Lindsay Buckingham
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Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...
ist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''s 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his
fingerpicking Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with a single plectr ...
guitar style. Fleetwood Mac, the band that gave Buckingham his greatest exposure, had been around since the late 1960s, beginning as a
British blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric gu ...
outfit led by Peter Green. After Green left the band, they experienced several tumultuous years without a stable frontman. Buckingham was invited to join the band in 1974; they had recorded in the same studio, and the band was lacking a guitarist and male lead vocalist. As a stipulation to joining, Buckingham insisted his musical and romantic partner Stevie Nicks also be included. Buckingham and Nicks became the face of Fleetwood Mac during its most commercially successful period, highlighted by the multi-platinum studio album '' Rumours'' (1977), which sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Though highly successful, the group experienced almost constant creative and personal conflict, and Buckingham left the band in 1987 to focus on his solo career. A one-off reunion at the 1993 inauguration ball for President Bill Clinton initiated some rapprochement between the former band members, with Buckingham performing some vocals on one track of their 1995 studio album ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'', and rejoining the band full-time in 1997 for the live tour and album '' The Dance''. On April 9, 2018, Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac and replaced by Mike Campbell and
Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...
.


Early life

Lindsey Adams Buckingham was born on October 3, 1949, in
Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...
, to Rutheda (née Elliott) and Morris Buckingham. He had two older brothers, Jeffrey and Gregory. Growing up in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
community of Atherton, he attended
Menlo-Atherton High School Menlo-Atherton High School (known as M-A to locals) is a four-year public charter secondary school located in Atherton, California. Menlo-Atherton is part of the Sequoia Union High School District.
where Buckingham and his brothers were encouraged to swim competitively. Though Buckingham dropped out of athletics to pursue music, his brother Gregory went on to win a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Buckingham attended
San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
, but did not graduate. Buckingham's first forays into guitar playing took place on a toy Mickey Mouse guitar, playing along to his brother Jeff's extensive collection of 45s. Noticing his talent, Buckingham's parents bought their son a $35 Harmony guitar. Buckingham never took guitar lessons and does not read music. By age 13, he became interested in
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
and, influenced by banjo methods, practiced the energetic style of the
Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...
.


Music career

From 1966 to 1971, Buckingham performed psychedelic and
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
with the high school rock band originally named the Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band as a bassist and vocalist. The band regrouped in 1967 due to band member changes and shortened their name to Fritz. Buckingham invited friend Stevie Nicks to join Fritz as a backing vocalist. Their romantic relationship began after both left Fritz five years later.


1973–1974: Buckingham Nicks

Buckingham and his then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks recorded seven demos in 1972 on a half-inch 4-track
Ampex Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff as a spin-off of Dalmo-Victor. The name AMPEX is a portmanteau, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence.AbramsoThe History ...
recorder kept at his father's coffee roasting plant in
Daly City Daly City () is the second most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with population of 104,901 according to the 2020 census. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south of San Francisco (sharing its ...
, then drove to Los Angeles to pursue a recording contract. In 1973,
Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
signed the pair. Their studio album, produced by
Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...
and second engineer Richard Dashut, ''
Buckingham Nicks ''Buckingham Nicks'' is the only studio album by the duo of American rock guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks, both of whom later joined Fleetwood Mac. Produced by Keith Olsen, the album was released in September 1973 by Pol ...
'', was released in September 1973; however, soon after its release Polydor dropped the duo because of poor sales. To help make ends meet, Buckingham toured with Don Everly's
backing band A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such ...
, singing
Phil Everly The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
's parts.


