John Blake to publish 'intimate' biography of Christine McVie

John Blake, a non-fiction imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired Songbird, an "intimate" biography of Christine McVie.

The world all language rights to the new book, by acclaimed biographer and novelist Lesley-Ann Jones, were acquired from Clare Hulton of Clare Hulton Literary Agency by senior editor James Hodgkinson who has since left the company, and will now be managed by senior editor Joe Hallsworth. 

McVie, who died in 2022, was one of the founding members of band Fleetwood Mac, and was close friends with Jones. The publisher has described Songbird as "a masterful rendering of life in one of the world’s most talked about bands". This will be the first Christine McVie biography. 

Jones said: "Christine was the mother of Fleetwood Mac. She was also their secret weapon. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham dominated the headlines, but it was Chris who wrote the staple songs. It was she who held Fleetwood Mac together from her place behind the keyboard, and who addressed the audience. Her easy contralto, showcased on her signature "Songbird", was balm for the histrionics of the other two vocalists. Every live show ended with this number.

"Without her, Fleetwood Mac ends too. It has been a genuine privilege to spend a year in her company, unravelling her story, as well as to revisit rock’n’roll through the eyes of one of our finest female artists. A first, for me."