Stevie's love affair with music began in her early childhood. His grandfather played guitar and she used to perform with him, singing and dancing, as her passion for music was growing bigger and bigger...

Years went by

It was during that year that Stevie attended a teen religious function one evening entitled "Young Life", popular amongst the local teens, and had a chance encounter with a boy from her school, one year her junior, by the name of Lindsey Buckingham. Lindsey had taken a seat at the party, and began to play the first few notes of a popular Mamas and Papas song by the name of "California Dreaming". Stevie took the liberty of approaching him, and the two completed the song together, (perfectly, as Stevie would later add) and their harmony changed the music scene forever.

Stevie and Lindsey parted ways after that brief encounter, only to reunite two years later when Lindsey developed the urge to form his own band and remembered Stevie's voice, thinking she would add a spark to the music. By that time, Stevie had very much delved into the music of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, yet her passion for these bands remained unapparent to those around her. With the urge to be part of a rock and roll band, Stevie obliged, and the Fritz Rayburne Memorial Band was formed.

Quote: "Janis Joplin got up to sing, and for the next two hours my chin was on the floor. I mean, you couldn't have pried me away with a crowbar. I was like, glued. You know most of the stuff I do when we're onstage? That's who I learned it from. It wasn't that I wanted to be like her, because I had my own thing, but I figured that if I ever get to be a performer of any value, I've got to create the same kind of feeling that's going on between her and the audience."

Buckingham / Nicks

After a futzed record deal, Fritz broke up in 1971, yet Stevie and Lindsey remained together for the sake of the music, oblivious to the emotional bindings. Buckingham-Nicks was then formed, and within mere weeks, the romantic relationship between the couple was, as well.

It was in 1972 that Stevie and Lindsey finally fulfilled their goal and set up shop in Los Angelos, as well as in producer Keith Olsen's house. Further plans were formed, as the duo was approached by a United Artists-related label, by the name of Anthem. Originally, Stevie and Lindsey were to migrate to London where they would record their first album at Trident Studios. However the deal fell apart as the Anthem partners split up, one fetching a deal with Polydor, and "Buckingham Nicks" was recorded.

The album was dedicated to Stevie's inspiration, A.J. Nicks. As time went on, hopes felt loss due to the lack of success of the Buckingham Nicks album, and soon enough, Stevie and Lindsey were back where they started, as the duo moved in with record engineer/good friend Richard Dashut, and Stevie took up waitressing at Bob's Big Boy and cleaning Keith Olsen's house to support she and Lindsey. Times were rough and money was tight, as Lindsey temporarily worked with a company soliciting ads over the telephone between shows.

The Fleetwood Mac years...

Creativity sparked from timultuous times, as during BN's rejection from nearly every record label, Stevie wrote "Landslide" and "Rhiannon", two of her trademark songs. She and Lindsey, who had written "Monday Morning" and "I'm So Afraid", composed the songs in the Buckingham coffee plant, and crossed their fingers in hopes that it would grant them the success they so deserved. It was then that Mick Fleetwood of "Fleetwood Mac" was played a song off the BN album by a fellow record associate, liked what he heard, and kept Buckingham in mind, especially after the lead guitarist of his band quit the following week. During a New Year's Eve party at the Dashut house in 1974, Keith Olsen arrived with the best of news, announcing that Mick Fleetwood wanted Lindsey to join. It was "Frozen Love", one of, if not the most intensely haunting song on the BN album, would also be the song that would help launch Stevie and Lindsey into super stardom.

In all actuality, Mick was only interested in Lindsey alpha, yet was assured by Buckingham that he and Stevie were a unit, a "packaged deal". Buckingham Nicks met up with the members of Fleetwood Mac at a Mexican restaurant one afternoon after Stevie had been relinquished for the day from her waitressing job.
Quote: "I saw Fleetwood Mac drive up in these two old clunky white Cadillacs with big tail fins, and I was in awe."

At that time, the scales weighed toward Christine McVie, who assured Mick that if she and Stevie hit it off, everything would go smoothly, in that there was nothing worse than having two females in a band who do not socialize well with one another. Fortunately, they began to bond immediately, and Stevie and Lindsey were asked to join the band before dessert, to which they looked at one another, and replied:
Quote: "Yes."

