When a popular band manages to stick around for multiple decades, it’s nothing short of miraculous if they can keep their classic lineup intact for the duration. It’s not at all uncommon for bands to replace a member who is an integral part of their identity—even a lead singer.
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In the ‘70s, Boston, Yes, and Journey were all strongly identified with the voice of their lead singer. But eventually Brad Delp, Jon Anderson, and Steve Perry, respectively, were replaced. Van Halen and Genesis wound up having to replace not one, but two superstar lead singers over the span of their existence. Fleetwood Mac has been around for well over half a century, so it’s predictable they’d have to change lead vocalists…maybe even a number of times. In fact, Bekka Bramlett’s tenure as one of their lead vocalists was sufficiently brief that many fans may have missed her time in the band altogether.
How Bramlett Came to Be in Fleetwood Mac
When Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks arrived in 1974, Fleetwood Mac had already parted ways with four members who had carried a substantial load of lead vocals at some point. The Buckingham/Nicks version of Fleetwood Mac—the one that even the most casual fans know—lasted for 13 years, but when Buckingham departed in 1987, the band kept going. They hired Billy Burnette and Rick Vito to fill the void on vocals and guitar. Four years later, Nicks would also quit the band, leaving Christine McVie as the last of the three lead singers from the classic lineup to remain in Fleetwood Mac (though even that was only in a studio capacity).
So Mick Fleetwood invited Bramlett to join the band as a vocalist, essentially taking over the role vacated by Nicks. Bramlett, the daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett (yes, of Delaney & Bonnie fame), had previously been a vocalist in Fleetwood’s band, The Zoo, and had built an impressive résumé as a backing vocalist for artists as diverse as Belinda Carlisle, Warrant, and Joe Cocker.
Now she faced the daunting proposition of going out on tour with Fleetwood Mac in 1994 and 1995, even though she had yet to perform on one of the band’s albums. Bramlett sang leads that Nicks and McVie had made famous, though she passed on performing “Dreams” and “Rhiannon,” which were Nicks’ first two big hits with the band.
The version of the group that played on those tours—Bramlett, Burnette, former Traffic guitarist Dave Mason, John McVie, and Fleetwood—would go on, along with Christine McVie, to make Fleetwood Mac’s next album, Time. Bramlett co-wrote two songs (”Nothing Without You” and “Dreamin’ the Dream”) for the album and provided lead vocals for five of the 13 tracks. The album failed to chart on the Billboard 200, and the only single released was “I Do,” which was written by Christine McVie and her husband, Eddy Quintela, and was sung by McVie.
Bramlett’s Unceremonious Departure
Bramlett has said that when she took the gig, she understood that it was temporary, even if it was never posed to her that way. She explained to Rolling Stone, “I knew my job was to get Stevie back. I wasn’t a moron.” Still, when the day came for Fleetwood to close the book on the Time version of Fleetwood Mac, Bramlett was crushed.
Fleetwood let her know of her dismissal from the band via fax. Not only did Fleetwood avoid giving Bramlett the news in person or even over the phone, but he insinuated that her firing was her own fault. In the fax, Fleetwood referred to an off-handed comment she made in frustration after one of the band’s shows, writing, “You wish you were in REO Speedwagon [instead], so I’m going to go ahead and fire you now.” In his own interview for Rolling Stone, Burnett said that he knew that Fleetwood and John McVie were trying to get the classic lineup back together, but when he confronted Bramlett and Mason about it, they didn’t think it was true.
[RELATED: 5 Greatest Fleetwood Mac Live Performances]
The Aftermath of Bramlett’s Firing
As it turned out, the Rumours five-piece version of Fleetwood Mac did get back together in 1997, and the reunion resulted in the highly successful live album The Dance, along with an ensuing tour. Bramlett and Burnette formed the duo Bekka & Billy and released a self-titled album in 1997. Bramlett also continued her work as a backing vocalist, providing vocals on albums for numerous artists, including Kenny Rogers, Faith Hill, Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill, Jewel, Bob Seger, Robert Plant, and John Oates. She also sang backing vocals on Billy Joel’s 1998 tour.
The brief period during which Bramlett was a lead vocalist for one of the most celebrated bands in rock history is likely the most overlooked stretch of the group’s illustrious career. Though Time did not attract much attention and the experience with Fleetwood Mac did not end well for Bramlett, she said she was “proud to be one of the entities of it.” While the album was widely ignored, fans shouldn’t bypass this chapter of the band’s history, as it is every bit as much a part of Fleetwood Mac’s trajectory as the pre-Buckingham/Nicks years were.
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