1975–1980: Fleetwood Mac and mainstream success

While investigating Sound City recording studio in California,
Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and occasional actor. He is best known as the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of t ...
heard the song "Frozen Love" from the ''Buckingham Nicks'' studio album. Impressed, he asked who the guitarist was. By chance, Buckingham and Nicks were also in Sound City recording demos, and Buckingham and Fleetwood were introduced. When Bob Welch left Fleetwood Mac in December 1974, Fleetwood immediately contacted Buckingham and offered him the vacant guitar slot in his band. Buckingham told Fleetwood that he and Nicks were a team and that he didn't want to work without her. Fleetwood agreed to hire both of them, without an audition. Buckingham and Nicks then began a short tour to promote the ''Buckingham Nicks'' album. The touring band included drummers Bob Aguirre and Gary Hodges (playing simultaneously) and bassist Tom Moncrieff, who later played bass on Nicks' debut solo studio album '' Bella Donna'' (1981). When they played in
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, the one area where they saw appreciable sales, they told their fans they had joined Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac released their eponymously titled studio album in 1975, which reached number one on the American charts. Buckingham contributed two songs to the album, " Monday Morning" and "
I'm So Afraid "I'm So Afraid" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham for the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac for their tenth album, '' Fleetwood Mac''. The song was intended for a second Buckingham Nicks album, but the album never came to fruition ...
", while also singing lead on " Blue Letter" and Nicks' song "Crystal". "I'm So Afraid" and "Monday Morning" were intended for the planned follow-up
Buckingham Nicks ''Buckingham Nicks'' is the only studio album by the duo of American rock guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks, both of whom later joined Fleetwood Mac. Produced by Keith Olsen, the album was released in September 1973 by Pol ...
studio album, but they were instead used with Fleetwood Mac. Despite the success of the new line-up's first studio album, it was their second studio album together, '' Rumours'' (1977), that propelled the band to superstar status, becoming one of the best-selling studio albums of all time. Buckingham's "
Go Your Own Way "Go Your Own Way" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, '' Rumours'' (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 on both sides of the Atlantic. Written and sung ...
" was the lead single, soaring into the US Top Ten; also on the album were Buckingham's "
Second Hand News "Second Hand News" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham. The song was first performed for the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac as the opening track of their 1977 album '' Rumours''. Background "Second Hand News" was a frontrunner for ...
" and "
Never Going Back Again "Never Going Back Again" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham that was first released by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eleventh studio album '' Rumours'' (1977). The song was also released as the B-side to the Top Ten ...
". Buckingham also sang co-lead vocal on two of the band's biggest live staples: "
The Chain "The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on their 1977 album '' Rumours''. It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members (Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John ...
", written by the entire band, and " Don't Stop", a
Christine McVie Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...
number. After the resounding commercial success of ''Rumours'' (during the making of which Buckingham and Nicks broke up), Buckingham was determined to avoid falling into repeating the same musical pattern. The result was ''
Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share ...
'' (1979), a double studio album that Buckingham primarily directed. Once again, Buckingham wrote the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
, the
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
that peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Buckingham convinced Fleetwood to let his work on their next studio album be more experimental and to be allowed to work on tracks at home before bringing them to the rest of the band in the studio. It produced three hit singles: Lindsey Buckingham's "
Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share ...
" (US No. 8), which featured the USC Trojan Marching Band, Christine McVie's "
Think About Me "Think About Me" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in March 1980. The song was composed by Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie. "Think About Me" and " Not That Funny" were the first "Tusk" singles released in t ...
" (US No. 20), and Stevie Nicks' 6½-minute opus "
Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...
" (US No. 7). "Sara" was cut to 4½ minutes for both the hit single and the first CD-release of the album, but the unedited version has since been restored on the 1988 greatest hits compilation, the 2004 reissue of ''Tusk'' and Fleetwood Mac's 2002 release of '' The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac''. Original guitarist Peter Green also took part in the sessions of ''Tusk'', although his playing on the Christine McVie track "Brown Eyes" is not credited on the album. It was during this time that Buckingham moved in with record company secretary and aspiring model Carol Ann Harris, with whom he lived until 1984. Though by most standards a hit, ''Tusk'' failed to come close to ''Rumours'' record sales, and the album was followed by a hiatus in the band's studio recording efforts.


