Credit: Kristin BurnsStevie Nicks, whose mystical persona and poetic songs helped Fleetwood Mac become one of the world’s most popular rock bands before she started an equally successful solo career, celebrates her 70th birthday on Saturday, May 26.
In 1974, Nicks and her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham were performing as a duo when they were asked to join Fleetwood Mac. Nicks’ and Buckingham’s singing and songwriting talents immediately impacted the group, whose chart-topping self-titled 1975 album included the Stevie-penned hit “Rhiannon” and her enduring ballad “Landslide.”
Fleetwood Mac’s next album, 1977’s Rumours, made history. Recorded in the wake of Nicks and Buckingham’s breakup and band mates Christine and John McVie‘s divorce, the album topped the Billboard 200 for 31 weeks and eventually sold over 20 million copies in the U.S. Rumours also featured Stevie’s composition “Dreams,” the band’s first and only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Nicks launched her solo career in 1981 with her debut album, Bella Donna. It reached #1 on the Billboard 200, and featured the hits “Edge of Seventeen,” the Tom Petty duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and the Don Henley collaboration “Leather and Lace.” Nicks has continued to alternate between Fleetwood Mac and her solo career.
This past January, Fleetwood Mac were honored with the MusiCares Person of the Year award. At the ceremony, Nicks mentioned her impending 70th birthday by noting that some of Fleetwood Mac’s original fans are as old as 90.
“Those people played [Fleetwood Mac] music for their babies…And then those babies grew up and [played our music] for their babies,” Stevie said. “And then those babies grew up, and those babies played it for their babies. I mean, all the babies just grew up, and I watched them grow up…It’s, like, amazing!”
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
