Biography
Renowned for her unmistakeable raspy tones, mystical aura and tumultuous personal life, Stevie Nicks inspired a generation of female performers as both a solo artist and the frontwoman of the ever-dramatic Grammy-winning Fleetwood Mac. Born in Phoenix, AZ in 1948, Stevie Nicks was encouraged to pursue her passion for music by her country singer grandfather and after meeting Lindsey Buckingham during her high school senior year began performing in his psych-rock outfit Fritz. Following the group's split in 1971, the romantic and professional pairing recorded an album together under the guise of Buckingham Nicks two years later and in 1974 joined the line-up of one-time blues rockers Fleetwood Mac. Nicks' distinctive husky vocals, magnetic stage presence and melodic soft rock sensibilities immediately helped to push the group firmly into the mainstream, with 1975's eponymous LP topping the Billboard 200. Despite recording sessions plagued by drug abuse and deteriorating personal relationships, 1977 follow-up Rumours fared even better, shifting an astonishing 17 million copies worldwide, winning the Album of the Year Grammy and spawning the Nicks-penned US number one hit, "Dreams." Nicks extended her winning streak in 1981 when she launched her solo career with Bella Donna, the chart-topping LP which produced hit collaborations with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Don Henley. Nicks continued to alternate between her band duties and solo endeavors throughout the decade, releasing sophomore The Wild Heart in 1983, Rock a Little two years later and The Other Side of the Mirror in 1989, while also penning three tracks on Fleetwood Mac's 1987 return-to-form Tango in the Night. Nicks added to her solo back catalog in 1994 withStreet Angel and four years after leaving Fleetwood Mac rejoined the group for 1997's The Dance and its accompanying world tour. Featuring Natalie Maines, Sarah McLachlan and several other artists whose careers she'd influenced, 2001's sixth solo effort, Trouble in Shangri-La was followed by 2007 compilation Crystal Visions and 2009 live album The Soundstage Sessions. Nicks also contributed to Fleetwood Mac's studio swansong Say You Will in 2003 and remained an ever-present throughout their various reunion tours. She returned to the solo fray proper in 2011 with In Your Dreams and three years later revisited and re-recorded several old demos for 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault. In 2014 she made her acting debut playing herself in the "Coven" season of Ryan Murphy's anthology "American Horror Story" (FX, 2011-), a role she reprised for its "Apocalypse" season four years later. In 2019 Nicks became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a band member and solo artist, having previously been recognized with Fleetwood Mac in 1988.