1981: Going solo and ''Law and Order''

During the time he worked on ''Tusk'', Buckingham also produced studio albums for
Walter Egan Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
and John Stewart in the late 1970s as well as beginning work on his own solo studio album. In 1981, Buckingham released his debut solo studio album, ''
Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...
'', playing nearly every instrument and featuring guest appearances by bandmates Mick Fleetwood and
Christine McVie Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...
. The album pursued the quirky, eclectic, often
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
and new wave influences of ''Tusk'' and spawned the single " Trouble" (inspired by Fleetwood Mac producer Richard Dashut), which reached No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 in Australia (for three weeks).


1982: ''Mirage''

After a large world tour that ended in 1980, Fleetwood Mac took a year-long break before reconvening to record their next studio album '' Mirage'' (1982), a more pop-friendly work that returned the band to the top of the US album chart. However, by this time various members of the band were enjoying success as solo artists (particularly Nicks) and the next Fleetwood Mac album was not released until five years later.


1983–1986: ''Go Insane'' and other solo projects

In 1983 he wrote and performed the songs "
Holiday Road "Holiday Road" is a 1983 single composed and recorded by American guitarist/singer Lindsey Buckingham. Written for the 1983 film '' National Lampoon's Vacation'', it was also used in the film's sequels National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985 ...
" and "Dancin' Across the USA" for the film ''
National Lampoon's Vacation ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American road trip comedy film directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brink ...
''. "Holiday Road" was released as a single, and reached No. 82 on '' Billboard''s Hot 100. In 1984, after ending his 7-year relationship with Carol Ann Harris, he released his second solo studio album, '' Go Insane''. The title track was a modest hit, reaching No. 23 on the Hot 100. In 2008, he revealed the title track was about his post-breakup relationship with Stevie Nicks; however, Harris claimed in her memoir ''Storms'' that the song was written about her breakup with Buckingham. The last track of the album, "D. W. Suite", was a tribute to the late
Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...
drummer
Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...
, a close friend of Fleetwood Mac who was briefly engaged to Christine McVie. Also that year, Buckingham played guitars and sang harmony vocals on the track "You Can't Make Love" from Don Henley's second solo studio album ''
Building the Perfect Beast ''Building the Perfect Beast'' is the second solo studio album by American rock singer Don Henley, released on November 19, 1984 by Geffen Records. A commercial and critical success, it is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, mor ...
''. The next year, Buckingham performed on
USA for Africa United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) was the name under which 47 predominantly U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locat ...
's fundraising single, "
We Are the World "We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album '' We Are the World''. Wi ...
". In 1986 he co-wrote "Since You've Gone" for
Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...
's debut solo studio album, ''
Belinda Belinda is a feminine given name of unknown origin, apparently coined from Italian ''bella'', meaning "beautiful". Alternatively it may be derived from the Old High German name ''Betlinde'', which possibly meant "bright serpent" or "bright linde ...
''. He did other soundtrack work, including the song "Time Bomb Town" from ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
'' (1985). Buckingham played all of the instruments on the track except drums, which were played by
Michael Huey J. Michael Huey (born October 24, 1950) is an American drummer and producer, earning 18 Gold / Platinum Top Ten Awards. He has played with a diverse group of artists in genres including Rock/Pop/Country/R&B such as Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Juice ...
.


1987: ''Tango In the Night'' and departure from Fleetwood Mac

Buckingham’s fifth studio album with Fleetwood Mac, ''
Tango in the Night ''Tango in the Night'' is the fourteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 April 1987. It is the fifth and final studio album from the band's most successful lineup of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood ...
'', was released in 1987. Buckingham had already released two solo studio albums and had given up much of the material for what would have been his third solo studio album for the project, including "
Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tri ...
", "
Tango in the Night ''Tango in the Night'' is the fourteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 13 April 1987. It is the fifth and final studio album from the band's most successful lineup of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood ...
", " Family Man", "You and I" and "Caroline". "Big Love", released as the first single from the album, became a top ten hit in the US and the UK. Propelled by a string of hit singles, ''Tango in the Night'' became the band's biggest studio album since ''Rumours'' a decade earlier. However, following its release, Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac largely because of his desire not to tour and the strain he was feeling within the band. "I needed to get some separation from Stevie especially because I don't think I'd ever quite gotten closure on our relationship," he said. "I needed to get on with the next phase of my creative growth and my emotional growth. When you break up with someone and then for the next 10 years you have to be around them and do for them and watch them move away from you, it's not easy." Fleetwood Mac continued without him, and Buckingham was replaced by two guitarists,
Rick Vito Richard Francis (Rick) Vito (born October 13, 1949, in Darby, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American guitarist and singer. He was part of Fleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991. Vito took over as lead guitarist after Lindsey Buckingham left t ...
and
Billy Burnette Dorsey William Burnette III (born May 8, 1953 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was part of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1987 to 1995. Burnette also had a brief career in acting. Family ba ...
.


