John McVie Net Worth

What is John McVie's Net Worth?

John McVie is a British bass guitar player who has a net worth of $50 million. John McVie is best known for playing with the bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac, the latter of which received far more publicity and success. McVie's last name served as inspiration for the band's name – Mac – along with fellow member Mick Fleetwood. McVie joined the band in 1967 at the encouragement of a former bandmate named Peter Green after the departure of temporary player, Bob Brunning. After just a year with the band, McVie married Christine Perfect (later known as Christine McVie), who was also a musician, having played the piano and sang blues style music for years prior. She then subsequently joined the band two years later. The couple later divorced in 1976. McVie remarried in 1978 after having met Julie Ann Reubens. Fleetwood Mac would go on to become one of the most successful bands in music history, selling hundreds of millions of records.

In 1998, McVie was honored for his music with the band by receiving an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1987 he experienced an alcohol-induced seizure, which caused him to quit drinking. This was after a long-fought battle with drinking, which is also listed as one of the causes as his split and subsequent divorce from Perfect. His daughter, Molly, was born in 1989.

Live Nation Earnings

In October 2018 we learned some of the financial inner-workings of today's Fleetwood Mac thanks to a lawsuit filed by on-again-off-again member Lindsey Buckingham. Buckingham sued his former bandmates after he was abruptly removed from the group's 2018-2019 Live Nation tour. The lawsuit claimed that according to terms of their deal with Live Nation, each band member would receive $200,000 per show over 60 shows, for a total payout of $12 million. The amount could reach as high as $14 million depending on various attendance milestones and additional dates added down the road. Three months later the lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount. Buckingham released a statement saying:

"We've all signed off on something. I'm happy enough with it. I'm not out there trying to twist the knife at all. I'm trying to look at this with some level of compassion, some level of wisdom."

Noam Galai/Getty Images

Early Life

McVie was born on November 26, 1945 in Ealing, Middlesex, England to parents Reg and Dorothy McVie. He attended Walpole Grammar School. He began playing the trumpet at an early age and then learned to play the guitar at the age of 14. He began covering songs by  bands like The Shadows until he realized that some of his friends were also learning lead guitar. He then decided to learn the bass guitar instead. After leaving school at the age of 17, McVie trained for nine months to become a tax inspector. However, he ultimately gave up this profession to pursue his professional career in music.

Career

McVie began making music with a group of his friends in the back room of a house in Ealing. His first official job as a bass player was in a band called the Krewsaders which was made up of guys living on the same street as McVie in Ealing. The group mostly covered songs from The Shadows.

John Mayall, a musician, began putting a Chicago-styles blues band together in the 1960s. Initially, he wanted to recruit the bass player Cliff Barton, who played with the Cyril Davies All Stars, to join the band. However, Barton declined but did give him McVie's phone number. Barton urged him to give McVie a chance. McVie got a shot at auditioning and was offered the spot of bass player in the band, called John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. McVie continued working as a tax inspector for nine full months before becoming a musician full time for the band. Under Mayall's guidance, he learned to play the blues as he had not had any formal musical training. He remained the band's bassist for four and a half years, though he was occasionally fired and re-hired throughout this time period.

In 1966, a musician named Peter Green joined the band. Soon afterward, drummer Mick Fleetwood replaced former drummer Aynsley Dunbar. Green, Fleetwood, and McVie formed a strong friendship and began recording music together on their own time. When Mayall gave Green some free studio time for his birthday, the trio recorded three tracks together – "Curly," "Rubber Duck," and "Fleetwood Mac."

The following year, when Green was replaced in the Bluesbreakers, he decided to form his own band which he called Fleetwood Mac. Though McVie was reluctant to leave his steady gig with the Bluesbreakers, he ultimately decided to join Fleetwood Mac, especially considering that he did not like that the Bluesbreakers were shifting too much towards jazz music.

Fleetwood Mac recorded its first album, "Fleetwood Mac," which was then released in February of 1968. The album became an immediate hit and established the band as a major part of the English Blues movement. They started playing live gigs in clubs and pubs throughout England, soon becoming a household name in the national blues circuit. Over the next three years, the band had a number of other hits in the UK and throughout the rest of continental Europe.

In the 1970s, the band went through several different line-ups. This caused some tension in the band, especially considering their hectic tour schedule. In 1974, McVie, along with the rest of the members of the band moved to Los Angeles. In 1975, the band achieved enormous worldwide success after recruiting American singer-songwriter duo Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. They subsequently released the album "Rumours," which became a massive global hit.

In 1981, McVie agreed to tour with the Bluebreakers again for their reunion tour. He remained in Fleetwood Mac during this time, though he had a reputation for being a low-key member of the band.

Personal Life

McVie married his first wife, Christine McVie, in 1968. They remained married until 1976 when Fleetwood Mac's success coupled with McVie's drinking put serious strain on their marriage. McVie married his second wife, Julie Ann, in 1978. She gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Molly Elizabeth McVie, in 1989. In his free time, McVie enjoys sailing. He has almost gotten lost at sea on several occasions.

McVie was a pretty heavy drinker throughout his life. An alcohol-induced seizer in 1987 prompted McVie to stop drinking altogether and he has been sober since. In October of 2013, McVie was diagnosed with colon cancer and began treatment. He continued playing with Fleetwood Mac during their 2014 tour after his condition improved. In 2017, it was reported that McVie's colon cancer was completely cleared.