Rare Vintage Photos Of Our Rock And Roll Queen, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks is one of the most iconic voices in rock and roll history. Her unique costumes, lyrics, sound, and energy have elevated her to legend status.
This woman has really been through it all. Her personal life has been on full display as she navigated relationships in the public eye. Keep reading to learn more about Stevie's life and career. Rolling Stone calls her "the Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll" for a reason.
The High School Friendship That Started It All
One of the most famous songwriting couples in the world, Stevie Nicks' relationship with Lindsey Buckingham was born out of playing music. They were in high school together, meeting when Nicks saw Buckingham playing "California Dreamin'" during an after-school Christian youth-club meeting and she jumped in to harmonize.
Soon, their band "Fritz" was opening for psychedelic rock icons such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, both of whom Nicks credits as major influences on her style. Nicks and Buckingham became romantically involved after Fritz broke up.
The Success Of Rumours
Rumors may be Fleetwood Mac's most popular album. The record was released in 1977, and it contains some of Nicks' most memorable songs. "Dreams," “The Chain,” and “Gold Dust Woman” were all major hits for Stevie and her band.
As a result of the success of the Rumors album and tour, Nicks purchased two large homes, one in Phoenix, Arizona, and another located just above Sunset Boulevard. She called that last one “Fantasy Land.”
Christine And Stevie
As the two lead female voices in Fleetwood Mac, Nicks and bandmate Christine McVie shared a special bond. McVie was married to bass player John McVie (who contributed the "Mac" part of the band's name) and had already been recording and touring for over half a decade when Nicks joined.
Stevie used to call her “Mother Earth,” as she filled in the role of mentor and provided a grounding influence for the famously eccentric artist. Not that McVie didn’t have her share of fun: “I once threw a cake out the window which landed on top of a taxi.” Here they are on a tour bus in 1976.
A Wiz On The Tambourine
Stevie Nicks has always had a mystical personality. What's more mystical than singing enchanting lyrics while wearing a shaw, spinning around, and playing the tambourine?
In 1979, during a concert at the Boston Garden, fans were able to see Nicks in her element: eyes closed on stage while smiling along with whatever her band was playing behind her. Fleetwood Mac was most likely playing something off their infamous 1977 Rumors album. Stevie looks so happy in this photo.
Her Magical Energy
Stevie has always been an expressive dancer on stage. She also has been known to dance during recording sessions. She takes that whole "dance like nobody is watching" thing very seriously. During the recording sessions for her first album with Fleetwood Mac, she would dance nearly non-stop, as if she was possessed by the music, even as the other members were performing overdubs and other monotonous studio work.
Some of the people who worked with her said she looked like she had magical powers.
Quite The Photographer
Stevie had trouble sleeping, so she would stay up late at night to teach herself photography. Stevie was actually one of the first celebrities to popularize the selfie. She used her camera to document her private backstage moments. Her tool of choice was the Polaroid camera armed with a wired remote control.
She eventually released many of her never-before-seen portraits in an art exhibition, "24 Karat Gold," curated by fellow musician Dave Stewart from eighties pop powerhouse, the Eurythmics.
Keeping Her Ego In Check
Being in Fleetwood Mac was really great for Nicks' career as well as her ego. In 1997, Nicks sat down with Spin to discuss her career. "I think if I had just done my solo career and had been able just to be me, I probably would've been more ego’d out than I was," she admitted.
"Being in a group of five really does keep your ego in place. It’s not as easy to get totally conceited when you’re in a band." The photo of the band posted above was taken in 1975.
A Musician From An Early Age
Stephanie Lynn Nicks has always had an interest in music, fostered by her grandfather Aaron "A.J" Nicks, who performed country and western music in local clubs. He would bring the future rock icon to sing duets with him starting when she was only four or five years old.
Later, when Stevie was in grade school, he would make plans to take her on tour, a plan that was quickly nixed by her protective mother.
"Stand Back" Was A Standout Song
Stevie Nicks' solo album, The Wild Heart, debuted in 1983, following a year of great personal highs and lows for the songwriter. After losing her best friend Robin Anderson to cancer, Nicks married Anderson’s widower, hoping to help raise their new son. One of the standout songs on the album is “Stand Back,” which was initially written in the car on her wedding day as she sang along to “Little Red Corvette” by Prince.
She later called Prince to tell him about her inspiration and he immediately came to the studio and recorded the famous synthesizer parts. Although not credited in the liner notes, Prince and Nicks split the royalties for the song in half.
