. >> mason: drummer mick fleetwood looks back at the band's origins in his new book "love that burns.this was a very large p.a. system. ♪ got a blaj magic woman >> mason: their first hit, "black magic woman" was written by the group's founding father, peter green who left suddenly in 1970. >> when we lost peter green, we were devastated as people and our music, what ring with -- what are we going to do? >> mason: they regrouped, and after bassist john mcveigh married christine mcvie, she was brought into the band. ♪ stronger every day christine just sort of fit. >> yeah. done. >> mason: done. that simple. ♪ loving you but the mcvies would divorce, one romantic crisis that nearly wrecked the band. ♪ you can go your own way >> there's no way they would survive all this stuff. >> mason: why have you survived? >> because i think me and general wouldn't stop. >> mason: fleetwood and john remain the rhythm section through many changes. in 1975, fleetwood invited lindsey buckingham and stevie nicks to join the band. why were you so convinced that was going to work? >> they had what we could

. >> drummer mick fleetwood looks back in his book "love that burns." >> we thought this was a very largeughter ] ♪ got a black magic woman >> reporter: their first hit "black magic woman" was written by peter green who left suddenly in 1970. >> when we lost peter green we were devastated. as people and our music. what are we going to do? >> reporter: they regrouped. and after bassist john mcvie married christine mcvie. she was brought into the band. ♪ it gets stronger every day >> christine just sort of fit? >> yeah. >> done. done. >> that simple -- ♪ loving you >> but the mcvies' would divorce, one of many romantic crises that would wreck the band. >> there is no way they would survive all of this stuff. >> reporter: why have you survived? >> because i think it is like me and john just wouldn't stop. >> fleetwood and john mcvie remained the rhythm section through many cast changes. ♪ like a bell through the night ♪ >> reporter: in 1975, fleetwood invited lindsey buckingham and stevie nicks to join the band. why were you convinced that would work? >> they had what we would call in early

mick fleetwood.ed the golden anniversary of the band with anthony mason. ♪ >> reporter: they've sold more than 100 million records since 1967. their sound has changed. so have the band members. but the chain has never been broken. ♪ and if you don't love me now ♪ you will never love me again fleetwood mac will mark its 50th anniversary tomorrow. ♪ you will never break the chain ♪ ♪ never break the chain >> i always looked at it and look at that date that it's been worth a damn. >> reporter: mick fleetwood's been there from the very beginning. >> this is the very first photo shoot. it's the very first press photograph. >> reporter: the drummer recounts the early days of the band in his new book "love that burns," a chronicle of fleetwood mac. a story that almost took a very different course. just two days after he joined fleetwood mac -- >> phone rings in my flat, and it's jeff -- >> jeff beck. >> yeah. he says i'm thinking of putting a band together. and i said oh, i just committed. >> reporter: the

. >> reporter: mick fleetwood has been from the very beginning. of the band in his new book "love that burns." a chronicle of fleetwood mac. a story that almost took a very different course. fleetwood mac -- >> the phone ring in my flat and it's jeff and he said i'm thinking about putting a band together. i said i just committed. >> reporter: the jeff beck group would feature a young singer named rod stewart. >> like two days. >> reporter: instead he joined another band of blues musicians. >> the name was really kind of an accident in the middle of a recording session. >> correct. ♪ >> after they laid down this instrumental, their first unofficial track together, the engineer asked -- >> what are we going to put on the box? >> what's the name of it? >> fleetwood mac, john will make a play on that. >> reporter: green a guitar god who replacedc blues breaker, would write the band's first british hit. >> he had no interest in being a solo creature. >> he didn't even want to be a frontman, did he? >> no. >> solo number. >> he called fleetwood mac for a

. >> reporter: mick fleetwood's been there from the very beginning. >> this is the very first photo shootpress photograph. >> reporter: the drummer recounts the earlier days of the band in his new book "love that burns: a chronicle of fleetwood mac," a story that almost took a different course. just two days before the phone rinnes that the phone rinnes and jeff says i'm thinking of putting a band together. >> reporter: the jeff beck group would feature a young singer named rod stewart. >> like two days. >> reporter: instead he joined another band of blues players. >> the name was really an accident in the middle o a recording session. >> correct. ♪ >> reporter: after they laid down this instrumental, their first unofficial track together, the engineer asked, whether aat going to put on the box? >> call it fleetwood mac. >> reporter: green, a guitar god who would replace eric clapton in the blues breakers would write a british hit "blak >> he called the band fleetwood mac for the reason. he felt one day i felt i would leave and i wanted john to have a band. >> reporter: in 1970 green did