1988–1992: ''Out of the Cradle''

Following his departure from Fleetwood Mac in 1987, Buckingham spent much of the next five years in the studio, working on his third solo studio album, '' Out of the Cradle'', which was released in 1992. Many of the songs deal with his relationship with Nicks and his decision to leave the band. "There were things lingering for years having to do with relationships and the band, hurtful things, that were impossible to deal with until I left. If you were in a relationship and split up, then had to see that person every day for the next 15 years, it might keep you from dealing with some of those things. While we made ''Rumours'' (in 1977) there were two couples breaking up in the band (Buckingham and Nicks, and John and Christine McVie), and we had to say, 'This is an important thing we're doing, so we've got to put this set of feelings on this side of the room and get on with it.' And when you do that long enough you forget that those feelings are even there. On this album, I'm putting all these feelings in the healthiest possible perspective and that, looking at it broadly, is a lot of what the album is dealing with. It's a catharsis, absolutely." "Wrong" was a gentle rebuke of former bandmate Mick Fleetwood's tell-all biography, published in 1990. ''Out of the Cradle'' received some favorable reviews but did not achieve the sales levels associated with Fleetwood Mac. However, Buckingham toured throughout 1992–93 for the first time as a solo artist; his band included an army of seven other guitarists (Buckingham himself calls them "the crazy band" on his ''Soundstage'' DVD), each of whom he individually taught the entire two-and-a-half hours of music from the concert (''Lindsey Buckingham: Behind the Music'' documentary for VH1, 2001).


1993–2004: Return to Fleetwood Mac

In 1993, newly elected president
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
asked Fleetwood Mac to come together to perform the song he had chosen for his campaign, the
Christine McVie Christine Anne McVie (; née Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of the band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, nota ...
-penned " Don't Stop", at the
First inauguration of Bill Clinton The first inauguration of Bill Clinton as the 42nd president of the United States was held on Wednesday, January 20, 1993, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 52nd inauguration and marked the commence ...
on January 20, 1993. Buckingham agreed to be part of the performance, but the experience was something of a one-off for the band, who were still very much at odds with one another and had no plans to reunite officially. While assembling material for a planned fourth solo studio album in the mid-1990s, Buckingham contacted Mick Fleetwood for assistance on a song. Their collaboration lasted much longer than anticipated, and the two eventually decided to call upon Stevie Nicks, John and Christine McVie. In 1997, Buckingham and all four of his bandmates from the ''Rumours''-era line-up of Fleetwood Mac went on the road for the first time together since 1982 in a reunion tour titled '' The Dance''. The tour was hugely successful and did much to heal the damage that had been done between Buckingham and his bandmates. However, Christine McVie left the band in 1998 because of her fear of flying and to be with her family in the UK, thus making the band a foursome. A subsequent fourth solo studio album, titled '' Gift of Screws'', was recorded between 1995–2001 and presented to Warner Bros. and Reprise for release. Executives at the label managed to persuade Buckingham to hold the album back and instead take several tracks from ''Gift of Screws'' and use them with Fleetwood Mac. In 2003, the reformed band released the first studio album involving Buckingham and Nicks in 15 years, '' Say You Will''. Buckingham's song " Peacekeeper" was the first single from the album, and the band went on a world concert tour that lasted almost a year and a half. Seven songs from ''Gift of Screws'' appear on the Fleetwood Mac studio album ''Say You Will'', in substantially the same form as Buckingham had recorded them for his solo release. Bootleg copies of ''Gift of Screws''—taken from an original CD-R presented to Warner Bros and Reprise—are known to exist and have been widely distributed among fans through the use of
torrent Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of s ...
sites and other peer-to-peer networks.


