Billy Burnette On His Brief, ‘Magical’ Stint in Fleetwood Mac: ‘No Regrets’ - Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone‘s interrogation bid King for a Day features long-form conversations betwixt elder writer Andy Greene and singers who had the hard occupation of fronting large stone bands aft the departure of an iconic vocalist. Some of them stayed successful their bands for years, portion others lasted conscionable a fewer months. In the end, however, they each recovered retired that replacement singers tin themselves beryllium replaced. This variation features erstwhile Fleetwood Mac vocalist Billy Burnette.

Billy Burnette has been creating euphony connected a nonrecreational level for truthful agelong that helium hardly remembers signaling his archetypal single, 1960’s “Hey Daddy (I’m Gonna Tell Santa On You),” which came retired erstwhile helium was conscionable 7 years old, and features Hall of Famer James Burton connected guitar. That would beryllium the thrill of a beingness for astir people, but it was conscionable different time for Burnette, lad of rockabilly icon Dorsey Burnette.

In the years that followed his puerility novelty song, helium wrote songs that person been covered by Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers, Faith Hill, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ringo Starr, Tanya Tucker, Gregg Allman, and excessively galore others to mention. He has besides served arsenic a touring guitarist for Bob Dylan and John Fogerty, released a drawstring of acclaimed solo albums, and adjacent took acting roles successful a wide assortment of under-the-radar Nineties movies similar Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish and Carnosaur 3: Primal Species.

His astir high-profile gig of each began successful 1987, erstwhile Fleetwood Mac recruited him to regenerate Lindsey Buckingham for the Tango successful the Night satellite tour. He remained successful the radical for the adjacent 8 years, successful which helium not lone sang signature Buckingham tunes similar “Go Your Own Way” each nighttime onstage, but besides became 1 of the band’s superior songwriters and vocalists successful the studio.

“It was a magical portion of my life,” Burnette tells Rolling Stone connected the telephone from his location successful Nashville. “I was truthful adjacent with Mick [Fleetwood] backmost then. We did everything together. We adjacent went done our divorces together. I emotion Mick, and I besides emotion Stevie [Nicks], John [McVie], and Christine [McVie]. I’m definite it was a magical clip for them too.” [Editor’s note: The interrogation took spot 2 weeks earlier Christine McVie’s death astatine property 79.]

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Burnette began singing erstwhile helium was 3 with his dad’s band, an influential Memphis enactment called the Rock and Roll Trio that saw occurrence with songs similar “Tear It Up.” As a kid successful the Fifties, helium met Ricky Nelson, Sam Cooke, and Fabian. He toured Japan connected a measure with Brenda Lee erstwhile helium was 12, close astir the clip the Beatles deed and helium discovered stone music.

“I snuck into concerts successful L.A. for years,” helium says. “I asked Jimi Hendrix 1 nighttime however I could get into his performance astatine the Forum. He goes, ‘Carry this.’ And I carried his guitar alongside him and got in. I saw Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Led Zeppelin, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I conscionable saw everything I could backmost then. I loved music.” For overmuch much connected Burnett’s story, cheque retired his memoir, Crazy Like Me — oregon work connected for the wildest section successful his stone & rotation life.

I work that you visited Charles Manson’s Spahn Ranch arsenic a teenager. Tell maine astir that.
God, that was scary. We had nary thought what was happening there. There was thing successful the property astir it yet. They enactment maine connected a equine and went, “This is Tex Watson’s horse.” The equine ran up to the hills and I got each scratched up from the histrion branches. It was a nightmare. I’ve been frightened of horses ever since then.

I drove my dad’s Lotus Europa retired there. They wrote “Pig” connected it successful dust. They were telling maine to get retired of the instrumentality and travel articulation their radical retired there. I wasn’t interested. The full happening was conscionable truly scary.

Did you conscionable Manson?
Yeah. I met him a mates of times. One time, I was hitchhiking. My folks lived successful Woodland Hills, and I utilized to hitchhike to the formation each the clip with my guitar. He picked america up 1 time and gave america a thrust location from Topanga Beach. Also, my dada knew Terry Melcher. We knew a batch of radical aft the strory broke who were progressive with it.

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Who are immoderate of your biggest influences arsenic a guitar player?
There were truthful galore large guitar players conscionable hanging astir my dad’s house. Thumbs Carllile was an astonishing guitar player. Glen Campbell and James Burton were some large too.

When I was 18, my dada took maine down to Chips Moman’s down successful Hollywood. I went backmost to Memphis, wherever I was born, and Chips had conscionable recorded Elvis and everybody. There was a guitar subordinate determination sanction Reggie Young. He’s astir apt 1 of my favourite guitar players ever. He was truthful great. He did the intro to “Hooked connected a Feeling.” He’s besides connected “Suspicious Minds” and “Drift Away.” In fact, I was determination successful Nashville erstwhile Dobie Gray chopped “Drift Away.” I went to the workplace with them and Reggie erstwhile they chopped it. I picked it retired astatine the clip to beryllium a hit.

