Daily Archives: August 5, 2025

Tunes For Tuesday – Fleetwood Mac “Black Magic Woman”

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A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Fleetwood Mac "Black Magic Woman" 1968

Back in the dark ages - before fame and fortune struck - there was a band called "Fleetwood Mac". Formed in 1967 and named for the drummer - Mick Fleetwood - and the bass player - John McVie, they formed a British blues band.

Peter Green was the guitar player that replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers whose members also included Fleetwood and McVie. After a bit of swapping musicians, the three joined together to form Fleetwood Mac. One of their first pieces was "Black Magic Woman", first released as a single, then included on 1969's compilation album, "English Rose".

Santana recorded the song in 1970 and was such a success that few people realize that the tune is from early Fleetwood Mac - few people at that time knew of Fleetwood Mac; their huge success came in the summer of 1975 release of the (2nd) self-titled album.

Over the years, only Mick Fleetwood and John McVie have been consistent members of the band. Christine Perfect started playing with the band on their second album in 1968 (and married John McVie the same year) but was not a "member" until the 5th album, "Future Games" when Peter Green left the band.

Just as a side note, I prefer more of the earlier releases than later: "Then Play On", "Kiln House", "Future Games", "Bare Trees", and ... both "Fleetwood Mac" albums.

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Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Catholic Church

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Built in 1883 as the now-defunct town's general store and post office, it was surrounded by the town's saloon and hotel. It is the only structure remaining of what was once a small town serving nearby ranchers.

In its heyday, the town never did amount to much, population maybe a dozen; now it's simply a name on a map with a small cluster of rancher's homes about a mile from the church. It now has the status of "unincorporated community" with the zipcode of the county seat some 15 miles away.

The building was converted to a Catholic church in 1961 after the ruined shell was donated to and renovated by the Catholic Church. Services are still occasionally held here; one Sunday a month or less.

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