2006–2008: Continuing solo

On his 57th birthday, October 3, 2006, Buckingham's fourth solo studio album, an acoustic album now titled '' Under the Skin'', was released. ''Under the Skin'' features Buckingham on almost all instruments, with the exception of two tracks that feature Fleetwood Mac's rhythm section of
John McVie John Graham McVie (born 26 November 1945) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fle ...
and Mick Fleetwood. The album includes a cover of
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
classic " I Am Waiting". Three days after the album's release, Buckingham embarked on a tour in support of the album that lasted until the end of June 2007. A live album and DVD, ''Live at the Bass Performance Hall'', was released documenting the
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
show from this tour. In 2008 the '' Gift of Screws'' album was finally released, containing three tracks from the originally planned studio album, as well as seven new recordings. Buckingham then commenced a short tour to promote ''Gift of Screws'' in September and October, opening in
Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, its population was 31,051 at the 2020 census. Saratoga is an affluent residential community, known for its wineries, restaurants, and attra ...
and closing in New York City.


2009: Unleashed Tour

Fleetwood Mac toured in 2009, with the first date of the "UNLEASHED" Tour as March 1, 2009, in
Mellon Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) ...
(
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
). Christine McVie was not involved with this project.


2010–2012: ''Seeds We Sow'' and One Man Show

On November 3, 2010, Buckingham's website announced that he was working on an untitled studio album with release planned in early 2011. Buckingham had finished recording the studio album, titled ''
Seeds We Sow ''Seeds We Sow'' is the sixth solo album by American musician and Fleetwood Mac vocalist-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, released on September 6, 2011. It is his first to be self-released. With the exception of She Smiled Sweetly, a Rolling Stone ...
'' in April, and on April 22, 2011, he filmed a concert for DVD release to support the album. ''Seeds We Sow'' was released on September 6, 2011. On September 10, Buckingham kicked off the ''Seeds We Sow'' Tour in Reno, Nevada; the tour ended in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 14. Buckingham had planned to conduct his first solo tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland in December. However, in early December, Buckingham postponed all UK dates due to his guitarist suffering a back injury. The UK dates were subsequently cancelled. Buckingham began a "solo" (no backing band) tour of the United States on May 3, 2012, in Solana Beach, California and in November 2012 released a completely solo live album ''
One Man Show A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...
'' via digital download at iTunes that was recorded from a single night in Des Moines, Iowa. ''One Man Show'' was released on Buckingham's own label Buckingham Records LLC.


2013–2015: Fleetwood Mac EP, world tour and Christine McVie reunion

The "Live World" tour commenced on April 4, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio. On April 30, the band released their first new studio material since 2003's ''Say You Will'' via digital download on iTunes with the four-track EP containing three new songs from Buckingham and one new song from the ''
Buckingham Nicks ''Buckingham Nicks'' is the only studio album by the duo of American rock guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks, both of whom later joined Fleetwood Mac. Produced by Keith Olsen, the album was released in September 1973 by Pol ...
'' sessions ("Without You"). Buckingham is credited for three songs on the 2013 release ''
Hesitation Marks ''Hesitation Marks'' is the eighth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It wa ...
,'' the eighth studio album of the band Nine Inch Nails. On January 11, 2014, Mick Fleetwood announced that Christine McVie was rejoining Fleetwood Mac, and the news was confirmed on January 13 by the band's primary publicist, Liz Rosenberg. Rosenberg also stated that an official announcement regarding a new album and tour was forthcoming. On with the Show, a 33-city North American Tour opened in
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
, Minnesota on September 30, 2014. A series of May–June 2015 arena dates in the United Kingdom went on sale on November 14, selling out in minutes. Additional dates for the tour were added, extending into November. In January 2015, Buckingham suggested that the new studio album and the new tour might be Fleetwood Mac's last act and that the band would cease to operate in 2015 or soon afterward. He concluded: "We're going to continue working on the new album, and the solo stuff will take a back seat for a year or two. A beautiful way to wrap up this last act". On the other hand, Mick Fleetwood stated that the new studio album could take a few years to complete and that they were waiting for contributions from Stevie Nicks, who had been ambivalent about committing to a new record.


