Rock Icon Behind One of Music's Biggest Bands Turns 79 Today

In 1947, one of rock’s most iconic drummers who would lead Fleetwood Mac was born.

Michael “Mick” John Kells Fleetwood was born in Redruth, Cornwall, but spent the majority of his childhood in Egypt and Norway. He became a self-taught drummer from an early age after his parents saw his potential as a musician. At only 15-years old, he decided to pursue his passion for music and ventured to London, where he would co-found Fleetwood Mac alongside Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, and Bob Brunning.

At the start of the rock band’s career, they released multiple albums, but it wasn’t until Fleetwood and the others moved to America that they cemented themselves in the music scene. Soon after the inclusion of Lindsey Buckingham andStevie Nicks in 1974, after some of the original members left, the band reached a breakthrough.

Their tenth studio album, Fleetwood Mac, became a No. 1 album on the charts, with the co-founder serving as the band’s steady rhythmic backbone. The band soon shifted gears to a more polished rock direction that set the stage for their landmark follow-up, Rumors, in 1977.

The album became a rock genre staple, releasing ballads and hit tracks that dominated the charts and became lasting anthems.” “Dreams” became notoriously known for having been written during troubling times for the band, with multiple breakups and Fleetwood going through a divorce. The track became a No.1 show-stopper at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Fleetwood Mac would soon release other staple hits like “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain” that cemented them as global superstars.

“Fleetwood Mac has been pretty truthful. Open about what we do. We’ve always done it from the inside out. Versus being pressured from the outside and changing the inside. And that’s our story,” said Fleetwood, according to American Songwriter.

Behind the personal chaos among the band and creative tensions, Fleetwood remained a constant force that held them together. As their co-founder and leader, he was known for anchoring the sound through some of the most turbulent recording sessions and feuds. Over the decades, he became the only member to appear in every lineup of the band.

“Mick is the one who keeps us all together. Without him, there is no Fleetwood Mac,” said Nicks.

Buckingham once said, “If Mick is playing well, the whole band is playing well. He sets the tone for everything.”

Amid the band’s success, Fleetwood ventured into his own personal projects as a solo artist and would even play drums for many of his bandmates’ own records. He even co-authored Fleetwood—My Life and Adventures with Fleetwood Mac about his interactions with other music icons, his affair with Nicks, his cocaine addiction, and even bankruptcy.

In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside the band, and has been a member since 1967. The band ended their run in 2022 following the death of Christine McVie.

Related: 1974 Rock Ballad, Inspired by an Unconventional Love Story, Became a Soft Rock Anthem