Did you conscionable Elvis Presley?
I met Elvis erstwhile I was a small kid. I was downtown successful Memphis. He was passing retired teddy bears since helium had the opus “Teddy Bear” out. He asked maine if I wanted a teddy bear. I don’t retrieve this, but my ma told maine the story.

I didn’t conscionable him arsenic an adult, but I was invited retired to Graceland erstwhile to constitute a mates of things. Some friends of excavation had written “You Were Always connected My Mind,” and he’d conscionable chopped that. And Red West was a bully person of ours. He said, “Elvis wants you to travel retired to the location to constitute thing for him.” We were going to bash that, but it didn’t enactment up. This concern is truthful overmuch astir timing and whether it’s successful the stars oregon not.

You did a clump of solo records successful the Seventies and Eighties. Did it frustrate you that nary of them recovered a large audience?
It was frustrating. I deliberation I started retired excessively early. In fact, I was a week retired of graduating precocious schoolhouse erstwhile I went to Memphis for Chips Moman. I had a woody with Columbia Records. It was happening beauteous quick. I privation I had stuck with my store bands and came up that way. But I ever had a grounds woody oregon a penning woody oregon thing to do.

Tell maine your archetypal memories of ever proceeding Fleetwood Mac.
I retrieve going to a performance nighttime astatine Royce Hall astatine UCLA to spot Delaney and Bonnie. On the mode location that night, I heard “Oh Well.” I go, “God, what’s that guitar lick?” And it was Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green. I went home, learned that lick, and started buying the albums.

I heard Stevie and Lindsey’s medium [Buckingham Nicks] done the walls 1 time astatine [record executive] Lester Sill’s office. I went, “Wow, that sounds great.” Next deliberation you know, they’re successful Fleetwood Mac. Boom. That was it.

What did you deliberation of Rumours when it came out?
I loved it. I was astir apt their biggest instrumentality successful the world. I couldn’t judge however large it was. I was like, “I privation that. That’s what I privation to do.” Lindsey had the finger-picking happening that I liked to do. There were radical each astir maine that did that benignant of music, the L.A. thing. I worked astatine the Palomino Club successful the location band. I was astir musicians each the time. When Fleetwood Mac deed the scene, I went, “Wow, this is unthinkable stuff.”

What did you deliberation astir Tusk?
I emotion Tusk. There isn’t thing they did astatine the clip I didn’t like. Then I met them. My relative Rocky and I were invited to a Dick Clark day event. That’s wherever I met Mick Fleetwood. And past Mick and Lindsey called maine the adjacent nighttime and went, “Don’t you privation to articulation my band?” I went, “Don’t you guys already person one?” [Laughs]

I was trying to beryllium funny, but Lindsey went, “I’m playing Saturday Night Live and we privation you to articulation the set I’m putting unneurotic to bash that.” That was the archetypal gig I did with them. That was successful 1982.

What was it similar to abruptly beryllium connected unrecorded TV with Mick and Lindsey?
It was amazing. We were beauteous chaotic backmost successful those days [laughs]. We were wholly retired of control. I mean, we did euphony and we did our job, but erstwhile it was clip to party, we knew however to party.

You mean staying up precocious and getting drunk and doing drugs?
Staying up late? Staying up each nighttime [laughs]. But it was great. Lindsey and I became large friends. I wrote with him. I helped him retired with immoderate songs. I wrote immoderate words of [the 1982 Fleetwood Mac song] “Oh Diane.” He said helium didn’t similar them, but helium utilized a fewer of my words.

You started retired successful Mick’s set the Cholos, which aboriginal became the Zoo.
Yeah. Lindsey was successful the Cholos, too, astatine first. We did immoderate tracks, but who knows what happened to them? Mick and I enactment unneurotic the Zoo. We utilized Stevie and Christine and Lindsey. The full set was connected everything, beauteous much.

You guys covered “Tear It Up” by your dad’s band.
We did that with the Zoo. And erstwhile I archetypal joined Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Barnes got up and sang “Tear It Up” with america 1 night. The girls were like, “Let’s support that successful the set.” And truthful that was our encore each nighttime for astir 10 years.

Tell maine astir your tours with the Zoo successful the Eighties.
We toured with the Beach Boys successful 1985. One night, Mick and I were retired partying, and we were not sober. We got kicked disconnected the circuit due to the fact that we were dancing successful immoderate edifice and the Beach Boys recovered retired astir it. I emotion the Beach Boys. They were beloved friends of mine. But idiosyncratic successful their enactment fired america disconnected the tour. I was truly bully friends with Carl [Wilson], though. I loved him. He was my favourite vocalist successful the band.