Stevie and Lindsey celebrated 1975 by collaborating with Mick Fleetwood and John & Christine McVie, then forming the most-recognizable line-up of Fleetwood Mac. The fivesome went to the studio within the first three months and "Fleetwood Mac", the self-titled 'white-album' was conceived. From that record, Fleetwood Mac became household names with songs such as "Over My Head", "Landslide" and "Say You Love Me." As well, Stevie's mantra song, "Rhiannon" hit the charts and immediately sent her into diva stardom, which at one point she was unsure of after a rather negative review from Rolling Stone Magazine.

Stevie with Fleetwood Mac

The group toured to promote the album and in 1976, went back into the studio to produce what is known as one of the top 5 best-selling albums of all time, "Rumours". The title was originally thought of by bassist, John McVie, due to the timultuous relationships occurring within the band. It was during this time that Stevie became accustomed to using cocaine on occasion. Stevie & Lindsey's relationship, along with John's and Christine's didn't survive the nine-month duration of the making of "Rumours", yet the album spoke for itself with songs such as "Dreams", Fleetwood Mac's only #1 hit, "Go Your Own Way", "Gold Dust Woman", "The Chain" (the only FM song all 5 members take writing credit for as a group) and "You Make Loving Fun." During its first week on the shelves, "Rumours" sold over 800,000 copies, and Fleetwood Mac's status as a classic rock 'n' roll band was insured.

"Tusk" soon followed "Rumours" in 1979 and was considered a risky creative installment by those close to producer and Mac member, Lindsey Buckingham. Lindsey admitted to seeing the need to go against the grain, producing a critically acclaimed double album that was soon considered a flop due to low record sales. However, "Tusk" spawned FM hits such as "Sara" and the self-titled, "Tusk."

Stevie's solo career...

It was at this point that Stevie realized she required another outlet to express her creativity, in that three or four songs ever two or three years wasn't enough. After meeting with producer Paul Fishkin, it was decided that Stevie would go out on a limb as a solo artist, yet stay true to Fleetwood Mac all the while. The result of this was 1981's "Bella Donna", Stevie's first solo album which is now considered one of the top-selling 80s albums by a female solo artist. "Bella Donna" proved Stevie's status as a rock and roll diva with hits such as "Edge of Seventeen" and "Leather and Lace" (with Don Henley), and soon after, Stevie was reigned "Queen of Rock and Roll" by Rolling Stone Magazine, the same magazine that under-estimated her talent only 6 years before. However, Stevie was unable to enjoy most of her Bella Donna fame, in that during that time, she learned that her best friend since age 15, Robin Angerson, had been diagnosed with leukemia, given approximately 3 months to live. Stevie was crushed, trying her best to be there for her friend and her fans at the same time. Robin Anderson passed away on October 12th of 1982.

Stevie toured to promote the album, yet after only a dozen shows, went back into the studio to record the Fleetwood Mac "Mirage" album. Stevie has said that she felt it best to keep her solo career separate from her work with Fleetwood Mac, and in that, "Mirage" (which was considered more essential-Fleetwood Mac) skyrocketed with hits such as "Gypsy" and "Hold Me."

Stevie went back into the studio solo to record "The Wild Heart" in 1983, which conceived another hit, "Stand Back." The "Rock a Little" album followed in 1985. It was during this time that Stevie's drug dependency to cocaine had reached its high point, and in November of 1986, she spent one month at the Betty Ford clinic and came out drug-free.

"Tango In The Night" was released in 1987, another Fleetwood Mac hit with songs such as "Big Love" and "Little Lies" ranking on the charts. A tour was sure to follow, but guitarist Lindsey Buckingham backed out and quit the band at the last moment. He was replaced by Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, and the original plan to tour resumed on schedule.

In 1989, "The Other Side of the Mirror", Stevie's 4th solo album, hit the stores. Soon afterward, the new Fleetwood Mac re-joined to record "Behind the Mask" in 1990. It was during this time that Stevie threatened to leave the band, after a confrontation with Mick Fleetwood resulting from his lack of permission in allowing Stevie to use the song "Silver Springs" for her forthcoming greatest hits album. "Silver Springs" was scheduled to appear on the 1977 "Rumours" album, yet was dropped at the last minute due to time standards and replaced by another song of Stevie's entitled, "I Don't Want To Know." During the final days of the "Behind The Mask" tour, Stevie and Christine saw it best to discontinue their performances, and during their final show, Lindsey Buckingham surprised the crowd to perform "Landslide" with Stevie.

