Steven Ferdman/Getty ImagesHere’s sending out some “Big Love” to former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham, who celebrates his 70th birthday today. The singer, songwriter and guitarist was one of the main creative forces of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ best-known lineup, although conflicts with his one-time romantic and musical partner Stevie Nicks led to his ouster from the group last year shortly after the band was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year.
After his split with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham mounted a solo tour, issued a compilation of his work outside the group, and was preparing to release a record of new original tunes in 2019. However, this past February, his wife, Kristen, reported that Lindsey had undergone emergency open-heart surgery, and that his vocal cords had been damaged during the procedure.
In May, Buckingham gave his first public performance since his heart operation, playing guitar behind his daughter Leelee as she and her high-school chorale group sang his old band’s song “Landslide.” Kristen revealed in a post that same month that Lindsey would be seeing a vocal specialist soon. While, no details have been shared about Buckingham’s current condition, Kristen posted a note on her Twitter feed last month that read, “Life, Love and Lindsey are all great. No one needs to worry.”
Buckingham and Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, and had an immediate impact on the band. Buckingham was a member of Fleetwood Mac from ’75 until 1987, and then again from 1997 to 2018. Among the hits and memorable tunes he’s contributed to the band are “Go Your Own Way,” “Second Hand News,” “Tusk” and “Big Love.”
In 1981, Buckingham launched what has become a successful and critically acclaimed solo career that’s included such hits as “Trouble,” “Holiday Road” and “Go Insane.”
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