February 1978: Fleetwood Mac's RUMOURS Wins Album of the Year at the GRAMMYS
The way the photographs tell it, the night of February 23, 1978, at the Shrine Auditorium for the 20th annual Grammy Awards was a chaotic occasion for the members of Fleetwood Mac. That's when the band's wildly successful Rumours album took the top prize: Album of the Year.
Images of Fleetwood Mac from that night find them in a suitably festive mood, and all over the place. There isn't a single shot of them all looking in the same direction, the members seemingly lost in conversations happening somewhere outside of the frame. It's as if they're pulled in different directions at the same time, which probably isn't too far from reality.
Rumours beat out some stiff competition to earn Album of the Year. Also nominated: Steely Dan's Aja, the Eagles' Hotel California, James Taylor's JT, and John Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra to create the soundtrack to the biggest movie of 1977, Star Wars.
The album was a popular choice; Rumours ruled the Billboard 100 for most of 1977, and still holds the record for 31 nonconsecutive weeks at #1 over the years of 1977-78. That's the most for any duo or group.
FUN FACT: While presenting the Album Of The Year award to Fleetwood Mac, Graham Nash looked at his co-presenters David Crosby and Stephen Stills, and had the guts to ask the burning question: "Does anybody have any idea what it took to get Crosby into a tuxedo?"