Her Grandfather Taught Her To Sing
Stevie Nicks' grandpa taught her a lot about music including influencing her distinctive and haunting singing style. "I always go for the harmony," she told Rolling Stone. "And that's been since I was really little, because my granddad was a singer, and he would bring me 45s and he’d say, 'You’re a harmony singer. You’re a perfect Everly Brother.'"
In this circa 1976 photo, Stevie's wearing a shirt from Torrance, California-based Obie Lighting Productions.
Singing "Rhiannon"
Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac on New Year's Eve, 1974, along with Lindsey Buckingham, her songwriting partner and boyfriend. One of her first songwriting contributions to the newly updated line-up was "Rhiannon," a song that, according to Nicks, was about “an old Welsh witch.”
Early live performances of the song included an extended musical crescendo during which her vocalizations and wild movements were described by bandmate Mick Fleetwood as “an exorcism.” This studio photo was taken in 1975.
Stevie In The '70s
Mick Fleetwood was blown away by Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing on his and Nicks’ debut album, Buckingham Nicks, and jumped at the chance to fill the spot recently vacated by the former Mac guitarist, Bob Welch.
At the band’s first official meeting with the newest members of the group, Stevie had just gotten off work from her restaurant job where she was required to dress as a flapper from the 1920s. In a true show of seventies rock excess, the rest of the band arrived in a pair of white Cadillacs.
A Distraction In The Studio
Despite writing Fleetwood Mac's only number one Billboard hit, "Dreams," Nicks was often seen as an irritation in the recording studio by her partner, Lindsey Buckingham, a notoriously ill-tempered perfectionist.
This was only compounded by what the rest of the band noted was her nearly effortless ability to write good songs. Ken Caillat, the band's engineer, was quoted as saying, “she only knew about three chords, and she could make 30 songs out of them.”
A Whole Bunch Of Success
After the success of the Rumours album, Fleetwood Mac's record company, Warner Bros., was eager to get the band back in the studio to record more hits. Tusk was the resulting double album. The level of experimentation musically (as well as narcotically) during the recording sessions for Tusk is legendary.
At the time of its release, it was estimated to be the most expensive rock and roll record ever made. Despite critical adoration and album sales of over four million, it was considered a failure by Warner Bros. simply by comparison to its predecessor.
Stevie Backstage, Circa 1985
This was the same year she released Rock a Little, her third solo studio album. Fleetwood Mac was on a lengthy break at the time, which came about after their 1982 album Mirage.
Rock a Little had several hit singles, including "Talk to Me," "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" and "I Can't Wait." This album was extremely popular in Australia and became the country's sixth biggest-selling album of 1986.
Friends For Life
In this 1977 photo, Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks perform onstage at The Omni Coliseum, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite some really rough times together, the two are lifelong friends and share a bond that not many other people have.
"We felt like, together, we were a force of nature," Stevie said in 2013. "And we made a pact, probably in our first rehearsal, that we would never accept being treated as second-class citizens in the music business. That when we walked into a room we would be so fantastic and so strong and so smart that none of the uber-rockstar group of men would look through us. And they never did."
Battling Stage Fright
About stage fright, Stevie thinks it might be the secret to "magical" music. "If you have stage fright, it never goes away," she once said. "But then I wonder: is the key to that magical performance because of the fear?"
This photo shows Nicks singing on stage at a performance in 1977. If she's feeling any trace of stage fright or nerves here, it's not visibly apparent in any way.
Stevie's Musical Influences
As with all music stars, Stevie Nicks was a huge music fan early in life. She often locked herself in her room to listen to vinyl, staying in her “own little musical world.” Her early influences included Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
Nicks was also influenced by movies. She frequently cited the 1939 film “Wuthering Heights” as an inspiration for her lyrics. Many of her songs focus on the undying love of people who are separated from each other.
Stevie's "Shawl Vault"
Stevie Nick's iconic '70s flowy boho style is a huge part of her presence on stage. Stevie wears a lot of shawls, many of which were custom made just for her. Sometimes she wears several different shawls in the same performance, switching them out between songs.
"Rhiannon," "Gold Dust Woman," and "Edge of Seventeen" are just a handful of the songs that have an associated flowy cape. She even has a massive, temperature-controlled "shawl vault" where she keeps all of her precious clothes.
Becoming The "Stevie" We Know And Love
When young Stephanie Lynn Nicks was still learning to talk, she was unable to pronounce her first name and simply went by, "Tee-dee." This eventually turned into "Stevie," the stage name that she still uses to this day.