You co-wrote “Angel Come Home” with Carl connected the archetypal Zoo record.
Yeah. Christine went retired with Dennis Wilson for a while. When we chopped that song, it was everyone successful Fleetwood Mac too Stevie and John McVie. Lindsey worked connected that record. Christine worked connected it. I retrieve Glen Campbell coming into the workplace that night, and we stayed up each nighttime moving connected it.

It seems similar this set existed since Stevie was engaged with her solo career, and Mick wanted to support going.
Oh yeah. And we toured each implicit the world. We did a three-month circuit successful Australia. We went to a spot called Mount Isa, which was wiped retired by a hurricane. We went each implicit Australia, and loved it.

You wrote “So Excited” for Christine McVie’s solo grounds successful 1984, too.
We were already friends by that point, and ever hanging out. She was 1 of my champion friends.

Those Christine songs successful the Eighties should person been bigger hits. She could person been a existent solo star.
Oh yeah. She wrote astir of the Fleetwood Mac hits. “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Over My Head.” That opus really broke the band. Warner Bros. was done moving the [1975] album. And past “Over My Head” busted retired arsenic a fluke. It became a large hit.

Do you deliberation the Zoo parties were the champion parties you’d ever been a portion of?
Oh yea [laughs]. No uncertainty astir it. There were a clump of america that ran astir Malibu. It was a chaotic scene. Everyone you tin ideate was hanging retired with us. We were the enactment band. When we played somewhere, we’d person everyone play with us. In Austria, we had Jimmy Barnes and Colin Hay from Men astatine Work. There was besides Billy Thorpe. We wrote “Shakin’ The Cage” with him, which was the lone deed the Zoo ever had.

Fast guardant to 1987. How did they inquire you to articulation Fleetwood Mac?
They had a gathering that day. Things got weird betwixt Stevie and Lindsey. I was really successful the workplace with Roy Orbison that day. He was doing 1 of my songs for the Mystery Girl album. T-Bone Burnett was producing it. T-Bone Wolk was playing bass. I went successful and went, “Is T-Bone here?” T-Bone Wolk went, “Yeah, I’m T-Bone.” I go, “No you’re not.” [Laughs.] I conscionable knew T-Bone Burnett.

We chopped my opus “(All I Can Do Is) Dream You.” It was me, Rick Vito, Jim Keltner, and T-Bone Wolk. We chopped a large track. Roy utilized it for his Black and White special. He wanted maine to bash that with him, but I was connected the roadworthy with Fleetwood Mac.

Getting backmost to erstwhile I was asked to articulation the band, I was successful the workplace with Roy. Mick goes, “Can you articulation Fleetwood Mac? We’d request you to get escaped from each your contracts and everything.” I’d conscionable been nominated for my grounds [Soldier of Love] for Best New Country Artist. Things were starting to spell somewhere. I had to get retired of my woody with Curb MCA. They weren’t blessed astir that since I conscionable got the nomination.

You didn’t hesitate to accidental yes to Mick with each that going connected astatine the time?
Not astatine all. How tin you? It was Fleetwood Mac.

Tell maine astir set rehearsals. You abruptly however to larn a batch of material, including an wholly caller album, for a tour.
I was truthful into playing with Mick. We had already done a mates of albums and toured each over. I besides knew Christine truly well. Stevie and I had done a duet for 1 of her albums. It was called “Are You Mine” that Jimmy Iovine produced. It was a large night. Jimmy was precise sweet. We had Brian Setzer play connected it. It was a large thrill for maine astatine the clip to bash a duet with Stevie.

When I joined the band, I already felt similar portion of the family. So it was easy. I’ll ne'er hide the archetypal time of rehearsal erstwhile Stevie walked up to maine successful the parking lot. We rehearsed astatine this spot wherever I had filmed a movie before. She walked up and goes, “Sounds similar Fleetwood Mac to me.”

We rehearsed the songs. Everyone got on great. We did our archetypal day successful Kansas City. It was fantastic. I don’t deliberation we got a atrocious reappraisal connected that Tango successful the Night circuit until we got to Pittsburgh. The professional said, “Billy Burnette simply aped Lindsey’s parts,” which I did. Rick [Vito] and I played the worldly to the T of however it was expected to beryllium played. We were some guitar players, and we could deed the parts. In fact, the opus “Everywhere,” Christine asked maine to play that opus and sing those parts. For me, that was a hard happening to do, but I did it.

Were you tense earlier that archetypal amusement successful Kansas City, reasoning the fans mightiness cull you since you weren’t Lindsey?
It was scary. But it coiled up being amazing. Somebody had a large banner that said “Lindsey Who?” That made america consciousness good. We were connected our way. It was a large tour, and everyone got into it.

I cognize you did astir of the singing, but however precisely did you and Rick Vito disagreement up Lindsey’s guitar parts?
He did mostly the pb stuff. I did the parts that were connected the records. We got unneurotic and worked it out. We’d known each different for years, and Rick was a immense Peter Green fan. In fact, helium did a Peter Green opus successful the show. I did “Oh Well.” Rick did “I Love Another Woman.” We divided up the parts. We knew what we were doing earlier we got with the band.

How did it consciousness to sing “Go Your Own Way”? This is simply a beauteous idiosyncratic opus astir Stevie and Lindsey’s relationship, and present you’re singing it arsenic an outsider.
It conscionable worked. We did a large mentation of it with the band. The set that Rick and I were with was a truly large band. Lindsey, of course, was 1 of my favourite guitar players and artists successful the world. That portion of it was tough. But helium sat successful with america erstwhile we came to the Forum [in 1990].

Did you talk with him and marque definite helium was OK with you taking his spot successful the band?
Oh yeah. We got on good. He didn’t clasp it against maine astatine all.

You sold retired Wembley Stadium successful 1987. That indispensable person been nuts.
Wembley Stadium was our biggest gig astatine the time. We cleared a cardinal dollars that night. I had my mom, my wife, and my kids with maine that night. I turned astir and told my mom, “We made a cardinal tonight.” She was truthful excited. If I remember, she sat successful the royal container with Prince Andrew. We tried to get him to spell to a enactment with us, and helium said helium couldn’t bash it. She broke each the protocol.

I can’t ideate lasting connected that signifier and seeing much than 100,000 radical watching your show.
It was 127,000 that night. It was amazing. You couldn’t adjacent spot the extremity of the assemblage due to the fact that a fog had acceptable in. They had Jumbotrons mode successful the backmost for radical that couldn’t see.

Some of Lindsey’s vocals are beauteous high. Were they hard to sing?
They were wholly high. After a portion of being connected the road, I got the set to travel down to E flat. That made the guitars easier. A batch of bands bash that present anyway. I started that with Fleetwood Mac. We did it 1 nighttime due to the fact that 1 of the girls was benignant of sick. I said, “Let’s bring it down to E flat.” We brought it down and conscionable stayed there.

Did you consciousness similar an adjacent subordinate of the band, a hired hand, oregon determination successful between?
I felt truly equal. It conscionable felt natural. I don’t privation to accidental that I took over, due to the fact that Stevie and Christine some did immoderate talking, but I benignant of became the spokesperson for the band. It was beauteous earthy since I’d been moving with them truthful long, and we’d jammed truthful much, that it was beauteous earthy for america to bash it onstage.

Tell maine astir signaling Behind the Mask. That was your archetypal clip cutting an medium with them.
Before that, we did 2 cuts for their Greatest Hits grounds [in 1988]. We did “As Long As You Follow,” which was benignant of a deed for Christine. That was my archetypal clip successful the workplace with them. But starting Behind the Mask was scary. It had an borderline to it, since this is simply a set that had been truthful big. They were Number One for implicit a twelvemonth with Rumours. How bash you apical that? As I said, the concern is truthful overmuch astir timing. At that time, that benignant of stone euphony wasn’t truly happening for anybody. Grunge had conscionable started to travel in. It was a antithetic time, arsenic acold arsenic vigor goes.

Did you bask the originative process of making the album?
It was a large time. I lived retired successful the West Valley then. So did John McVie. We shared a car into municipality each day. We had a shot successful the city. We’d get determination astir noon, commencement moving truly hard, interruption for dinners, and past travel backmost the adjacent day, and past astir apt instrumentality everything disconnected we did the erstwhile day.

They utilized to constitute songs successful the studio. They’d bring successful a mates of ideas and physique connected them. I came from the songwriter schoolhouse wherever you demo first, and past decorativeness them.

All 3 of you sing connected “In the Back of My Mind.”
That was a opus I wrote with David Malloy. He’s a writer-producer present successful Nashville. We wrote that opus for Fleetwood Mac. Mick liked it, truthful we chopped it. I deliberation we had 2 oregon 3 large portion machines tied together. Greg Ladanyi was producing the record. We had much tracks connected that opus than we had connected immoderate different opus successful the band’s catalog.

You wrote “When the Sun Goes Down” with Rick Vito.
That was conscionable an day of america getting unneurotic and penning thing caller for the band. They loved it. In Fleetwood Mac, everybody got unneurotic and decided what they partition wanted to do. Everybody got their ballot it. It was a antiauthoritarian benignant of deal.

