Christine McVie : 1. Early life, 2. Early music, 2.1. Chicken Shack.

Christine McVie

1. Early life.

Christine Anne Perfect was born in the small village of Bouth in the Lake District and grew up in the Bearwood area of Smethwick near Birmingham, where her father, Cyril, was a university lecturer and concert violinist. Christine's mother Beatrice (called Tee) was a so-called medium, psychic, and faith healer. Her grandfather had been the organist at Westminster Abbey. Although Christine was introduced to the piano at the age of four, it was not until age eleven that she studied music seriously, when she was re-introduced to the instrument by Philip Fisher, a local musician and school friend of her older brother John. Continuing her classical training until the age of fifteen, her musical focus made a radical shift to Rock and Roll when John brought home a Fats Domino songbook. Other early influences included The Everly Brothers and The Beatles.

2. Early music.

Christine studied sculpture at an art college in Birmingham for five years, with the goal of becoming an art teacher. During that time she met a number of budding musicians in Britain's so-called "blues" scene. Although studying sculpture at the time, Christine seemed to have an innate love for music. Her first foray into the music field didn't come until she met two friends Stan Webb and Andy Silvester in a pub one night. At the time they were playing in a band called "Sounds Of Blue" which had a few dates booked but no bass guitarist. Knowing that Christine had musical talent they asked her to join.^[2] Also during that time she would often sing with Spencer Davis. After five years Christine graduated from art college with a teaching degree, but by that time "Sounds of Blue" had split up.

Fresh out of art college, Christine found that she didn't have enough money to launch herself into the art world, so she moved to London, where she worked briefly as a department store window dresser.^[2]

2.1. Chicken Shack.

In 1968, a friend of Christine told her that her ex-bandmates Andy Silvester and Stan Webb were forming a blues band and were looking for a pianist, so she wrote to them asking to join them. A few days later they replied, inviting her to play keyboards/piano and sing background vocals in their band Chicken Shack.^[2] Christine stayed with Chicken Shack for two albums; it was in that combo that her genuine feel for the blues became evident--not only in her Sonny-Thompson-style piano playing, but in her soft, low alto which rendered the songs and standards she did sing authentic. In fact, Chicken Shack scored the top 10 British hit "I'd Rather Go Blind" with Christine on lead vocals. She was given a Melody Maker award for female vocalist for both 1969 and 1970 respectively, and she was lauded for having one of the "top 10 pairs of legs in all of Britain". Christine left Chicken Shack in 1969 after meeting Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie.