"Fleetwood Mac" was formed in 1967 and have endured a history that has been marked by changes in their lineup and varying levels of commercial success. From the group's formation through the end of 1974, no version of "Fleetwood Mac" manage to stay together for even two years. The only original member present throughout the group's history is drummer Mick Fleetwood.
Bass player John McVie, did not perform on the group's first single or at their first live shows, even though the group was named, in part for him. Keyboardist Christine McVie has taken part in the creation of every album except for two, and worked both as a member of the band or as a session musician. She also created the artwork for the album Kiln House.
The two most successful periods for the group were during the late 1960's during the British blues boom, when the group was led by guitarist Peter Green, and then from 1975 to 1987, with more focus on a pop sound and featuring Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The band's popularity waned to some degree between 1971 and 1974, with a line-up which included Bob Welch, and again during the 1990's which took the group through more personnel changes prior to the return of Nicks and Buckingham during 1997, and more recently, the departure of Christine McVie.