Bekka Bramlett at CMA FanFest

[PsychCat]

FINALLY got to meet Bekka today! She was partaking in part of the CMA FanFest here in Nashville, TN... a tractor driving contest to be exact.
It was HILARIOUS! Let's just say that for a tractor driver, she's a great singer. ;)
She is also one of the most incredibly kind and genuine people I've ever met (especially in this town), with personality to match her amazing talent.

I agree with various other posts that say her stay in Mac was way too short!

[Miss Vicky]

Lucky you to get to meet her! I'm jealous.

And it's great to see someone else who appreciates her talent. It seems we are too few in number.

[strandinthewind]

I think she has a fab voice and liked her covers of the FM material and the other stuff. I think that, sadly, at that time FM was not in a very good place and she suffered for it because she certainly has the talent.

[HomerMcvie]

I think she has a fab voice and liked her covers of the FM material and the other stuff. I think that, sadly, at that time FM was not in a very good place and she suffered for it because she certainly has the talent.
I very much agree. FM was attempting to recreate a past, that it possibly couldn't live up to. Bekka is an awesome talent, IMO. I'm jealous of Psychcat's meeting.

[aleuzzi]

She has a great voice and I thought she was a good replacement. Billy Burnett once said in his q & a that FM never let heer be herself. That's too bad. "Winds of Change" and "Nothing Without You" are great tunes.

PS: tractor driving contest? I lived in Louisiana for a few years and was privy to "women's nail driving contests" at the Cajun festival in Mamu. That was "interesting."

[JazmenFlowers]

a good replacement
let's say she was a good addition, not replacement.

I love her voice and her songwriting is amazing.

[HomerMcvie]

She has a great voice and I thought she was a good replacement. Billy Burnett once said in his q & a that FM never let heer be herself. That's too bad. "Winds of Change" and "Nothing Without You" are great tunes.


Yes they are. FM had a new future on the horizon, and dropped the ball, which is too bad, IMO. Instead, they chose the golden oldies band, milking a 30 yo album til the freakin' cows come home(notice that I didn't make a Stevie joke there!;) ).

[PsychCat]

Yes they are. FM had a new future on the horizon, and dropped the ball, which is too bad, IMO. Instead, they chose the golden oldies band, milking a 30 yo album.....

I would have to go along with this.... as well as referring to Bekka as a "good addition" over a "replacement". I've really come to appreciate "Time" and how it is an entity of it's own. Of course, when it came out Bekka and Billy were seen more as a replacement Stevie and Lindsey.... which no one could possibly match up to that! It really would have been interesting to see where Mac could have gone with this, granted preferring Rick Vito in Dave Mason's spot (IMHO) for some consistency between BTM and Time.

Bekka and Billy seemed to add a new something that was actually not too unlike what Stevie and Lindsey added at their time of joining FM. But like it was said, those two don't need to be spending the next ?? number of years singing Gold Dust Woman and Go Your Own Way. :)

[Murrow]

Yes they are. FM had a new future on the horizon, and dropped the ball, which is too bad, IMO. Instead, they chose the golden oldies band, milking a 30 yo album til the freakin' cows come home(notice that I didn't make a Stevie joke there!;) ).

According to the recent John McVie Q & A, they did NOT get rid of the Time line-up in order to reform with Lindsey and co... he says Billy and everybody had moved on by then anyhow. Having said that Billy's Q & A would seem to support the above quote - he says he left because they decided to reform the Rumours line-up.

Don't dig Time but was disappointed that the Nicks/Vito line-up didn't last for another couple of albums.

[HomerMcvie]

According to the recent John McVie Q & A, they did NOT get rid of the Time line-up in order to reform with Lindsey and co... he says Billy and everybody had moved on by then anyhow. Having said that Billy's Q & A would seem to support the above quote - he says he left because they decided to reform the Rumours line-up.

Don't dig Time but was disappointed that the Nicks/Vito line-up didn't last for another couple of albums.
Well, they didn't even tour to support Time, which is ridiculous! I think they heard too many negative comments about, "where is so and so"?". But, that's their own fault, for playing most of the material from the now(then) missing members.
I believe 100%, that if they'd given the Time band a chance(minus Mason, as far as I'm concerned-let's bring back Vito), it could've been big.

