Stevie Nicks

Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer and songwriter who became internationally famous for her work with English-American blues-rock band Fleetwood Mac and her extensive solo career which collectively produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million records. She was deemed the "Queen of Rock and Roll" and and "One of the Greatest Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, she was introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. As a solo artist, she has one eight Grammy Award nominations and, with Fleetwood Mac, a further five nominations.

Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac along with her boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham in 1974. Fleetwood Mac's second studio album, Rumours was released in 1977 and was the best-selling record of its year. It remained at No. 1 for 31 weeks and won an Album of the Year Award in 1978.

Nicks began a solo career in 1981 with her album Bella Donna, which attained Platinum statues three months after its release. Subsequently, she produced seven more studio albums with the most recent being In Your Dreams, released May 3, 2011.

Early life
Nicks was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona on May 26, 1948. Her father, Jess Nicks' was a corporate executive and her mother, Barbara Nicks was a homemaker. Her grandfather, Aaron Nicks, was a struggling country music artist and taught Nicks how to sing and play guitar. As a young child, Nicks had trouble pronouncing her given name, Stephanie, pronouncing it like "tee-dee", thus giving her the nickname "Stevie". Nick's father's job as a food executive required frequent moves. Growing up, Nicks lived in Phoenix, El Paso, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. She received a Goya guitar as a sixteenth birthday present and wrote her first song titled "I've Loved and I've Lost, And I'm Sad But Not Blue". She joined her first band "The Changing Times" at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California.

Nicks met her future boyfriend and musical partner, Lindsey Buckingham, during her senior year at Menlo High School. At a party, she heard Buckingham playing "California Dreamin'" on his guitar and joined in with the melody. Buckingham contacted Nicks a few years later and asked her to be apart of his band The Fritz Memorial Band. Fritz became a popular local band, opening for artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Both Nicks and Buckingham attended San Jose University, where Nicks majored in Speech Communication. She planned to become an English teacher, but dropped out to move with Lindsey Buckingham to Los Angeles in pursuit of a music career.

1972-1975: Buckingham Nicks
After moving to Los Angeles with boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, Nicks took a job as a waitress, earning money while Lindsey stayed home writing new songs. In 1973, the duo released their debut album entitled Buckingham Nicks. Shortly after the record's released, the label dropped Nicks and Buckingham. Subsequently, Buckingham was invited to play lead guitar for Mick Fleetwood's band Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham agreed to join, but only if Nicks could join along with him as the lead singer. On December 31, 1974, Nicks and Buckingham offically joined Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac's 1975 album Fleetwood Mac, was their first album to include Buckingham and Nicks and featured the hit song "Landslide", which became Fleetwood Mac's most recognizable song.

1976-1977: Rumours
After the release of Fleetwood Mac in 1975, Fleetwood Mac began working on a second album. Nicks wrote a few songs for the record, including "Dreams" and "Gold Dust Woman". Nicks also began using cocaine during this time. On February 4, 1977, Rumours was released as the band's second album with Buckingham and Nicks and became their most popular record. It topped the charts at number one and remained there for 31 weeks. This album brought Fleetwood Mac and Nicks to international fame. Prior to the album's release, Nicks and Buckingham ended their romantic relationship.

1978-1982: Tusk, Bella Donna, and Mirage
In 1979, Fleetwood Mac released another album entitled Tusk. Tusk featured yet another hit single written by Nicks "Sara". After a gruelling tour to promote the album, which lasted over a year, members of Fleetwood Mac, took time away from the group to work on solo projects. Nicks began writing songs and recording demos in late 1979-early 1980 for what would become her debut solo album. 'Bella Donna'', was released in 1981 and featured several hits, namely "Edge of Seventeen", "Bella Donna", "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" and "Leather and Lace". The following year, Fleetwood Mac released another album, entitled Mirage.'''

1983-1987: The Wild Heart, Rock a Little and Tango in the Night
In 1983, Nicks went into recording her second solo album, which she called The Wild Heart. Two years later, she released another album, Rock a Little. Shortly after the Rock A Little promotional tour ended, Nicks went into rehab to treat her cocaine addiction, causing her to miss most of the recording sessions for Fleetwood Mac's next album. In 1987, Fleetwood Mac released their first album since 1982, Tango in the Night. It contained hit singles such as "Big Love", "Seven Wonders", "Everywhere" and "Little Lies".

1988-1994: The Other Side of the Mirror, Behind the Mask, Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks and Street Angel
In 1989, Nicks released an album titled The Other Side of the Mirror. The following year, Fleetwood Mac released an album, Behind the Mask. In 1991, Nicks released Time Space: The Best of Stevie Nicks, which featured new songs as well as songs from her previous albums. In 1994, Nicks released Street Angel.

1998-2001: The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks and Trouble and Shangri-La
In 1998, Nicks released a box set album featuring songs she has released from Bella Donna to Street Angel. In 2001, she released Trouble in Shangri-La which included all new material, including songs intented for previous Fleetwood Mac albums but did not make the final cut.

2007-2010: Compilation Albums and The Soundstage Sessions
In 2007, Nicks released a compliation album entitled Crystal Visions... The Very Best of Stevie Nicks which included both a CD and a DVD. In 2009, she released a sound sessions album which included songs she performed from her 2008 Chicago concert. In 2010, she began teamed up with David A. Stewart and began writing new material.