She even goes by “Stevie” in her acting roles, playing herself as a recurring character, “The White Witch,” on the television series American Horror Story. This picture was taken during a 1978 performance.
A Star, Not A Cleaning Lady
In the early seventies, Nicks and boyfriend/songwriting partner, Lindsey Buckingham, were still unknown to the pop-music world. They had released one album, Buckingham Nicks, but commercial success was elusive and they were dropped by their record label. To make matters worse, Buckingham came down with a bad case of mononucleosis, leaving Stevie as the sole breadwinner for a time.
She waited tables and cleaned houses for a while, a situation which may have inspired the spoken quip on an early demo of her song "Sara," where she is heard to say, “I want to be a star, I don't want to be a cleaning lady.” This photo was taken circa 1974.
An Opening Act
Before she reached the height of her career, Stevie broke into the music industry by performing as an opening act for some legendary musicians. While singing in her first band, Fritz, Nicks opened for the mega talents of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, huge names of the 60s and 70s.
Nicks has gone on to cite working with both Joplin and Hendrix as key parts of her growth as an artist. Joplin and Hendri must have been wonderful mentors considering where Stevie's at now.
She Loves Dogs
Nicks is a lifelong dog-lover. One of her first dogs was an Afghan named "Branwen" after a character in a novel who was the sister of another character, “Rhiannon.” Her poodle Ginny was her constant companion during the recording of Rumours.
A Chinese Crested Yorkshire Terrier named “Sulamith Wulfing” was her longest surviving pup and she even had mini shawls and dresses created to match her owner's. Stevie's latest dog is another Chinese Crested named “Lilly.”
Another Plan
Stevie Nicks didn't always plan to pursue a career in music. When she was younger, both she and Buckingham attended San Jose University before eventually dropping out. Nicks studied speech communication, and she planned to become an English teacher.
We think she would have been a pretty fantastic English teacher. Imagine Stevie Nicks teaching you Shakespeare. One semester before graduation, Nicks dropped out of college. She and Buckingham decided to pursue their music career instead.
Nicks' Favorite Song
Described by Nicks as her favorite song, "Sara," from the 1979 album Tusk, was originally 16 minutes long, with many of the original verses edited out to suit the time limitations of an LP. Much speculation on the meaning of the lyrics has been written throughout the years, with Nicks seeming to confirm them all.
This lyrical collage touches on her relationship with Mick Fleetwood, Fleetwood's future wife, Sara Recor, as well as Nicks’ unborn child with Don Henley of the Eagles. “If I ever have a little girl I will name her Sara,” Stevie said.
Tom Petty's Tribute
Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty were great friends. The photo of them above was taken on September 18, 1981 in Irvine California, Petty died in 2017. On her solo album, "Bella Donna," Nicks included a hit song by the name of “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” It was the only track not written by Nicks. It was written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell with the music performed by the Heartbreakers.
Not long before his death, Petty was quoted as saying, “some of my best musical memories of her are sitting on the couch and just playing the guitar while she sings.”
The Tambourine As An Accessory
Stevie is often seen onstage playing tambourine, but it's really just a fashion accessory and is muted with gaffer tape. Usually adorned with ribbons, it fit in perfectly with her gypsy-inspired style and gave her something to do with her hands during long instrumental jams.
When she handed her tambourine off to Bill Clinton as Fleetwood Mac played his 1993 inauguration ball, the president appeared confused when he was unable to produce any sound from it.
A Regular Mystic
Nicks' strong spiritual side comes through in her music and lyrics and she has always had a firm belief in mysticism and the power of magic. The subject has fascinated her as long as she can remember, due in no small part to her mother’s love of fairy tales.
She also believes that she has had past lives and that at some point she may have been beheaded! "I totally believe in magic. Because my life, I think, has been very magic, and magical things have come true for me time after time after time," she said.
Her Life Started Changing
In 1974, everything changed for Steve Nicks. She, along with Lindsey Buckingham were asked to join the band Fleetwood Mac. It all happened after Keith Olsen played their track “Frozen Love” for Mick Fleetwood. The drummer was so impressed that he asked Buckingham to join their band. He agreed on one condition, they would bring on Stevie, too.
The band thought it was a good idea, turning their British group into more of an Anglo-American band. They weren’t disappointed with their choice. It was obvious, after the first rehearsal, that Fleetwood Mac was going to be something special.
She Married Kim Anderson
As mentioned, Stevie Nicks lost her best friend Robin Anderson to cancer and married her widower Kim Anderson in order to help raise their child.