[David]

I believe 100%, that if they'd given the Time band a chance(minus Mason, as far as I'm concerned-let's bring back Vito), it could've been big.Sure, they could have doublebilled with Nirvana in 1994. I mean, all the teens on crack I knew back in '94 were just waiting breathlessly for an adult-contemporary pop band with 55-year-old faded rock stars in it, like Mick Fleetwood & Dave Mason, who were playing "Say You Love Me" & "Don't Stop" in concert. Man, "Time" would have just blown the grunge & the hip-hop right off the charts!

My problem with Bekka is that, when I was a kid, I saw an old lady with a little girl toddler who was ugly & bratty. She was eating a banana & her nose was running & even though I was just a kid myself, I found myself almost vomiting when I saw the contents of that kid's nose. And the old lady called out "Bekka, come here. I need to wipe your nose. And finish eating your banana!"

So ever since that time I psychologically link the name "Bekka" with this grotesque memory. I am repulsed by the name "Bekka." I think it's ugly. It's a good thing Bekka herself was so cute--seeing her with Fleetwood Mac did a lot to help me combat this painful memory.
Although I think once I did happen to see into Bekka's nose & I'm not sure what I found there. :eek: :shocked:

[SteveMacD]

I think the big problem from the 87-90 bands is that they had four singer/songwriters. That’s too much. While I love Rick Vito, and have said numerous times that he was the best guitarist, from a technical standpoint, the Mac ever had, and that he had the song that had the biggest potential for a hit, it may have been a mistake to add him to the fold (especially as he was not used to his potential).

Billy coming into Fleetwood Mac was inevitable. He mixed very well with Christine and Stevie. Even if Lindsey had stayed, Billy would have been on the tour. So, what the band needed was a big name lead guitarist who wasn’t a vocalist. (Maybe somebody like Jeff Beck…Which would have put “For Your Love” and “Train Keep-A-Rollin’” in the set). Now, for the kicker, have Billy only cover “Oh Well” and GYOW and have the rest of his set be his own material.

Also, I do think it could have worked in 1994-95 (though, admittedly NOT with Dave Mason). Sure, there was Nirvana, but it’s not like it was ALL grunge back then. Sheryl Crow, Collective Soul, and Hootie & The Blowfish were on the charts, too, while Smashing Pumpkins were getting airplay with “Landslide.” Plus, they could have tried playing the country card a little harder. The bottom line is that Fleetwood Mac really didn’t have any direction, and chose to rest on past glories, much like they did when Bob Welch was in the group (at least in terms of live shows).

[PsychCat]

Plus, they could have tried playing the country card a little harder. The bottom line is that Fleetwood Mac really didn’t have any direction, and chose to rest on past glories, much like they did when Bob Welch was in the group (at least in terms of live shows).

Good point. I read somewhere where Bekka and Billy were considered almost "too country" for FM. Makes sense with what Billy said about them being held back at the time. I really like the "Bekka and Billy" cd... by far some of the most original stuff to come out in country, especially at that time. WHAT?! Artists writing their OWN material?! At least Faith Hill made them some $$ by covering "Better Days" on her biggest cd... even tho it can't hold a candle to the original.

Interesting in an earlier comment when John said by the time they were ready to rev up FM again, the "Time" folks were into other stuff. Hmmmm... so Stevie and Lindsey weren't? ;)
Just as well... since Nashville seems to be where former FM members more or less come to settle, it's nice to be able to see them perform on a smaller, approachable scale.

[chiliD]

Considering that very little of what is played on country radio stations these days (meaning, since the early 90's) is what *I* would classify as "country", if Fleetwood Mac would've marketed themselves as a crossover act at the time (1994/95), I think they would've had some major success in that area. Would've just opened up whole new doors of opportunity. I doubt that anyone would've consdered Fleetwood Mac a "country band" despite being marketed through country radio. After all, it was country radio that put the Eagles back on the map. And, FMac definitely had a plethora of material that would've fit perfectly on a mid-90's country radio playlist:

Blue Letter
Monday Morning
Landslide (duh!)
I Don't Want To Know
That's Alright
Can't Go Back
Do You Know?
When The Sun Goes Down
I Got It In For You
Talkin' To My Heart
Dreamin' The Dream
Winds Of Change
Nothing Without You
I Do

[BlackWidow]

Lucky you to get to meet her! I'm jealous.