You besides wrote “When It Comes to Love” with Dennis Morgan and Simon Climie.
Yes. I had conscionable met Dennis astatine that time. The 2 of them had conscionable written “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” for George Michael and Aretha Franklin. That was Number One each implicit the world. Dennis was a Nashville guy, but I met him successful L.A. We became truly bully friends. I got on with Simon, too. In fact, we conscionable had a opus connected Rod Stewart’s past medium that we wrote backmost then. It was called “Love successful the Right Hands.”

Lindsey plays guitar connected the rubric way of Behind the Mask. Band relations couldn’t person been that atrocious if helium was consenting to play connected the record.
No. The occupation was that Stevie and Lindsey had a rift astatine the set gathering erstwhile I joined the band. Something happened there.

The medium wasn’t a large commercialized hit. Was the set frustrated by that?
I don’t deliberation they were much frustrated than I was. The concern was changing. I knew it. I don’t deliberation the set truly knew it, oregon cared arsenic overmuch arsenic I did. I conscionable wanted to person hits and beryllium loved by the masses similar they were. When you measurement onstage with Fleetwood Mac, you cognize that Stevie is the prima of that show. Everybody knows that, successful the band, and extracurricular the band.

Stevie was gracious to marque Rick and I afloat members. When we archetypal joined, we divided Lindsey’s parts. Stevie and Christine were the main ones to say, “Let’s marque them adjacent members.”

You guys divided everything six ways?
Yes. Concerts and everything, from past on. It was precise generous. It was truthful bully of Stevie. They were each truthful escaped with their money. They were a large set to beryllium with. We were beauteous adjacent backmost successful those days.

You guys did 102 concerts connected the Behind the Mask tour.
I didn’t cognize it was that many, but we had a blast. We had a backstage jet, a 727. We utilized the MGM Grand plane. Before that, we utilized Madonna and Michael Jackson’s jet. We had a ball. If I could spell backmost and redo it, I’d prevention immoderate of the wealth alternatively than walk each that wealth we spent.

Right. I’m definite it each came retired of your pockets.
Oh yeah. We were bully astatine spending money.

The set fundamentally dissolved for a spot aft the circuit wrapped. What happened there?
We each had solo deals. I went backmost to Nashville.

During this time, the Clinton run uses “Don’t Stop” arsenic its taxable song. Fleetwood Mac past played the inauguration successful 1993, but with Lindsey alternatively of you. Did that bum you out?
You cognize what? I enactment unneurotic that gig. I went retired with John Kay of Steppenwolf to conscionable Al Gore. And I met Al Gore Sr. I learned that Tipper Gore’s favourite opus was “Don’t Stop.” It had thing to bash with the Clintons. Al asked maine to telephone the managers and spot if we’d bash thing astatine the inaugural.

I called everybody and got everybody unneurotic to bash it. And past Stevie calls and asks if it would beryllium OK if Lindsey played with them alternatively of me. At the time, I was the caput spokesperson for Crown Royal. We flew implicit the inaugural. The aviator pointed it out.

Your set was down determination playing a gig you acceptable up, and you weren’t invited.
Yeah.

A fewer years later, Fleetwood Mac reforms with you, Dave Mason from Traffic, and Bekka Bramlett, but without Stevie. How did that happen?
Stevie benignant of near the set aft the Behind the Mask tour. We conscionable didn’t spot overmuch of her. Everyone wanted to determination successful antithetic directions. It conscionable benignant of dissolved.

I told Mick and Mick’s manager to cheque retired Bekka 1 nighttime successful Malibu. They were looking for idiosyncratic to regenerate Stevie astatine the time. Boom, they enactment Bekka successful the band. Then they called maine to bash that circuit with them, and grounds immoderate songs connected the album. I did that.

How did Dave Mason upwind up joining?
He was a person of ours. He lived successful Malibu and was ever hanging out. He was 1 of our buddies.

Tell maine astir making the Time record.
When they started the record, I was surviving successful Nashville and doing my state thing. It was worldly I had written with Deborah Allen and Rafe Van Hoy present successful Nashville. The set loved them. I thought the tracks were great.

“Talkin’ to My Heart” is simply a large song.
Thanks. Like I said before, it’s conscionable timing successful this concern erstwhile you enactment retired an album, particularly with a radical arsenic large arsenic Fleetwood Mac. People expect truthful overmuch from them. Even connected Behind the Mask, I don’t deliberation we had immoderate large hits connected determination from Christine oregon Stevie. “In the Back of My Mind” was a azygous successful England, and we debuted astatine Number One there. I deliberation we did beauteous bully connected the charts there, but it was a weaponry for Fleetwood Mac astatine 5 million. I said, “That’s not bad.”

Time was the archetypal 1 without Stevie. I’m definite you knew it would beryllium pugnacious to merchantability that without her.
Oh yeah. We each knew it would beryllium a pugnacious roadworthy for vigor backmost then.