Here are Stevie and Kim in a rare photo snapped in 1983. Nicks later expressed regret for the marriage. "I had this crazy, insane thought that Robin would want me to take care of Matthew," she said. "But the fact is, Robin would not have wanted me to be married to a guy I didn't love. And therefore accidentally break that guy's heart, too."
Selling Like Hotcakes
Stevie Nicks released her second solo album in June of 1983. The Wild Heart wound up going double platinum, featured three hit singles, and made it to number five on the Billboard albums chart -- a seemingly regular place for Nicks’ albums and songs.
The album only took Nicks a few months to record, an amazing feat considering she had just come off the Mirage tour with Fleetwood Mac. But due to personal things going on in her life, she needed to express herself artistically. The album has sold over two million copies in the United States alone!
Always A Romantic
Here's the songstress in a more punk-rock look than we're accustomed to seeing on her. As mentioned earlier, Stevie was into music from a very early age and despite the different looks she's tried, she has remained a romantic at heart.
You know, the man of my dreams might walk round the corner tomorrow. I'm older and wiser and I think I'd make a great girlfriend. I live in the realm of romantic possibility."
On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
On October 10, 1979, Fleetwood Mac was honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a Star. At the time, Stevie Nicks and the rest of the band had gained world-wide fame, with over ten studio albums and a couple of tours under their belts it seemed as though they were in it for the long haul.
So, it came as a bit of a surprise when Nicks released a solo album not even a year later, in 1980. Her first solo work was called Bella Donna, and it received critical acclaim. The album had four hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and Rolling Stone even dubbed her “the Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll.”
A Little Bit Of Stage Fright
Watching Stevie perform on stage, you would never guess that she was anything other than super confident and comfortable in her own skin, however, in 2019, Stevie shared this up-close-and-personal selfie to her Instagram page. She was about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and she admitted that she was nervous. Apparently, Stevie has had to learn how to manage her stage fright over the course of her career.
This induction was record-breaking, as it made Nicks the first woman to ever be inducted into the Hall as a member of a group and for her own solo career.
Bob Dylan And Tom Petty
After finding success as a solo artist, Nicks went on to record three more studio albums by 1985. But she ran into a bit of a snag with the third one. Originally titled Mirror Mirror, the singer wasn’t entirely thrilled with the outcome of the 1984 album, opting to revamp the entire thing before releasing.
The result was 1985's Rock a Little. This particular album brought her on the road with none other than Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This photo was taken in 1986.
That First Guitar
As mentioned, Stevie Nicks loved music from an early age and had this experience to share about getting her first guitar and writing her first song, "I've Loved and I've Lost, and I'm Sad But Not Blue."
"It was my 16th birthday - my mom and dad gave me my Goya classical guitar that day. I sat down, wrote this song, and I just knew that that was the only thing I could ever really do - write songs and sing them to people."
US Festival In 1983
While 1983 brought with it Stevie Nicks’ album The Wild Heart, it also brought festivals, tours, and benefits. Nicks was lucky enough to perform at the second-ever US Festival at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, California, a music and cultural festival that began in 1982. Then, she headed to UCLA for a Rock N' Run benefit, which is where this photo was taken.
From June 1983 to November 1983, Nicks toured the United States, promoting her album. And to top off the whirlwind year, she also appeared on Saturday Night Live, singing “Nightbird” and “Stand Back.”
A Package Deal
Stevie Nicks had some band experience before joining Fleetwood Mac. She first met Lindsey Buckingham, her boyfriend at the time, at Menlo-Atherton High School. Buckingham invited her to sing in his band Fritz. Later, they became a musical duo called Buckingham Nicks.
In January 1975, Mick Fleetwood heard Buckingham and Nicks sing “Frozen Love.” The photo shows Stevie Nicks singing early in her career in 1975. Fleetwood asked Buckingham to replace their guitarist, but Buckingham said that he and Nicks were a “package deal.”
Her Hall Of Fame Performance In 1998
This performance was especially special to Fleetwood Mac; it was when they were inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. In 1998, the band performed at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan to celebrate their award.
However, Stevie Nicks would end up being welcomed into the Hall of Fame twice! In 2019, Stevie Nicks entered the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. To this day, she is the only woman to be in the Hall of Fame twice.
The Fifth American Music Awards
In January 1978, Fleetwood Mac won their first music awards. Here, the band celebrates backstage after earning the American Music Awards for their album, Rumours. They would end up winning three more American Music Awards 1978, 1983, and 2003.