And it's great to see someone else who appreciates her talent. It seems we are too few in number.
Who is Bekka Bramlett????:shrug:

[BlackWidow]

let's say she was a good addition, not replacement.

I love her voice and her songwriting is amazing.
no one can replace Stevie!

[BlackWidow]

Sure, they could have doublebilled with Nirvana in 1994. I mean, all the teens on crack I knew back in '94 were just waiting breathlessly for an adult-contemporary pop band with 55-year-old faded rock stars in it, like Mick Fleetwood & Dave Mason, who were playing "Say You Love Me" & "Don't Stop" in concert. Man, "Time" would have just blown the grunge & the hip-hop right off the charts!

My problem with Bekka is that, when I was a kid, I saw an old lady with a little girl toddler who was ugly & bratty. She was eating a banana & her nose was running & even though I was just a kid myself, I found myself almost vomiting when I saw the contents of that kid's nose. And the old lady called out "Bekka, come here. I need to wipe your nose. And finish eating your banana!"

So ever since that time I psychologically link the name "Bekka" with this grotesque memory. I am repulsed by the name "Bekka." I think it's ugly. It's a good thing Bekka herself was so cute--seeing her with Fleetwood Mac did a lot to help me combat this painful memory.
Although I think once I did happen to see into Bekka's nose & I'm not sure what I found there. :eek: :shocked:
LMFAO!!!:laugh:

[Miss Vicky]

Who is Bekka Bramlett????:shrug:

Please, oh please tell me that you're kidding.

Bekka is the other lady of Fleetwood Mac. After 1990's <i>Behind the Mask</i>, Rick, Stevie, and Christine all left the band. But Mick, as always, pushed on anyway. Bekka Bramlett was recruited from Mick's other band, The Zoo, to become FM's new female voice and friend Dave Mason, formerly of Traffic, took over Vito's place. Christine was eventually persuaded to return and this lineup, along with Billy Burnette, released one album together, 1995's <i>Time</i>.

Sadly, with its lack of both Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, most fans seem to either consider it one of Fleetwood Mac's worst recordings or simply don't consider it to be truly Fleetwood Mac at all. I won't go into what I think of that particular attitude, but suffice it to say that <i>Time</i> is one of my personal favorites.

[Gailh]

I think Bekka Bramlett was always going to suffer from the inevitable comparisons with Stevie.

It cant have been easy to have to sing Stevie's songs on tour.

I don't hate Time (apart from These Strange Times) but I think it was a band put together for Mick and it shows. the album doesn't really sound like a band. The fact that Christine didn't want Dave Mason anywhere near her songs didn't help.

Gail

[Angel69]

the album doesn't really sound like a band. The fact that Christine didn't want Dave Mason anywhere near her songs didn't help.

Gail

Personally I feel Christine contributed to Time out of her love for Mick and John. Now dont get me wrong I really like Christine but I dont feel her heart was in the songs she contributed to the album. A couple of years before Time she gave us Love Shines and Heart Of Stone two great tracks and for that matter her songs on Behind The Mask, but her songs on Time were kind of bland. Then in 1997 she gave us Temporary One which I also love. Her last solo album was good but she should have mixed it up a bit.

[macfan 57]

Personally I feel Christine contributed to Time out of her love for Mick and John. Now dont get me wrong I really like Christine but I dont feel her heart was in the songs she contributed to the album. A couple of years before Time she gave us Love Shines and Heart Of Stone two great tracks and for that matter her songs on Behind The Mask, but her songs on Time were kind of bland. Then in 1997 she gave us Temporary One which I also love. Her last solo album was good but she should have mixed it up a bit.

