A previously unreleased track by the late Fleetwood Mac star, Christine McVie, has been shared with fans to pay tribute on what would have been her 80th birthday.
The track, titled “Little Darlin” was released this week by Rhino Entertainment and was originally recorded by McVie in 2004 when working on her solo album, In the Meantime.
McVie would have turned 80 on 12th July 2023, with Rhino working together with McVie’s nephew, Dan Perfect, to release a remastered version of “Little Darlin” on this date to celebrate the singer’s legacy. Perfect was involved in the original writing and production of In the Meantime back in 2004, and has continued to play a significant role in his aunt’s career.
Rhino have also shared further plans to release reissues of McVie’s solo album In the Meantime as a whole, in addition to a reissue of her self-titled 1984 album later this year. These projects are also being overseen by McVie’s nephew, Dan Perfect, who shared his thoughts in the liner notes of the re-release.
Perfect said, “When my aunt Christine McVie died unexpectedly last year, plans were already afoot for the re-release of this solo album, which is perhaps her most personal and intimate project.”
Perfect also shared, “Chris and I had been working for some time on remixing the original tracks in Dolby Atmos, and Chris was excited and intrigued by this process, which was bringing fresh life and contemporaneity to the songs… I dearly wish that she could have lived to see this re-release as she would have been delighted.”
McVie’s former Fleetwood Mac band member Mick Fleetwood also paid tribute to her to mark her 80th birthday. He released a spoken word adaptation of McVie’s track, “Songbird,” saying in the track, “As the songbird sings, now from the heavens, to you Christine, I wish you all the love in the world. But, most of all, I wish it from myself.”
Mick teamed up with Jake Shimabukuro to produce the track, with Mick on vocals and percussion.
“Songbird” was also performed by Mick Fleetwood, Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt in tribute to McVie at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards earlier this year.
McVie passed away in November of 2022 following a brief illness, and has left behind a huge legacy that is still being celebrated after her passing.
Fleetwood Mac shared their thoughts via social media, writing, “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”
