Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is a reknowned American singer and songwriter. Her work with Fleetwood Mac and a long solo career has collectively produced over twenty Top 40 hits . She has the distinction of being one of the few rock artists to maintain a solo career while remaining a member of a successful band. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, she had the distinction of being inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Early life
Nicks was born in Phoenix, Arizona on May 26, 1948.Jess and Barbara Nicks were her parents. A love for fairy tales was fostered in her by her mother while while her grandfather, a struggling country singer, began teaching her to sing at the age of four. Christopher is Stevie's brother who married to Lori Perry, one of Stevie's backup singers. Her first song called "I've Loved and I've Lost, and I'm Sad But Not Blue." was written by her when she was just sixteen.

While attending Menlo Atherton High School, Nicks first met her future musical and romantic partner Lindsey Buckingham. They sang California Dreamin' when they attended a religious meeting called Young Life. Nicks' enchantingly unique voice impressed Buckingham. A few years later, Nicks was invited by Buckingham to join a band called Fritz. This band became popular as a live act from 1968 until 1972. Fritz opened for big-name acts Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, among others in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Nicks majored in Speech Communication by attending San Jose State University in Northern California.

Cover of Buckingham Nicks.
Nicks and Buckingham continued to write and record as a duo, producing demo tapes at Buckingham's father Morris' Coffee Plant after Fritz disbanded in 1972. By this time, they had developed romantic relationship as well. Their melodic, California pop harmonies, and photogenic quality.attracted Polydor Records and were successful in securing a deal with Polydor Records.The album was not a commercial success, even though the duo played shows to support it. Subsequently, they were dropped from the recording label.

Nicks worked a variety of jobs to keep the pair financially afloat. Her jobs included waiting tables and a stint cleaning engineer/producer Keith Olsen's house while Buckingham lived there, writing music and practicing guitar. Nicks and Buckingham briefly relocated to Aspen, Colorado. Buckingham was successful in landing a guitar-playing gig with the Everly Brothers in Colorado and decided to tour with them. During this time, "Rhiannon" and "Landslide" were written by Nicks. A new opportunity arose in late 1974.

Cover of Fleetwood Mac.
Following two weeks of rehearsals, the reconfigured Fleetwood Mac went into the studio in February 1975. Three months were spent in perfecting their first album together. The eponymous Fleetwood Mac was released by the new ensemble in July 1975. Three songs including, "Rhiannon" and "Landslide", were contributed by Nicks. "Rhiannon" and "Landslide" were originally written for the second Buckingham Nicks album. A re-release of a song from the 1973 Buckingham Nicks album, the Nicks-penned "Crystal," with a lead vocal from Buckingham was also included in the album. The band proved successful and revitalized Fleetwood Mac.

The band was successful in enjoying its first #1 on the Billboard 200 after a year of non-stop touring. There was a record sale of more than five million copies of the album. Nicks' love of black chiffon clothes and dark mythology, and her raucous, epic live version of "Rhiannon," was showcased in the the 1975?76 live tour. Her position as one of the leading women in rock 'n roll was sealed with the band's first bona fide hit single with this line-up.

Cover of Tusk.
Fleetwood was successful in recording record their third album with the "classic line-up" in the spring of 1978. The band's unorthodox work ethic, and copious amounts of cocaine, led to the album costing approximately $1 million, the most expensive album ever made at the time.

Tusk was released as a 20-track double album in October 1979. The album could not achieve the desired amount of success and the album had a relatively disappointing sales of four million copies due to the increased price, unusual nature of the songs, and the fact that it was aired on US radio prior to release.

During this period, Nicks' contributions to the album mainly focused on her romantic relationships The somber "Storms" and piano ballad "Beautiful Child" were rumored to concern her doomed relationship with Fleetwood, while the Billboard Hot 100 #7 hit "Sara" alluded to her relationship with Henley.