"Timespace", Stevie's GH album was later released in 1991 without "Silver Springs." During 1992, "The Chain", Fleetwood Mac's boxed set was released.

It was during the Spring of 1993 when the US was surprised with the news that Fleetwood Mac of the Buckingham-Nicks era would once again reunite to perform at President-Elect Clinton's Inaugural Gala. "Don't Stop" was chosen as Clinton's campaign song and after a phone call to Lindsey from Stevie, the plans were set and the performance was classic. It was during this time that Stevie decided that she no longer wished to be a part of Fleetwood Mac unless Lindsey was in the line-up.

During the same year, Stevie was admitted to the Exodus Medical Group in Marina Del Ray, California for a 45-day detox due to her 6-year dependency to the tranquilizer, Klonopin. This resulted after a sudden fall Stevie took at a friend's baby shower; her head was injured in the fireplace.

"Street Angel" was released in 1994 by a healthy Stevie Nicks. Yet after a show to promote the album one night, Stevie became upset by the public's apparent disregard for her music and obsession with how she looked, and she walked off the stage and vowed to never sing in public again until she reached a normal weight.

In 1996, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham reunited once again to record "Twisted" for the "Twister" movie soundtrack. Soon afterwards, talk for an offical Fleetwood Mac reunion was in the works, as one by one, each member of the band was asked to help on Buckingham's forthcoming solo album.

On April 1st of 1997, Fleetwood Mac set foot on the stage again in rehearsal for "The Dance", a new live album scheduled to hit the stores in August of the same year.

"The Dance" was an immediate success, and the group celebrated the album with a promotional 3-month tour. Fleetwood Mac was then inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and nominated for 3 Grammys for "The Dance."

Stevie went into the studio once again after "The Dance" tour to begin work on her latest gem, "The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks", a 3-CD Boxed set spanning two decades. The set was released in May of 1998, and the day after her 50th birthday on May 26th, Stevie and her new solo band set off on the "Enchanted Tour" of '98.

 Stevie celebrated the millenium with her fans on the "Pondering the Millenium" tour, a short run spanning from various parts of California to Las Vegas, Nevada. Stevie's latest solo album, "Trouble In Shangri-La", produced in part by solo artist Sheryl Crow, TLC producer Dallas Austin and Stevie herself, was released in 2001.

"At night the ocean gets really loud. And then you realize how close you are to it."

"The ocean is so heavy, and so big and so massive and so dangerous. It just makes me feel better."

"If you offered me a passionate love affair and you offered me a high-priestess role in a fabulous castle above a cliff where I can just, like, live a very spiritual kind of religious-library-communing-with-the-stars, learning kind of existence, I'm going to go for the high priestess."

Stevie Nicks

Long Distance Winner

Sunflowers and your face fascinate me
You love only the tallest trees
I come running down the hill
But you're fast
You're the winner
Long distance winner

Not unlike the blue white fire
You burn brightly in spite of yourself
I bring the water down to you
But you're too hot to touch

You love somebody
Save their soul
Tie them to your heaven
Erase their hell
Love the lifestyle if you feel it
Don't try to change them
You never will

Sunflowers and your face fascinate me
You go into the dusty pink day
I come calling unto you
But you run
You're the winner
Long distance winner

Twisted
lYou think you hear demons,
     I think you are the demon

     In this place where images are born

     Oh, fire in sequences

     The sun goes down, filling the air with color

     You fall to your knees, and embrace the storm

     You live for the danger, like your passion and your anger

     You like to be twisted, by the force

I know, you know, watchin' you go is like dyin', is like dyin'

     You take it to the limit

     You'd rather be rapped up, in the arms of a storm

     The sun goes down

     Chasin' down the demons

     You think you hear demons

     Cryin' out for love

     Chasin' down the demons

     Chasin' the demons down

     You'd rather be rapped up

     In the arms of a storm

     Chasin' the demons