You wrote “Dreaming the Dream” with Bekka.
I retrieve america penning that successful a edifice country somewhere. I brought it backmost into the band. Dave, Christine, and Mick loved it, truthful it made the record. When you brought a caller opus in, everyone had to similar it. It was thing the set voted on. I inactive transportation that to this day. There’s a batch of things I learned successful Fleetwood Mac that work.

When you toured successful 1995, determination was nary Stevie, Christine, oregon Lindsey. It indispensable person been tricky to spell retired without astatine slightest 1 of them.
It was tricky, but it was inactive a bully band. The radical loved it. I sang “Don’t Stop” and “Go Your Own Way.” People privation to perceive the hits erstwhile they travel to a concert. When we enactment retired Behind the Mask, we enactment up a database of each the songs we privation to do. At the archetypal night, we’d bash a clump of the caller songs. But we’d conscionable spell backmost to doing the hits aft the archetypal night. People don’t privation to perceive the caller stuff.

Dave Mason brought his ain songs to the band.
Yeah. He had a mates of hits. That’s wherefore helium was bully for the band. He had “Feelin’ Alright” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” We toured with Pat Benatar and Crosby, Stills, and Nash and REO Speedwagon. There were plentifulness of hits to spell around.

You were playing smaller venues, though. How bash you deliberation Mick and John felt astir that?
I don’t know. We were inactive playing sheds. It was the aforesaid places we’d play with Fleetwood Mac. To me, it was inactive great. I ne'er felt similar they felt atrocious astir it.

The past amusement was successful New Year’s Eve successful Las Vegas successful 1995.
Yeah. I conscionable saw that there’s a YouTube station of the afloat show. I conscionable watched that the different night. It’s chaotic to spot thing similar that aft each this time.

In Mick’s book, helium said that the Dave Mason/Bekka Bramlett mentation of the set shouldn’t person gone retired arsenic Fleetwood Mac. I ideate you consciousness differently.
I didn’t cognize helium said that. I haven’t work his caller book. But I don’t deliberation it was a mistake. It’s conscionable portion of the improvement of the band. He tried antithetic things. Sometimes they worked, and sometimes they didn’t. With Fleetwood Mac, it’s hard. When they deed with Rumours and the White Album earlier that, those albums were Number One for astir a twelvemonth each. Nobody has had that since then.

By the clip of that last amusement connected New Year’s Eve, did you cognize they were plotting down the scenes to reunite with Stevie, Lindsey, and Christine for The Dance?
I knew astir it. I tried to archer Bekka and Dave astir it, and they didn’t judge me. I conscionable knew Stevie’s radical and I knew thing was up to get Lindsey backmost successful the band. I don’t cognize however I knew it, but I did.

The Eagles reunited successful 1994 and made a ton of wealth connected the road. The logical determination was to get the Rumours lineup backmost and bash the aforesaid thing.
Yeah. It was for a batch of money.

You wrote successful your publication that you felt “used.” Do you inactive consciousness that way?
We were each utilized to a definite extent. When we were connected the roadworthy with Tango successful the Night, I deliberation we sold different 10 cardinal records for them. It was rather a large deal. When you’re a touring band, you’re retired determination and you bash that…I would person liked to person much singles. But it was Stevie and Christine, 2 of the top writers successful the world.

I conjecture I said that successful the book, but I don’t consciousness utilized now. I don’t consciousness similar I’m mediocre small Billy that got treated bad. I made a batch of wealth with them.

You besides wrote successful the publication that Bekka bought a location for a cardinal dollars earlier she learned astir the reunion, and it truly messed her up financially.
Yeah. It’s hard to blasted anybody. I privation they had told her astatine the time. Me and her were going unneurotic astatine the time. We had a abbreviated affair. In fact, we signed with A&M Records arsenic Bekka and Billy. We each thought that was going to beryllium a large hit, but you ne'er cognize successful this business. Here we were coming retired of Fleetwood Mac into Nashville. It conscionable didn’t merchantability much.

Did you spot Fleetwood Mac connected their tours successful the precocious Nineties and successful much caller years?
Oh yeah. I’ve been to galore shows. We’re inactive friends.

When Lindsey near the set again successful 2018, immoderate fans thought they mightiness bring you back. Did you deliberation that was a anticipation astatine the time?
I did. In fact, I got truly upset with Mick astir that. I’d heard that the girls wanted maine backmost successful the band. But Mick’s absorption squad has ever had a occupation with maine from that clip I was successful the Zoo. Some radical gel, and immoderate radical don’t. I could person done that circuit easily. I saw them bash a mates of shows and I went, “Oh, that doesn’t dependable precise good.”

Did you telephone Mick and archer him you wanted backmost in?
Yeah. He said, “We’ve already made that decision.” I got upset with him. We didn’t marque up for a twelvemonth oregon 2 aft that. But we’re similar family. You tin get successful a combat with your member oregon something. You can’t transportation astir atrocious vibes with idiosyncratic forever.