2016–2017: ''Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie'' and Classic Concerts

In August 2016, Fleetwood said that while the band has "a huge amount of recorded music", virtually none of it features Stevie Nicks. Buckingham and Christine McVie, however, had contributed multiple songs to the new project. Fleetwood told Ultimate Classic Rock, "She cVie... wrote up a storm ... She and Lindsey could probably have a mighty strong duet album if they want. In truth, I hope it will come to more than that. There really are dozens of songs. And they're really good. So we'll see." Buckingham and Christine McVie announced a collaborative studio album titled ''
Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie Lindsey may refer to : Places Canada * Lindsey Lake, Nova Scotia England * Parts of Lindsey, one of the historic Parts of Lincolnshire and an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 ** East Lindsey, an administrative district in Lincolnshire, ...
'', which also features Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. The album was originally planned as a Fleetwood Mac album. Stevie Nicks did not participate due to her preference for a solo tour with
the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...
. ''Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie'' was released on June 9, 2017, and was preceded by the single, "In My World". A 38-date tour began on June 21, 2017, and ended on November 16.


2018–present: Firing from Fleetwood Mac, ''Solo Anthology,'' and ''Lindsey Buckingham''

Following Fleetwood Mac's performance at the
MusiCares Person of the Year The MusiCares Person of the Year is an award presented annually by MusiCares, the charity arm of The Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music in ...
in January 2018, Buckingham was fired from the band. The reason was said to have been a disagreement about the nature of the tour, and in particular the question of whether newer or less well-known material would be included, as Buckingham wanted. Mick Fleetwood and the band appeared on ''
CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987, to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012, to September 6, 2021. The program was aired from Monday through Saturday. ...
'' on April 25, 2018, and said that Buckingham would not sign off on a tour that the group had been planning for a year and that they had reached a "huge impasse" and "hit a brick wall". When asked if Buckingham had been fired, he said, "Well, we don't use that word because I think it's ugly." He also said that "Lindsey has huge amounts of respect and kudos to what he's done within the ranks of Fleetwood Mac and always will." In October 2018, Buckingham filed a lawsuit against Fleetwood Mac for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of oral contract and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, among other charges; the lawsuit was settled in December of the same year. Buckingham stated he learned about the firing after receiving a call from Fleetwood Mac manager
Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records. Since September 2013, he has been chai ...
with a message for Buckingham from Stevie Nicks. Buckingham stated that Azoff told him: "Stevie never wants to be on a stage with you again." According to Azoff, Nicks had taken issue with, on the evening of MusicCares, the guitarist's outburst just before the band's set over the intro music—the studio recording of Nicks' "
Rhiannon Rhiannon is a major figure in the Mabinogi, the medieval Welsh story collection. She appears mainly in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, and again in the Third Branch. She is a strong-minded Otherworld woman, who chooses Pwyll, prince of Dyfe ...
"—and the way he "smirked" during Nicks' thank-you speech. Buckingham conceded that "It wasn't about it being 'Rhiannon'. It just undermined the impact of our entrance. That's me being very specific about the right and wrong way to do something." Days later, Buckingham called Azoff and asked, "Is Stevie leaving the band, or am I getting kicked out?" Azoff told him that he was "getting ousted" from the band after Nicks gave the other band members "an ultimatum: Either uckinghamgo sor she's going to go," to which they decided to fire him. Former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and
Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...
of Crowded House were named to replace Buckingham. Buckingham has stated since that he would be open to rejoining Fleetwood Mac but does not foresee it in the future. In August 2018, Reprise issued a press release for a new solo anthology '' Solo Anthology: The Best of Lindsey Buckingham'' that focused on Buckingham's solo career since 1981. The anthology was released on October 5, 2018, followed two days later by a solo tour throughout North America. In 2020, Buckingham collaborated with
the Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
on their studio album ''
Imploding the Mirage ''Imploding the Mirage'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Killers. It was released on August 21, 2020, by Island Records in the United States and internationally by EMI. To date, it is the band's only album without lead guitar ...
'', playing guitar on the first single " Caution". In 2021, Buckingham played on a new version of "The Past Is the Past" by
Brandy Clark Brandy Lynn Clark (born October 9, 1975) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, the Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kace ...
, issued as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of her album ''
Your Life Is a Record ''Your Life Is a Record'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Brandy Clark. It was released on March 6, 2020, via Warner Records. It includes the single "Who You Thought I Was". The album has received positive critical rece ...
''. On June 8, 2021, Buckingham announced his seventh solo studio album, ''
Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...
'', with the single " I Don’t Mind". The second single from the album, " On the Wrong Side", was released on July 23, 2021. The record was released on September 17, 2021, and his tour to support it started the same month. Buckingham also guested on Halsey's 2021 studio album '' If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power''. In 2022, Buckingham would again join with the Killers on August 27, 2022 to perform his guitar solo from "Caution" live on stage in Los Angeles with the band, along with a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way". Buckingham along with the Killers were joined with Johnny Marr of
the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...
to perform " Mr. Brightside" together to close out the concert.


