McVies, along with the other members of Fleetwood Mac, moved to Los Angeles, where they lived briefly with John Mayall.
In 1975, Fleetwood Mac achieved enormous worldwide success after recruiting American singer-songwriter duo
Stevie Nicks and
Lindsey Buckingham. However, on the heels of the band's success followed serious marital problems for the McVies, and in 1977, during the recording of
Rumours, John and Christine McVie’s marriage unravelled and the couple divorced the same year. As way to put behind the hurt and final dissolution, several of Christine's songs on this album were about John McVie, particularly "Don't Stop"
John McVie remarried in 1978 to Julie Ann Reubens, but still continued to drink heavily.
In 1981 McVie agreed to go on the road with the
Bluesbreakers again for the so called "Reunion Tour" with
John Mayall,
Mick Taylor and
Colin Allen. During 1982 the band toured America, Asia and Australia. (John McVie didn't take part in the European Tour in 1983 and was replaced by
Steve Thompson).
An alcohol-induced seizure in 1987 finally prompted him to kick the habit, and he's been sober ever since. In 1989, McVie’s wife gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Molly McVie. In his spare time, McVie is a sailing enthusiast, and he nearly got lost at least once on a Pacific voyage.
A naturally reclusive man, his involvement with Fleetwood Mac has been constant but notably low-key, despite the fact that the band takes the 'Mac' part of its name from him. He received co-writer credits for a very small number of tracks throughout the band's existence, including "Station Man" and "The Chain".
Compared with many bass players of the British music scene of the Sixties, such as
John Entwistle,
Jack Bruce, and
Paul McCartney, John McVie’s contribution to rock music in general, and Fleetwood Mac in particular, has often been somewhat overlooked. His bass playing is characterized by a warm, full tone, slightly offset with Mick Fleetwood’s beat, and brief melodic and exquisitely phrased runs. His contributions provide an invaluable solid rhythmic-harmonic basis for all of Fleetwood Mac’s songs many of which, such as ‘’Don’t Stop’’ and ‘’Rhiannon’’ went on to become notable international hits. Thanks to his unique feel for melody and tempo, and his soulful phrasing, McVie's bass playing has left an indelible and profound mark on Fleetwood Mac's artistic legacy.
Discography
With Fleetwood Mac
With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
Solo Albums
| Year |
Album |
US |
UK |
Additional information |
| 1992 |
John McVie's Gotta Band with Lola Thomas |
- |
- |
- |
Further Information
Get more info on 'John Mcvie'.
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