In the early part of 1971, Fleetwood Mac arrived in Los Angeles to perform a series of shows over the course of three days at a nightclub called Whisky A Go Go. Only a week after their plane had touched down, one of the band’s members had mysteriously left their shared hotel room in the middle of the afternoon, never to return.
22-year-old Londoner, Jeremy Spencer would be found days later in downtown LA, among hundreds of members of a group called The Children of God. His clothes traded in for rags and his distinctive long hair cropped short, Spencer told the two road managers who found him he no longer wanted anything to do with Fleetwood Mac.
Spencer also informed them that he’d given his last $200 to the Children of God, to be distributed among the members. Additionally, he renounced his wife and two children who lived back in London, stating, “Jesus will take care of them.”
The Children of God was a group that existed from 1968 to 1977, based in Los Angeles, California. They were most well known for evangelizing in the streets, handing out leaflets to passersby. The members founded and lived in communes, which they called colonies. The Children of God was disbanded in 1978 because of accusations of abuse within the community, and a substantial amount of evidence to back this up.
Undoubtedly, when a member of a successful band inexplicably joins what many people would term a “cult,” rumors of brainwashing and coercion abound. However, Spencer has never wavered in his assertion that he joined the Children of God of his own volition. He says he was approached on the street by a young member named Apollos. The man started a conversation with Spencer about God, and invited him back to one the missions belonging to the Children of God.
Over the course of the evening, Spencer found himself convinced that joining the Children of God would be a better course of action than remaining with Fleetwood Mac. Despite the fact that he maintains joining the Children of God was the right choice, Spencer claims that the way he left Fleetwood Mac was regrettable.
Since Jeremy Spencer refused to continue the tour with the band, Fleetwood Mac found themselves in a tough spot after he left. They ended up asking former member Peter Green to come out of retirement, so they would be able to finish the tour. Coincidentally, Green had also retired from the band due to a religious calling.