Personal life

Buckingham was in the same high school as Stevie Nicks but a year behind her. He started a relationship with Nicks after the breakup of their band Fritz. He then suffered from a bout of
mononucleosis Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adult ...
, which delayed their move to Los Angeles in 1971. They recorded a studio album together before joining Fleetwood Mac in 1975, while their relationship had broken down by 1977. The breakup was chronicled in a number of songs written by the two, such as " Silver Springs" and "
Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
" by Nicks and "
Go Your Own Way "Go Your Own Way" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, '' Rumours'' (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 on both sides of the Atlantic. Written and sung ...
" and "
Second Hand News "Second Hand News" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham. The song was first performed for the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac as the opening track of their 1977 album '' Rumours''. Background "Second Hand News" was a frontrunner for ...
" by Buckingham. Buckingham had his first child, William Gregory, with Kristen Messner on July 8, 1998. Buckingham then married Messner in 2000, and they had two daughters, Leelee in 2000 and Stella in 2004. Buckingham and Messner, who is a photographer and interior designer, have developed homes in Brentwood, California. Buckingham underwent emergency
open heart surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to c ...
in February 2019. His wife Kristen said that "the life-saving procedure caused vocal cord damage, the permanency of which is unclear. Lindsey is slowly recovering at home with the support of his wife and children." Kristen Messner filed for divorce from Buckingham in Los Angeles on June 2, 2021. It was reported later in September that the couple were working on their marriage.