This is from an article in Mojo Magazine during the Dance reunion:

Also appearing on Time was one Christine McVie, who politely notes that her appearance, "was something that I had not volunteered to do; it was contractual. I don't like to harp on it very much, but I thought the music was starting to get a little strange, the choices a little funny. I wasn't really enjoying that particular incarnation of the band, and I left."

I think she was referring to Dave Mason(who she hated) being in the band at the time.

[HomerMcvie]

I think she was referring to Dave Mason(who she hated) being in the band at the time.
I never quite got the Dave Mason thing either. I LOVE the Time band, save for Dave!

[Gailh]

This is from an article in Mojo Magazine during the Dance reunion:

Also appearing on Time was one Christine McVie, who politely notes that her appearance, "was something that I had not volunteered to do; it was contractual. I don't like to harp on it very much, but I thought the music was starting to get a little strange, the choices a little funny. I wasn't really enjoying that particular incarnation of the band, and I left."

I think she was referring to Dave Mason(who she hated) being in the band at the time.

I don't understand why her appearance was "contractual" but there was no Stevie on the album - may she had a different "contract"

I'd love to know why she doesn't like Dave Mason

Gail

[macfan 57]

I'd love to know why she doesn't like Dave Mason

Gail

This is just speculation, but maybe it has something to do with Steve Winwood. Steve & Dave Mason have had problems between them for years & Chris & Steve have been great friends for many, many years.

[Gailh]

This is just speculation, but maybe it has something to do with Steve Winwood. Steve & Dave Mason have had problems between them for years & Chris & Steve have been great friends for many, many years.

Yes it could be something to do with that.

Didn't somebody post on here or perhaps some other board that John Courage has told them that Christine thought Dave Mason was a "major asshole"

I asked Billy Burnette on his Q&A about Dave Mason and Chris' songs on Time and he seemed to suggest that they left on Michael Thompson's (is that the right name) guitar parts on Chris's songs but that Dave Mason still played on them. Hmmmm

Gail

[macfan 57]

Yes it could be something to do with that.

Didn't somebody post on here or perhaps some other board that John Courage has told them that Christine thought Dave Mason was a "major asshole"

I remember that. I believe it was Steve MacD who said that. John Courage was her manager for 15 years. If he said that, it was probably the way Chris felt about Dave.

I asked Billy Burnette on his Q&A about Dave Mason and Chris' songs on Time and he seemed to suggest that they left on Michael Thompson's (is that the right name) guitar parts on Chris's songs but that Dave Mason still played on them. Hmmmm


I doubt that she would have let Dave Mason anywhere near her songs. Now, Chris is on both Bekka & Billy's songs, so she certainly didn't have any problem with either of them, especially Billy. And yes, it was Michael Thompson. If you read the liner notes, there are a few songs which list Michael Thompson as playing "additional" guitars. I suppose it is possible that a few DM guitar parts could be on her songs, but I sort of doubt it. And, if Dave Mason is somehow on her songs, I wonder if Chris knew about it.

[BlackWidow]

Please, oh please tell me that you're kidding.

Bekka is the other lady of Fleetwood Mac. After 1990's <i>Behind the Mask</i>, Rick, Stevie, and Christine all left the band. But Mick, as always, pushed on anyway. Bekka Bramlett was recruited from Mick's other band, The Zoo, to become FM's new female voice and friend Dave Mason, formerly of Traffic, took over Vito's place. Christine was eventually persuaded to return and this lineup, along with Billy Burnette, released one album together, 1995's <i>Time</i>.

Sadly, with its lack of both Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, most fans seem to either consider it one of Fleetwood Mac's worst recordings or simply don't consider it to be truly Fleetwood Mac at all. I won't go into what I think of that particular attitude, but suffice it to say that <i>Time</i> is one of my personal favorites.
I was kidding..Bekka has a good voice!
She just reminds me of a barmaid chick singer in a honky tonk off route 68.

[billwebster]

The guitar solo on Hollywood (Some Other Kind Of Town) is the stuff of dreams. I think that's Michael Thompson.
What other records has he played on?

[HomerMcvie]

She just reminds me of a barmaid chick singer in a honky tonk off route 68.
I KNOW her! She's really hot! And makes one hell of a Margarita!