Rumours also won Grammy awards and Juno awards. Stevie Nicks also got nominated for other awards, such as the best duo vocals for “Silver Springs” and “The Chain.” Although her vocals didn’t win many Grammys, they garnered a lot of attention.
Talking About Her Religion
Many people have questioned whether Stevie Nicks is a Pagan, based on her style of dress and song themes. Nicks has responded saying that she is not Pagan or Wiccan. However, she does appreciate the aesthetics and romance of the occult.
Some of her songs are based on Pagan themes. For instance, the song “Rhiannon” is about a Welsh witch. Rhiannon is the Celtic goddess of horses. On stage, she would often wear black or white because those colors look good.
She Left The Band
Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac set to work on their fifteenth studio album in 1989. Behind the Mask saw moderate success in the United States, but was wildly popular in the UK where it was certified platinum and charted as the number one album. The tour of this album would be Nicks’ last with the band.
After the conclusion of the tour, Nicks and Mick Fleetwood got into a dispute of the 1977 song “Silver Springs.” While Nicks wanted to put it on her upcoming album Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood wanted to save it for the Fleetwood Mac box set. The dispute resulted in Nicks’ departure from the band.
Their Fourteenth Album
In 1985, Fleetwood Mac began work on their fourteenth studio album, Tango in the Night. Unfortunately, due to her Rock a Little album recording sessions and scheduled tour, Stevie Nicks had little time to work in-studio with the band. So, she would send out demos for them to work on in her absence.
Apparently her being away from the rest of the band was of no consequence because when the album released in 1987, it went on to be the band’s highest-grossing album right before Rumours.
Three Sold-Out Nights
In 1979, Fleetwood Mac played three sold-out shows at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. From December 14 through the 16th, the band delighted the audience at the legendary venue during their huge Tusk tour.
Nicks considered herself somewhat of a Bay Area local, since her family moved to California when she was growing up, and she attended school at Menlo-Atherton High School. It was during her senior year there that she met Lindsey Buckingham.
Performing In 1979
Always one for getting lost in the music, Stevie Nicks fans are no strangers to watching the artist get lost in her music. Especially if her wardrobe happens to include long, willowy sleeves or a little bit of fringe. But no one cared about the twirling once the singer began singing.
When this photo was taken in 1978, Fleetwood Mac was at the end of their Rumors tour, Nicks and the rest of Fleetwood hurried back to the studio. Nicks, personally, had a backload of songs she wanted to start recording. And, in 1979, the band released Tusk.
Back To Rhiannon
In 1975, Fleetwood Mac obtained worldwide success off their tenth studio album, Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks’ song on the album, “Rhiannon,” is now among the top 500 greatest songs of all time, according to Rolling Stones.
For fans who were lucky enough to see Nicks perform the song, Mick Fleetwood said it was almost like watching an exorcism. Nicks just lost herself in the music, twirling around and whipping her thick curly hair back and forth. We can imagine it was a sight to see!
A Dramatic Queen
Even with all of her success during her solo career, Stevie Nicks has never won a Grammy Award. She has been nominated for the award eight times but has never been honored with a win. Ironic, considering she is the only woman in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to be inducted not once but twice.
And let’s not forget all of the albums she’s worked on that have had major success around the globe. But we will give credit where it’s due. Nicks won Album of the Year with Fleetwood Mac in 1978 for Rumours.
The Band In 1975
In this promotional photo of Fleetwood Mac, we're treated to the smiling faces of Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, and John McVie.
This was taken in 1975, the same year their self-titled album was released on July 11. As Mick Fleetwood later recalled of the album, they "[r]ehearsed for 10 days and went in and made the album. That was it. It was just a great sense of circumstance."
Live At In Oakland
Stevie Nicks’s wardrobe and dancing may have been influenced by her childhood. Her mother was a bit overprotective, not letting Nicks out of the house often. She spent her childhood reading fairy tales and fantasy stories.
Nicks carried these stories of magic, whimsy, and mystery into her aesthetic. Her outfits, such as in this 1977 performance, reflected mystical characters. She once claimed that she doesn’t post much on social media because she’s “all about mystery.”
On Not Having Children
Throughout her career, Stevie Nicks has repeatedly been asked about her romantic relationships and her views on having children or raising a family. In a 2002 interview with InStyle, she opened up about not having kids and what that meant for her.
"Do you want to be an artist and a writer, or a wife and a lover? With kids, your focus changes," Nicks said. "I don't want to go to PTA meetings."