Musical style

Unlike most rock guitarists, Buckingham does not play with a pick; instead, he picks the strings with his fingers and fingernails and tends to strum with his middle and ring fingers. Initially after joining Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham used a
Gibson Les Paul Custom The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a higher-end variation of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. It was developed in 1953 after Gibson had introduced the Les Paul model in 1952. History The 1952 Gibson Les Paul was originally made with a mahogany body with ...
. Before the band, a
Fender Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...
was his main guitar, and was used on his first Fleetwood Mac studio album alongside
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...
s fitted with an Alembic Blaster. In 1978, he worked with Rick Turner, future owner and founder of The Renaissance Guitar Company, to create the Model One guitar. He has used it extensively since, both with Fleetwood Mac and for his solo efforts. He uses a
Taylor Guitar Taylor Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer based in El Cajon, California, and is one of the largest manufacturers of acoustic guitars in the United States. They specialize in acoustic guitars and semi-hollow electric guitars. The company w ...
814ce or a Rick Turner Renaissance RS6 for most of his acoustic performances but uses a custom-made Gibson Chet Atkins guitar for his live performances of "Big Love". He has also used an Ovation Balladeer in the past from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. In the 1980s, he also extensively used the
Fairlight CMI The Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) is a digital synthesizer, sampler, and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979 by Fairlight. — with links to some Fairlight history and photos It was based on a commercial lic ...
sampling synthesizer. His influences include Brian Wilson and
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
. Buckingham has also worked extensively as a producer both for Fleetwood Mac and for his solo work. "I think of myself as a stylist, and the process of writing a song is part and parcel with putting it together in the studio." In an interview with '' Guitar World Acoustic Magazine'', Buckingham said:
I've always believed that you play to highlight the song, not to highlight the player. The song is all that matters. There are two ways you can choose to go. You can try to be someone like Eddie Van Halen, who is a great guitarist, a virtuoso. Yet he doesn't make good records because what he plays is totally lost in the context of this band's music. Then there are guitar players like
Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...
, who weren't out there trying to show themselves off as guitarists per se, but were using the guitar as a tool to make good records. I remember loving Chet's work when I was a kid, but it was only later, when I really listened to his guitar parts, that I realized how much they were a part of the song's fabric, and how much you'd be going 'Oh, that song just isn't working' if they weren't there.
In another interview to '' Guitar World'', he said about using his fingers rather than a
plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harps ...
:
I started playing very young and from early on, the people I was listening to had some element of finger style. Probably the first guitarist I was emulating was
Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...
, when I was maybe 6 or 7. And he played with a pick, but he also used fingers. And a lot of the session players, like
Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...
, they played with fingers or a pick. Then I listened to a certain amount of light classical guitar playing. And of course later on, when the first wave of rock 'n' roll kind of fell away, folk music was very popular and very influential in my style. So it was really less of a choice than what I fell into. I use a pick occasionally. I certainly use it more in the studio when you want to get a certain tone. But it's just the way I came up. I wasn't taught. I just sort of figured things out on my own terms. I guess that was one of the ways that I became comfortable and it just kind of set in.


In popular culture

Buckingham has been portrayed by
Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (201 ...
in a recurring sketch titled " What Up with That?" on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''. The show features Hader as Buckingham, who repeatedly appears as a guest on a talk show in the sketch; however, the segment always runs out of time before he can be interviewed. Buckingham has stated he does not understand the parody, though he considers it a compliment, and he eventually appeared as himself on the May 14, 2011, episode during this sketch, offering to explain why there were two Lindsey Buckinghams. Buckingham plays himself and sings in episode 3 of the Showtime series ''
Roadies Roadie refers to support personnel who travel with a band on tour. Roadie or roadies may also refer to: * ''Roadie'' (1980 film), a 1980 film starring Meat Loaf * ''Roadie'' (2011 film), a 2011 American comedy film * ''Roadies'' (TV series), an A ...
''.


Discography


Studio albums


Live albums


Compilation albums


Singles


Soundtrack appearances


Other credits


Music videos

*1981 – " Trouble" *1981 – "It Was I" *1983 – "Holiday Road" *1984 – "Go Insane" *1984 – "Slow Dancing" *1992 – "Countdown" *1992 – "Wrong" *1992 – "Soul Drifter" *1993 – "Don't Look Down" *2006 – "Show You How" *2006 – "It Was You" *2006 – "Shut Us Down" *2011 – "Stars Are Crazy" (performance clip) *2011 – "In Our Own Time" (performance clip)


References


External links


Another interview about his playing

Official website

Fleetwood Mac official website

Kingston Trio & Friends Reunion featuring Lindsey Buckingham
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham, Lindsey 1949 births Living people American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American multi-instrumentalists American rock guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Asylum Records artists Columbia Records artists Elektra Records artists Fingerstyle guitarists Fleetwood Mac members Grammy Award winners Guitarists from California Lead guitarists Mercury Records artists Musicians from Palo Alto, California People from Atherton, California People with epilepsy Polydor Records artists Record producers from California Reprise Records artists San Jose State University alumni Singer-songwriters from California Warner Music Group artists 20th-century American guitarists