Post by erik on Dec 3, 2022 14:57:48 GMT -5
This week's Pop Music Hits Spotlight focuses on a big hit by Fleetwood Mac which was written by the group's keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie, who passed away suddenly on November 30, 2022.
DON’T STOP (Fleetwood Mac; Reprise; 1977)—Although they were formed in 1967 as, more or less, a blues-rock outfit in England, Fleetwood Mac’s mass popularity didn’t come until they had moved their base of operations to America in 1973 and basically restructured themselves into a mainstream FM radio rock band. An indication of this change came in 1970, when Christine McVie married the group’s bass player John McVie, and the band added California-born vocalist and guitarist Bob Welch; the change shifted the band away from blues towards mainstream rock. The final pieces of the puzzle came together when Welch left in 1974, and the band hired guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and his girlfriend, Arizona native Stevie Nicks. Beginning with the group’s self-titled album in 1975, Fleetwood Mac soon became one of the biggest-selling bands in rock and roll history. Their biggest album, however, and one that reflected a ton of inner turmoil among the members of the band, was their early 1977 album release Rumours, which went on to spend a mind-busting twenty-three weeks atop Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart. The album spawned two FM rock radio and AM Top 40 favorites, “Go Your Own Way” (written by Buckingham), and “Dreams” (written by Nicks, and the group’s only #1 hit) before 1977 was even half over. The album’s third hit came in August 1977, when Christine’s hopeful song “Don’t Stop” came out. With a mid-tempo shuffle beat and imposing keyboard flourishes on Christine’s part, “Don’t Stop” became another FM rock radio favorite, and a big hit, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending September 24, 1977. The band’s success continued well into the 21st century; and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 alongside The Eagles. Sadly, however, Christine McVie passed away on November 30, 2022 at the age of 79 of as-yet-unknown causes.
DON’T STOP (Fleetwood Mac; Reprise; 1977)—Although they were formed in 1967 as, more or less, a blues-rock outfit in England, Fleetwood Mac’s mass popularity didn’t come until they had moved their base of operations to America in 1973 and basically restructured themselves into a mainstream FM radio rock band. An indication of this change came in 1970, when Christine McVie married the group’s bass player John McVie, and the band added California-born vocalist and guitarist Bob Welch; the change shifted the band away from blues towards mainstream rock. The final pieces of the puzzle came together when Welch left in 1974, and the band hired guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and his girlfriend, Arizona native Stevie Nicks. Beginning with the group’s self-titled album in 1975, Fleetwood Mac soon became one of the biggest-selling bands in rock and roll history. Their biggest album, however, and one that reflected a ton of inner turmoil among the members of the band, was their early 1977 album release Rumours, which went on to spend a mind-busting twenty-three weeks atop Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart. The album spawned two FM rock radio and AM Top 40 favorites, “Go Your Own Way” (written by Buckingham), and “Dreams” (written by Nicks, and the group’s only #1 hit) before 1977 was even half over. The album’s third hit came in August 1977, when Christine’s hopeful song “Don’t Stop” came out. With a mid-tempo shuffle beat and imposing keyboard flourishes on Christine’s part, “Don’t Stop” became another FM rock radio favorite, and a big hit, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending September 24, 1977. The band’s success continued well into the 21st century; and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 alongside The Eagles. Sadly, however, Christine McVie passed away on November 30, 2022 at the age of 79 of as-yet-unknown causes.