Jeremy Spencer

Jeremy Spencer, early 2000s

Jeremy Spencer, circa 1970

Jeremy Spencer (British; aliases used include Jonadab and Jonathan, though he now goes by Jeremy again) was born in West Hartlepool, England on July 4, 1948. Spencer was one of Fleetwood Mac's early guitarists, joining the band in 1967. His specialty was the slide guitar and he was strongly influenced by blues musician Elmore James. Spencer remained with the band until February 1971 when he joined the Children of God, upon which he renounced his possessions and cut his long hair.

He remains with The Family International (as the group is now called) to this day, participating in missionary activities, performing in studio recordings for the group (primarily in Brazil), and illustrating Family publications for children. Spencer now lives in Ireland and works mainly as a book illustrator and story writer for The Family International.

Spencer performed in concert tours in India with other Family International performers in 1995, 1998 and 2000. Shortly before the start of his 1998 tour, Fleetwood Mac performers including Jeremy Spencer were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Personal family

At age 18, Jeremy met Fiona who was 14 years old at the time. They had five children together: Jez ("Dicon"; born 1968), Heidi, Marisha, Ben ("Koa"; born 1972), and Nathaniel ("Nat"; born 1974). Fiona and Jeremy were separated circa 1978. Fiona (who changed her name to Kitty) later married Andres (Italian) and together they had three daughters: Katuscia (b. ~1979), Talitha ("Tally"; b. ~1980/81), and Becky (b. ~1983). Jeremy was later partnered with "Dora/Julie" (from Germany) whom he met while living in the Philippines. Of Fiona's eight children, only one is still a member of The Family International. She has been promoted to a senior position within the cult, and has remained in regular contact with the other siblings. Some of these children have formed a rock band in England called JYNXT. The band members are Nat, Koa, and Tally Spencer, along with non-relatives Simon Walsh and DJ Dan Brown.

Family publications

• The Wicked World Behind the Scenes of Rock & Roll (TSM#2, 1990-01) — Jeremy Spencer's Traumatic Testimony

Court documents concerning child abuse

Following are excerpts from the Judgment of Lord Justice Ward from 1995, the result of a child-custody trial involving The Family in England.

THE ORAL EVIDENCE OF CHILD / ADULT ABUSE

8. MS. Her father is Jeremy S. [Jeremy Spencer] of Music with Meaning. Her mother is Dawn, a European Shepherd. … She said in her affidavit:

"From my earliest memories until my time in India, sexual activity pervaded The Family. Instances that stand out in my mind are as follows:-

"My mother and my father frequently had sexual intercourse and performed oral sex with each other and with other people in the same room as us children, regardless of whether we were awake or asleep. I distinctly remember my father having sexual intercourse with Faithy Berg when we lived in a caravan in Greece. I was around four years old at the time."

At the age of 6 she had to use both hands to masturbate Timothy in his 20's or 30's, ex-Vietnam veteran. At the same age she had to "help her father [Jeremy Spencer] out" which meant caressing him and mutual masturbation. From the age of 7 her step father made her masturbate him. She later told Mary Malay about her step father but not about her father because she liked him: "at least," she said, "he did not beat me".

…
THE LEADERS' INVOLVEMENT IN SEXUAL ABUSE

8. Jeremy S. [Jeremy Spencer]

His own daughter with understandable reluctance complained that he abused her as I find he did. He also abused MB. Music with Meaning was a particularly corrupt and corrupting organisation. He played a central part in it.

Fleetwood Mac albums featuring Jeremy Spencer

• Fleetwood Mac (Blue Horizon 1968)
• Mr. Wonderful (Blue Horizon 1968)
• English Rose (Epic 1969--US only)
• The Pious Bird Of Good Omen (Blue Horizon 1969--UK only)
• Then Play On (Reprise 1969)
• Fleetwood Mac In Chicago/Blues Jam In Chicago vols 1 & 2 (Blue Horizon 1969)
• Kiln House (Reprise 1970)

Additional compilations/outtakes collections

• Greatest Hits (CBS 1971 - compilation)
• The Best of Fleetwood Mac (Reprise c1971 - Germany only but featuring rare songs)
• The Hits of Fleetwood Mac (Columbia 1990 - compilation)
• 25 Years - The Chain [Box set] (Warner 1992)
• Like It This Way (Elite - compilation)
• The Vaudeville Years of Fleetwood Mac 1968 to 1970 [Box set] (Receiver 1998)
• Show-Biz Blues 1968-1970 [Box set] (Receiver 2001 - Companion to "Vaudeville Years")
• The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969 [Box set] (Columbia UK, 1999)
• Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (Columbia UK, 2000)
• Original Fleetwood Mac: The Blues Years (3-CD set, Castle, 1990)
• Madison Blues [3 disc box-set] (Shakedown 2003 - recorded 1970)
• Green Shadows (Union Square Music 2003 - compilation)

Live albums

• Live at the BBC (Castle 1995 - recorded 1967-71)
• Shrine '69 (Rykodisc 1999 - recorded 25th January 1969)
• The Blues Collection (Castle, 1989 or 1992)
• Live at the Boston Tea Party, vols 1-3 (recorded February 5-7, 1970. Comprehensively released 1998 by Snapper Records, having previously been repackaged and bootlegged several times)
• Jumping at Shadows: The Blues Years (released 2002)

Jeremy Spencer solo and other albums

• Jeremy Spencer (Reprise, 1970)
• Jeremy Spencer and the Children (CBS, 1972)
• Flee (Atlantic, 1979)
• In Concert - India 1998 (PolyGram India, 1999)
• Precious Little (Bluestown, 2006)

Jeremy Spencer has also recorded a significant amount of music intended only for internal distribution within The Family.

Press

• Classic Rock: Mac, Myths and Mysteries — 2006-03
• London Times: Band on the run with rock'n'roll in their blood — 2005-10-29

External links

• Jeremy Spencer's website — Includes music and concert video samples
• Jeremy Spencer biography on AMG
• The Penguin Biographies: Jeremy Spencer
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — Fleetwood Mac (inducted 1998)
• JYNXT — Band formed by some of Jeremy Spencer's children