You won’t find a rock and roll queen like Stevie Nicks. This musical diva of all things ethereal has unquestionably raised the bar in the music business. Most recently, she made history by becoming the first female musician to be twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Nicks exudes a bohemian vibe all of her own, from her obscenely stylish attire to her beguiling lyrics about love, life, gypsies, and even Greta Garbo. And when she performs her own emotional ballet on stage, she’s eager to scoop up her followers and carry them along.
What does it cost to become a formidable, witty, and unrepentant diva in the music industry? The price, if you’re Stevie Nicks, can occasionally be very painful. The artist has been putting her heart on display for almost 50 years, juggling her relationships and career in front of a curious world.
However, Nicks need not worry because she is not a weak person. She has persevered through all that the universe has thrown at her, cheerfully sharing her victories and sufferings with her followers.
Phoenix, Arizona is where the tour of Stevie Nicks’ life begins. Stephanie Lynn Nicks entered the world in 1948. According to the Biography, her parents, Barbara and Jess, were typical young newlyweds; he worked as a corporate executive and she was a housewife.
Aaron Nicks, Nick’s grandfather, was an aspiring country music performer who started teaching her to sing when she was four years old, made her a guitar, and started bringing her along to local music performances. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Nicks decided she wanted to be a performer after a successful tap dance performance in the sixth grade.
While Stevie Nicks was a student at Menlo-Atherton High School, a lot was in store for her. According to MTV, there was a boy: Nicks attended a party in 1966 where Lindsey Buckingham, a friend from high school, was performing. Nicks “brazenly burst into harmony with her,” while Buckingham performed “on the spur of the moment.” Before Buckingham unexpectedly called Nicks to ask her to join his band, the two had not spoken in two years.
Nicks was a welcome addition to the group, which went by the name of Fritz. She also developed feelings for Buckingham, and they remained together as Fritz served as the opening act for Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin until their breakup in 1971. However, Nicks and Buckingham continued to work together and eventually started their band, Buckingham Nicks.
According to Factinate, Polydor Records signed Buckingham Nicks in less than two years. Their 1973 self-titled debut album “went largely unnoticed,” according to Biography.
The couple looked to be nude from the waist up, with one exception. A 2014 eBay listing of photos from the picture shoot is cited by Fleetwood Mac News as saying that it was the first time “a music duo appeared on the cover of their LP topless.” But the story had more to it. Author Stephen Davis details how violent Buckingham threw a fuss when Nicks refused to remove her blouse when asked in her biography Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks. He had declared, “This is art!”
She gave in to Buckingham before, and she wouldn’t be the last. The couple faced financial difficulties when the record was essentially a failure.
Nicks worked as a waitress, dental assistant, and other occupations to support the marriage while Buckingham continued to focus on his songs. Nicks stated, “I worked at the Copper Penny, Clementine’s, and Bob’s Big Boy,” in a 1994 interview with the Island Ear.
Stevie Nicks is a fighter, there is no question about that. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time in 2019 (the first time was in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac), creating history once more.
No other female musician has ever received such a distinction. Harry Styles, a singer who Nicks described to Rolling Stone as “the son I never had,” gave her the induction speech. The lady has a lot to be grateful for, in fact. She is wealthy in admirers, wealthy in friends, and simply wealthy; according to The Richest, her net worth is a whopping $75 million dollars.
Nicks also keeps on touring, and a movie about her “24 Karat Gold The Concert” was just released. One of the lady’s few regrets is that she was unable to meet Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Nicks posted on Facebook, “I wanted to take her hand and give her a big hug and thank her for everything she had done for women, and for everything.”
She managed by paying homage to Ginsburg in another way. “I, Stevie Nicks, induct Ruth Bader Ginsburg into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame of Life as the first female to be admitted twice—22 males have already received this honor. I am a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ginsburg would likely like that.”
