In 1968, Fleetwood Mac, led by Peter Green, was one of England's best blues bands. They were in the process of recording their second album, Mr. Wonderful, when bassist John McVie met the lead singer of British band Chicken Shack, the beautiful, sultry-voiced, Christine Perfect. Fleetwood Mac asked Christine to contribute piano to some of their songs, and two weeks later, John and Christine got married. Shortly after, Christine quit Chicken Shack, apparently to stay closer to John while the Mac toured. But her talent couldn't be ignored. By 1970, with Peter Green's departure from the band, Christine would join Fleetwood Mac as a permanent member, but not before doing her own thing. 

Ann Christine Perfect was born on July 12, 1943, in the Lake District of England. The daughter of a concert violinist and music lecturer, Christine would go on to study classical music, specifically the piano, until her father introduced her to Fats Domino and the Everly Brothers. From then on, the only thing important to Christine was rock and roll. 

In 1967, Christine would join her first band: Chicken Shack. Led by Stan Webb and Andy Silvester, they would eventually join Mike Vernon's record label, Blue Horizon, the same label that backed British blues band Fleetwood Mac. After Christine met John McVie, married him, and contributed her piano expertise to Mr. Wonderful, she quit Chicken Shack and began working on her first solo album. 

Produced by Mike Vernon and Christine McVie, Christine Perfect was released on Blue Horizon on December 6, 1970. The album featured Anthony "Top" Topham of the Yardbirds on guitar, as well as John McVie, Danny Kirwan (both from Fleetwood Mac), and Andy Silvester as sessions musicians. The Etta James cover, "I'd Rather Go Blind," a hit single with Chicken Shack, closed the A-side of the LP. Five of the tracks were original Christine creations; the other twelve were blues covers.

I first heard the album in 2005, during my formative Fleetwood Mac years, when I first began to realize the difference between the many hats the Mac wore: Peter Green's era, Danny Kirwan's, the inclusion of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, and Christine's collaborations. My friend put the song "Wait and See" on a mix and I couldn't stop listening to it. I finally found the reissue of the album, which was released in 1976 and called The Legendary Christine Perfect Album, at Atomic Records in Burbank. Both the original and the reissue are nearly impossible to find, but the entire thing is on YouTube, for your listening enjoyment. Check it.

The end.