Mick Fleetwood, who has experienced a lifetime’s worth of ups and downs as a musician, remains a central figure in Fleetwood Mac despite enduring drug abuse, tensions within the band, and personal struggles such as his wife and children leaving him.
Fleetwood’s longstanding career has given him a deeper appreciation for songwriters, but he has always had a fondness for one particular band member who helped launch their success. When asked to name the greatest band of all time, Fleetwood wasted no time in declaring The Rolling Stones as his favorite. He has long admired their commitment to their origins, as he told the Associated Press.
“They’re just a great rock and roll band, and they come from the same world I came from in the early days of Fleetwood Mac”.
Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones both have roots in the blues, drawing inspiration from influential blues artists such as Albert King, Muddy Waters, and Howlin Wolf. Fleetwood Mac’s early days were heavily influenced by the blues, with John McVie having played in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers before joining the band. Despite both bands straying from their blues roots in recent years, Mick Fleetwood still appreciates The Rolling Stones’ dedication to their craft and their first love for the blues. Both bands found themselves on a different career trajectories in the late 1960s.
As the era of Flower Power began to fade, both Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones stuck to their strengths, producing music rooted in a particular vision of Americana. While Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham helped take Fleetwood Mac’s sound to new heights with albums like Rumours, The Stones had already established themselves in the acoustic realm, delivering country classics such as “Dead Flowers” alongside their classic blues favorites like “You Gotta Move”.
Though Fleetwood Mac’s future became uncertain after Christine McVie’s departure, The Stones have stayed true to their roots, releasing an album full of blues covers called Blue and Lonesome. Even when Fleetwood was accommodating Buckingham’s pop-driven aspirations on albums like Tusk, he always managed to infuse their sound with his bluesy touch, frequently using blues shuffle rhythms and stepping outside his comfort zone to reintroduce that traditional blues aspect into their music.
Mick Fleetwood has expressed doubts about the possibility of a new version of Fleetwood Mac, but he is pleased to see that one of the greatest rock bands of his era is still delivering outstanding performances. Despite several decades having passed, both Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones have become the blues idols that they admired during their formative years.