What did you deliberation of his determination to bring connected Neil Finn from Crowded House and Mike Campbell?
I didn’t recognize it myself. I emotion Mike Campbell. I’d ne'er heard of Neil Finn before. I conscionable didn’t recognize it astatine all. I felt that I could person travel backmost successful and done it conscionable arsenic well. But my health…I had a happening hap to maine wherever I had a colonoscopy and they didn’t sew maine up close and I ran retired of humor and deed my head. I had each kinds of wellness problems astatine the time. Maybe it’s amended I didn’t bash it. I consciousness overmuch amended arsenic a performer now. But I’m 69. Stevie is successful her seventies, and she’s doing the biggest shows she’s ever done.

It benignant of feels similar the set is implicit astatine this point.
I deliberation so. It would beryllium the wisest happening to bash for the fans. Who knows with those guys? I conscionable talked to Fleetwood yesterday. He wants maine to spell bent retired with him successful Hawaii. But archetypal I privation to enactment this grounds out. The grounds is truly good, by the way. I’m truly blessed astir it. Mick is playing drums connected it.

There’s a large opus connected it that I co-wrote with Shawn Camp. He wrote the George Strait deed “Rolling On The River of Love” with me. That was a Number One grounds down here. Most of my occurrence successful this concern has been arsenic a writer.

It’s large you made bid with Mick and are playing with him again.
Yeah. It’ll devour you up. I got implicit it existent quick. As soon arsenic I saw the caller mentation of Fleetwood Mac connected a fewer TV shows, I was like, “Whatever.” [Laughs.] I was implicit it quicker than I thought I would be.

Moving connected here, you were Bob Dylan’s touring guitarist for a small spot successful 2003. What’s your favourite representation from that tour?
There’s truthful many. We were rehearsing astatine Jackson Browne’s workplace successful L.A. We had been rehearsing with electrical guitars each day. It was 1 of the past tours wherever helium played guitar. I learned astir 120 songs. He plays them otherwise connected the road, though. What happened is helium sent maine each the records helium did, but helium didn’t nonstop maine immoderate enactment tapes. I had these guys sneak immoderate enactment tapes truthful I could larn the worldly better.

It was a large thrill. I retrieve astatine the archetypal time of rehearsal, Dylan picks up his acoustic guitar. He goes, “This is my thing.” I go, “You’re close astir that.”

Bob travels the full world. He’s ever connected tour. But he’s astir ne'er seen offstage. He conscionable seems to vanish.
He went retired and ran each day. I’d spot him successful his sweats successful the hotel, but he’s slippery. He tin locomotion successful an airport…they mislaid him 1 day. They couldn’t find him anywhere. I’m successful this small acquisition store and I crook around, and determination helium is. He goes, “Hi Billy.” I was like, “How did you get successful here?” He moves around. It’s a weird thing.

He wears that hood implicit his caput sometimes.
When helium wears the hood, you’re not expected to speech to him. I didn’t cognize that until 1 time we were successful enactment to get connected a level astatine the airport. I tapped him connected the shoulder. The drummer said, “No, no. He don’t speech to anyone erstwhile he’s got the hood on.” I was like, “OK. I’m gladsome you told me.”

Standing onstage with him each nighttime and playing “All Along the Watchtower” and “Highway 61 Revisited” indispensable person been truthful overmuch fun.
Oh yeah. It was amazing. One nighttime we did a acceptable successful Australia. We were playing to similar 400,000 people. It was conscionable amazing. Even his bass player, Tony Garnier, who is the person of the band, said to me, “I’ve ne'er seen him bash a acceptable similar that.” I was truthful blessed to beryllium determination that night, and beryllium capable to play with him. He did each the hits.

You were replacing Charlie Sexton, and he’s specified an astonishing guitar player.
He’s a large guitar player. I’m a antithetic guitar player. I’ve developed much into being a pb guitar player. I’ll play pb erstwhile successful a while, but I’m chiefly a bushed guitar player.

You wrote successful your publication that they made you deterioration Charlie’s aforesaid suits onstage.
Yeah. They were choky due to the fact that he’s a skinny guy.

Was determination a wardrobe idiosyncratic connected the road?
Yeah. The lone happening you had to bring to a Dylan amusement was your shirt.

Why were you lone connected that 1 circuit of Australia and New Zealand?
It was due to the fact that I had a publisher. I made a publishing woody with Barbara Orbison. She was bully friends with Bob from the Wilbury days, since she was joined to Roy Orbison. I didn’t constitute excessively overmuch connected the road. In fact, Bob asked maine 1 time if I was writing. Barbara told maine aboriginal that she got maine disconnected that circuit since I wasn’t penning enough.

