10 Rock & Metal Bands Who Fired Their Singer

Almost as famous for their in-fighting as they are for their dreamy melodies, Fleetwood Mac have been tearing themselves apart at the seams ever since rock duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were drafted in to replace Peter Green, Bob Welch and the other ex-members of what was once a tremendously prolific blues band.

The band famously slept around and fell out while recording arguably their best album Rumours (1977), and that tension paved the way for what would be a perpetually rocky relationship in years to come. Buckingham, who was regarded as a fiery and domineering presence both onstage and in the recording booth, initially departed on his own terms, leaving the band in 1987 to work on solo material when the going got too much and tensions were at boiling point, particularly between him and Nicks, his on-again off-again partner.

While Buckingham, Nicks and keyboardist Christine McVie shared vocal duties, his departure left a hole in the band that was barely filled by two replacements, prior to his rejoining again in the late '90s. And all was well once again. Or it was until 2018, when Buckingham gave Nicks a hard time surrounding several live performances and an upcoming tour, and she revolted, in her words "firing herself" by telling the band and their management it was either her or him. Needless to say, they chose her.