Jeremy Spencer
| Jeremy Spencer | |
|---|---|
Performing at the Chicago Blues Festival, 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeremy Cedric Spencer |
| Born |
4 July 1948 Hartlepool, County Durham, England |
| Genres | Blues, rock and roll |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Associated acts | Fleetwood Mac, Steetley |
| Website | jeremyspencer |
Jeremy Cedric Spencer (born 4 July 1948) is a British musician, best known as one of the guitarists in the original line-up of Fleetwood Mac. A member since Fleetwood Mac's inception in July 1967, he remained with the band until his abrupt departure in February 1971, when he joined a religious group called the "Children of God", now known as "The Family International", with which he is still affiliated. After a pair of solo albums in the 1970s, he continued to tour as a musician, but did not release another album until 2006. Releasing further solo albums in 2012, 2014 and 2016, Spencer has also recorded as part of the folk trio Steetley.
Spencer was born in Hartlepool, County Durham, and began taking piano lessons at the age of nine. Switching to guitar in his teens, his speciality became the slide guitar, and he was strongly influenced by the American blues musician Elmore James.
In the summer of 1967, Spencer came to the attention of ex-Bluesbreakers guitarist Peter Green, who was looking for another musician to join him in his new Fleetwood Mac project. Green had recruited drummer Mick Fleetwood and temporary bassist Bob Brunning, and wanted a second guitar player to fill out the sound onstage. Spencer was then playing with blues trio the Levi Set, and was already an accomplished slide guitarist and pianist. He fitted in well, and soon after his arrival, the band's intended bassist John McVie joined.
This line-up of Fleetwood Mac recorded two albums of traditional blues songs, with Spencer contributing many variations on the Elmore James theme, particularly centred around James' version of "Dust My Broom", plus a few songs of his own. Green became frustrated because Spencer did not seem willing to contribute to Green's songs, whereas Green always played on Spencer's recordings where necessary. Since Spencer's musical contributions to the band were too narrowly focused, Green and Fleetwood brought in a third guitarist, 18-year-old Danny Kirwan, after 1968's Mr. Wonderful. This album featured several of Spencer's Elmore James tunes.
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