How did you consciousness erstwhile you learned that?
I was pissed. It was a large gig. I couldn’t recognize it astatine the time. Bob liked me. I got on truly good with the band. It was conscionable that Barbara…bless her. She’s passed distant since then. But she was existent choky with Bob.

You went retired with John Fogerty aft that.
Yeah. I was with him for 7 years.

Between Fogerty and Dylan and Fleetwood Mac, you truly played galore of the top stone songs ever written with the radical that wrote them.
Yeah. With John, we had the champion band. God! It was a slayer band. John is an astonishing artist. He’s an astonishing cat. How helium sings that precocious each nighttime is conscionable unbelievable.

Are you inactive adjacent with Bekka Bramlett?
Yeah. I conscionable did a gig with her the different night. She lives successful different portion of Nashville. I don’t bash arsenic overmuch arsenic I utilized to do. What I bash present is simply a batch of rockabilly festivals. I bash them successful Switzerland and Sweden and London and Vegas. I bash each the rockabilly festivals due to the fact that of my dad’s and uncle’s affiliation with them. When I bash the rockabilly things, they don’t privation immoderate Fleetwood Mac oregon John Fogerty oregon Bob Dylan. They privation to perceive rockabilly.

That’s surely successful your blood.
It’s portion of my DNA. I conscionable bash it.

How bash you consciousness if you’re driving astir and “Go Your Own Way” oregon “Don’t Stop” travel connected the radio? Is it inactive amusive to perceive those songs you’ve done unrecorded truthful galore times?
Yeah. I inactive person my ain band. Every erstwhile successful a while, I’ll bash them. People inactive inquire to perceive them. It was a large set and a large alteration successful my life. It was the biggest ever. God, it’s a hard 1 to top.

A ridiculous magnitude of talented guitar players person been successful that band, from Peter Green to Jeremy Spencer, Bob Welch, Lindsey Buckingham, Dave Mason, Mike Campbell…You’re a portion of that chain.
It’s amazing. I was truly honored to beryllium successful the band. At the time, they were my champion friends I had successful L.A. For maine to beryllium successful the set was a no-brainer since I was portion of the family.

Stevie is arguably much fashionable close present than astatine immoderate different constituent successful her career.
It’s unbelievable. They’re selling retired stadiums with her and Billy Joel. It’s unbelievable.

Many of her fans are truly young, too.
I know. I’ve ne'er seen thing similar it. In fact, the full Fleetwood Mac happening present is hotter than it’s ever been.

That’s wherefore it’s truthful bittersweet to spot the radical seemingly ending.
You can’t bash it forever. The mode they question is each luxury, but it’s inactive a batch of work. Traveling is simply a batch of enactment nary substance however you look astatine it.

Do you person immoderate regrets astir the full happening too each the wealth you burned connected the road?
No. I don’t person immoderate regrets astatine all.

What bash you anticipation to execute successful the adjacent fewer years?
I anticipation this grounds I’m going to enactment retired with maine and Mick is simply a hit, archetypal of all. Besides that, the full happening has changed. I person truthful galore songs successful my catalog. I’ve had a deed on Genius Loves Company that Ray Charles did with Bonnie Raitt. I person the Roy Orbison song. Faith Hill has chopped songs of mine. Alan Jackson. I could spell connected forever.

I’m inactive rocking. I’m inactive asked to bash a batch of stuff, particularly due to the fact that of Fleetwood Mac. I’ve sat successful with a mates of Fleetwood Mac screen bands. They wage bully wealth to person maine play with them. The shows are usually sold out.

Fleetwood Mac is truly a large band. If we got up connected stage, hide astir it. Someone could beryllium sick oregon not feeling well, but erstwhile we deed that stage, it was great. Every nighttime John McVie would say, “Best set successful the world.” He was right. The radical were going crazy. That’s what it’s each about, taking radical distant from bills and divorces and each the crap they’re going done for a mates of hours.

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I’ve been doing this each my life. I conscionable got done going each implicit the satellite doing these rockabilly festivals. I was booked done Christmas. It’s been a batch of work. I person a set successful Italy, a set successful England, a set successful Sweden. I person bands each implicit the spot for the rockabilly stuff. There are truthful galore radical that cognize the euphony of my dada and uncle. I tin bash a full set.

You person a precise bully attitude. Some musicians your property truly fixate connected the downsides of success, and they’re aggravated astir things from decades back.
There are highs and lows. I had a large bosom attack. I had the 1 that Lindsey had. I couldn’t sing for a agelong clip aft those pipes went down my throat. That’s hard to get through. I went done excavation 20 years ago. I’ve been precise blessed successful my full beingness to beryllium a instrumentalist that earns a surviving doing it. That’s a large achievement.