It’s not a cop-out to say that Stevie Nicks needs no introduction. Arguably the most iconic frontwoman in rock music, Nicks has inarguably written some of the most enduring songs of all time. You only need to hear that ethereal, instantly recognisable voice for a moment to feel its magic. And from her influence that continues to permeate the upper echelons of pop music – just look at Swift, Styles and Del Rey to name a few – to her constant championing of younger artists, there’s a reason she’s been called “the fairy godmother of rock”.
Stephanie Lynn Nicks was born on May 26, 1948 in Phoenix, Arizona. She inherited a love of music from her grandfather, Aaron, who taught her to sing harmonies and brought her along to perform with him in saloons by the time she was five years old. As a teenager in the California suburbs, she joined her first band, The Changing Times, before transferring to Menlo Atherton High School in Palo Alto. She soon began a musical and romantic relationship with a fellow young songwriter, Lindsey Buckingham.
Nicks and Buckingham began performing together in the local psychedelic-rock band Fritz. In 1972, they formed the duo Buckingham Nicks, and released a self-titled album via Polydor Records the following year. The members of Fleetwood Mac, a British blues-rock group at the time, caught wind of the album, and in need of a new guitarist, asked Buckingham to join. He agreed on the condition that Nicks would join too. The incorporation of the duo injected the fresh, California pop edge into the band that would go on to make them one of the most influential acts of all time.
In 1975, Fleetwood Mac released their eponymous album, the first to be recorded with Nicks and Buckingham. Nicks’ songwriting contributions to the album, particularly ‘Rhiannon’ and ‘Landslide’, have endured as some of the group’s best-loved songs – with the aforementioned both being included in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. The 10th Fleetwood Mac album altogether, it was a breakthrough hit that made the band worldwide stars.
In 1977, intending to amplify the commercial success of their previous record, Fleetwood Mac released Rumours. Widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and as of 2021 the 11th best-selling of all time, the album was an immediate success – selling over 10 million copies with a month of release, and winning a GRAMMY award for Album of the Year. Nicks and Buckingham famously and combustibly processed the end of their relationship via their songwriting, leading to some of the group’s most era-defining songs – including Nicks’ ‘Dreams’ (the band’s only US No.1 single), Buckingham’s ‘Go Your Own Way’, and the group effort ‘The Chain’.
In 1979, Fleetwood Mac released their third album with Buckingham and Nicks, Tusk. With a more avant-garde sound than Rumours, the album was a commercial disappointment, but has since been re-evaluated with NME naming it one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. After the release of Tusk, Nicks embarked on a solo career, releasing the album Bella Donna in 1983; the album included hit singles ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around’ with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, ‘Leather And Lace’ with Don Henley, and ‘Edge Of Seventeen’ – with the latter becoming one of four Nicks-penned songs to be included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In 1982, Fleetwood Mac returned with the album Mirage, which included one of Nicks’ most famous tracks, ‘Gypsy’. Nicks followed this with her second solo album, The Wild Heart, in 1983, which was certified double platinum and included Grammy-nominated single ‘Stand Back’. In 1985 came Nicks’ third solo album, Rock A Little, and in 1987 she reconvened with Fleetwood Mac for Tango In The Night.
In 1989 Nicks released her fourth solo album, The Other Side Of The Mirror, which became her highest-charting solo album to date in the United Kingdom. The same year, Fleetwood Mac released Behind The Mask, before Nicks departed the band to release her 1994 solo album, Street Angel.
In 1997, Nicks reunited with Fleetwood Mac to record the live album and DVD The Dance, which received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album and was followed by a 44-date tour. In 1998, the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Nicks released the solo box set Enchanted the same year.
In 2001, Nicks released her sixth solo album, Trouble In Shangri-La. This marked a career resurgence for Nicks, charting at No.5 in the Billboard 200 and with single ‘Planets Of The Universe’ receiving a GRAMMY nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In 2003, she again reunited with Fleetwood Mac for their 17th album, Say You Will – their first to peak in the US top three since Mirage. Nicks continued to tour and record as a solo artist in the ensuing years, releasing live album, The Soundstage Sessions, in 2009. The same year she embarked on the Unleashed world tour with Fleetwood Mac.
In 2011, Nicks released the studio album, In Your Dreams, to critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone naming it her “finest collection of songs since the Eighties”, as well as an accompanying documentary film. In 2014, she released a compilation of re-recorded archival demos, 24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault, to further critical acclaim. In 2019, Nicks was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, making her the first woman to be inducted both as a band member and a solo artist. She also continued to tour with Fleetwood Mac until 2019, which the band have stated will be their final tour dates after the 2022 death of Christine McVie.
In 2024, Nicks announced that she would headline BST Hyde Park 2024, marking her first UK date in seven years.