:lol: :lol: :lol: :rolleyes:

[Gailh]

I remember that. I believe it was Steve MacD who said that. John Courage was her manager for 15 years. If he said that, it was probably the way Chris felt about Dave.

I doubt that she would have let Dave Mason anywhere near her songs. Now, Chris is on both Bekka & Billy's songs, so she certainly didn't have any problem with either of them, especially Billy. And yes, it was Michael Thompson. If you read the liner notes, there are a few songs which list Michael Thompson as playing "additional" guitars. I suppose it is possible that a few DM guitar parts could be on her songs, but I sort of doubt it. And, if Dave Mason is somehow on her songs, I wonder if Chris knew about it.

All Christine's songs on Time are produced by Richard Dashut and Christine McVie. I don't think she'd have let any DM guitar creep in there. Some of her songs say Guitar Michael Thompson and some say additional guitar.

Gail

[SteveMacD]

This is from an article in Mojo Magazine during the Dance reunion:

Also appearing on Time was one Christine McVie, who politely notes that her appearance, "was something that I had not volunteered to do; it was contractual. I don't like to harp on it very much, but I thought the music was starting to get a little strange, the choices a little funny. I wasn't really enjoying that particular incarnation of the band, and I left."

I think she was referring to Dave Mason(who she hated) being in the band at the time.

My HUNCH on that is that Mick, John, and Christine had signed a contract to do another Fleetwood Mac album after the whole Clinton "Don't Stop" thing. Those three probably assumed that Billy was going to be in the band (i.e. the "Love Shines" group), but then he took off. (My hunch on that is that he wanted to act, wanted to do a country album, and was still a little pissed about Lindsey not letting him play at that Clinton gig.) So, the band needed a male singer/songwriter and a guitarist, and Dave Mason fit that bill, and he had a name.

Here's the thing, though. If Christine was so opposed to the direction of the group, why did she let five songs go on the album? For me, contractual obligation means I put one song on the album and sing harmony on a couple of other songs. It's not like Billy and Dave couldn't have come up with four songs between them.

This is just speculation, but maybe it has something to do with Steve Winwood. Steve & Dave Mason have had problems between them for years & Chris & Steve have been great friends for many, many years.

I think it's deeper than that. Remember, Steve, Christine, and Dave are all from Birmingham, and all go way back to the days of the Spencer Davis Group. Christine was "dating" Spencer Davis when they "discovered" Steve Winwood, and Dave Mason was a roadie for the Spencer Davis Group. (Groupies and roadies have been known to have issues.)

Furthermore, I've heard from several Mason fans that Dave still has a sweet nostril, and that Dave and Mick together boosted the cost of making "Time" by about a million bucks, hence why it got almost no promotion. Plus, Dave had a lot of power issues. Remember, the guy had been a solo artist for 27 years at that point, and really wasn't used to compromise. And, let's be honest, Dave's material was fairly weak by both the standards of Fleetwood Mac and by Dave's own body of work, solo and with Traffic. So, to sum up, Dave was burned-out, coked-up, overyly-picky, under-achieving, and bossy, which I'm sure made Christine a little less than happy to be a part of the project. And, yes, it was I who had the chat in which "asshole" came up.

I never quite got the Dave Mason thing either. I LOVE the Time band, save for Dave!

I TOTALLY got the Dave Mason thing. Think about it: the band had just added Bekka Bramlett to the fold. Dave Mason, having been a part of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, and having a history of having gigs with Fleetwood Mac, was an obvious choice, at least on paper. However, Dave seems to have gotten as far removed from that as possible. He seems to have less to do with the guy who could hang with the likes of Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, and CSN, and seems more bent on being a guitar hero a la Clapton and Hendrix, which means he totally doesn't get his appeal. What really killed Dave's place in the band, though, was Billy Burnette coming back into the fold. Now, again, on paper, it should have worked, as Billy was also heavily associated with Delaney Bramlett. But, Billy stayed more true to the Delaney & Bonnie thing, and was able to develop the chemistry with Bekka that Mick probably had hoped would happen between Bekka and Dave.