Women’s History Month: Stevie Nicks

Photo by Richard McCaffrey/Getty Images

Known for her raspy voice and witchy fashion sense, Stevie Nicks has made herself one of the most iconic women in rock ‘n ‘roll history. This week for Women’s History Month we celebrate the Fleetwood Mac singer!

Stevie was born on May 26th, 1948 as Stephanie Lynn Nicks in Phoenix, Arizona. Her grandfather, Aaron Nicks built her first guitar and taught her how to play some country classics. Nicks began performing with her grandfather by the time she turned five-years-old and from then on her future as a musician was set.

During the 1960s, the Nicks family relocated to Palo Alto, California where Nicks befriended a new classmate at her high school who also shared her same musical passions. His name was Lindsey Buckingham. After graduating, the two began a romantic relationship and both joined the local band Fritz. By 1971, Fritz broke up, but Buckingham and Nicks continued collaborating until they eventually joined an already-established band whose sound was changing and would forever change the career of the couple. The band was Fleetwood Mac.

With Buckingham and Nicks contributing their immense talent to Fleetwood Mac, the band soared up the charts with hit songs such as Rhiannon, Landslide, and Dreams. However, personal struggles within the band, including the breakup of Nicks and Buckingham, eventually got in the way even though Fleetwood Mac persisted and continued to release albums. In 1981, Nicks put out her first solo album Bella Donna, which featured vocals from her good friend Tom Petty.

Whether, solo or with Fleetwood Mac, Nicks has led an extremely successful career in rock music and still continues to follow that spark in modern times.

Watch Stevie Nicks perform Rhiannon with Fleetwood Mac live on The Midnight Special in 1976: