CONGRATULATION : Stevie Nicks celebrates 77th birthday today: Her rise to ‘Queen of Rock and Roll’; all fans drop a wishing worlds….
Nicks is a titan in the world of rock n’ roll, at one point being named the “Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll” by Rolling Stone, as well as making the list of 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time and 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, for both her solo career and for her time with Fleetwood Mac.
While it is clear Nicks was always destined for stardom, a chance encounter with Lindsey Buckingham during her senior year in high school led to the two of them getting discovered by Mick Fleetwood and them joining the legendary band, Fleetwood Mac.
Stevie Nicks, left, entered a relationship with Lindsey Buckingham soon after meeting him, and the two started their own band, Buckingham Nicks. (Getty Images)
Soon after meeting Buckingham at a church social night where the two played guitar together, they started dating and decided to stay together in the Bay Area to pursue a music career.
While Nicks had a contract to record a country album, Buckingham managed to get her out of it, persuading her to join his band, Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band after the original lead singer left the band. They went on to open up for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Santana to name a few.
After four years together, the band broke up, leading Nicks and Buckingham to start their duo, Buckingham Nicks. The two were broke, but after receiving a rather large inheritance check, they were able to record a demo album.
Stevie Nicks worked as a host at a restaurant and as a maid for music producer Keith Olsen to support herself and Buckingham as they tried to get a record deal. (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)
“We did seven songs, and it took us a year,” Nicks said according to a press kit released ahead of “The Wild Heart.” “They were really good, and when they were finished, we got in Lindsey’s car and drove to L.A., where every record company in the world passed on us. We were devastated, but we still knew we were good.”
In order to support herself and Buckingham, Nicks took all sorts of jobs, working as a waitress and as a cleaning lady for producer Keith Olsen. It was during this transitional period when Nicks wrote many of the songs which would go on to be Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, including “Rhiannon” and “Landslide.”
Nicks’ determination to work hard to make her dreams come true stemmed from lessons she learned from her mom.
“She said to me: ‘you will never stand in a room full of men and feel like you can’t keep up with them. And you will never depend upon a man to support you,’” she told The Guardian in October 2020. “She drummed that into me, and I’m so glad she did.”
Eventually the two were signed to Polydor Records and released their eponymous debut album in 1973. While the album did not do well, it found its way to Mick Fleetwood, who became impressed with Buckingham’s guitar skills and wanted to recruit him.
As Buckingham would not join the band without Nicks, Fleetwood agreed to allow her to join the band as well, and the rest is history.
