Stevie Nicks Frequently Asked Questions (v 2.5)

Maintained by CLMoon (clmoon@pipeline.com)
Suggestions, corrections and updates welcome

Contents

1.0 Who is Stevie Nicks?

2.0 What's Stevie done lately?

3.0 A Brief Biography

4. Music

5. Gossip

6. Addresses

7. Stevie on the Internet

1.0 Q: Who is Stevie Nicks?

A: She is a singer/songwriter, whose first recording was released in 1973. She spent the better part of three decades as a member of the band Fleetwood Mac, and began a concurrent solo career in 1981.

2.0 Q: What's Stevie done lately?

A: Stevie's latest release is on Reprise, titled "Trouble in Shangri-La."

Stevie bought out her Modern contract on November 6 1996 for $125,000 and the agreement to the boxed set release, in order to go under contract with Reprise, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers.

Stevie's appearances include the following:

3.0 A Brief Biography

Stephanie Lynn Nicks was born to Barbara and Jess Seth Nicks on May 26, 1948 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. Jess was a Corporate President. Barbara was a housewife and was protective of her daughter. She was kept inside much of the time, and Barbara would read fairy tales to little Stephanie. Stephanie had trouble pronouncing her name, so she called herself Stevie.

At the age of four she sang country songs with her grandfather, Aaron Jess Nicks, including Goldie Hill & Red Sovine's "Are You Mine." Stevie was close to her grandfather, and he had an influence on her choosing music as a career path. AJ lived out of two trailers in the Arizona mountains. He played guitar, fiddle, and harmonica. He took freight trains all over, and was a pool shark.

Stevie's brother Chris was born when she was five. Due to Jess' career changes, the family moved quite often.

In 1965 Stevie was a sophomore at Arcadia High School in Los Angeles CA, where she had just joined her first band, The Changing Times, a folk outfit. Then in 1966 the family moved to Atherton CA, where she attended Menlo-Atherton High School for junior and senior years, and met Lindsey Buckingham, who was a sophomore.

In the Fall of 1966, The Fritz Raybyne Memorial Band was formed, named after a fellow classmate at Menlo-Atherton High.
Fritz -- Stevie, Brian Kane, Bob Aguirre, Javier Pacheco, and Lindsey Buckingham -- got their start playing current Top 40 cover tunes at dances held at their own high school. The band rehearsed in Lindsey's garage. In the early days Stevie would play guitar on her own country flavored tunes, "Where Was I," and "Funny Kind of Love," The on-stage theatricality she displayed in covering Buffy Saint Marie's "Codeine" would foreshadow later performances of "Rhiannon." Intertwining her voice with Lindsey's was fine tuned by performing renditions of Ray Charles' "Georgia."

In 1968 her family moved to Chicago, and Stevie stayed behind in California. She attended Cañada Junior College in Redwood City CA for two years, and San Jose State University for three years, but quit S.J. State just short of receiving a degree in Speech Communication after five years of college. She had planned on becoming an English teacher. Instead, she transitioned into a professional musician.

With the help of upstart booking agent David Forest, Fritz soon progressed from playing high school dances to playing Stanford
fraternity parties, Bay Area community colleges Cañada and De Anza, and Winterland and Fillmore West. On July 12 1970,
Fritz opened for Janis Joplin at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, and Stevie met her idol at that time. Janis would be gone
three months later.

In 1973 Stevie, Lindsey, Richard Dashut, and Tom Moncrieff shared a house in Los Angeles. During these lean times, Stevie worked for one day as dental assistant, was a waitress at Copper Penny, Clementine's (a Beverly Hills singles restaurant), was a hostess at Bob's Big Boy, and did housekeeping for her record producer, Keith Olsen. Lindsey did some phone sales, but mostly sat around the house practicing his guitar. Stevie's first recorded music can be heard on "Buckingham Nicks," released in 1973.

Then, on New Year's Eve 1974, a fateful phone call came that would change Stevie's life forever. It was Mick Fleetwood, drummer for the band Fleetwood Mac. He had heard Stevie and Lindsey's "Frozen Love" at Sound City recording studios, and was impressed by the guitarist, a position that needed filling in his current band. Mick asked Stevie and Lindsey to join Fleetwood Mac, and no audition was required. For 15 years, from 1975 to 1990, Stevie Nicks sang lead for Fleetwood Mac.

Stevie parted ways with Fleetwood Mac from 90-97. She had left the band over a disagreement with Mick over rights to the song "Silver Springs," which she wrote intending royalties to be funneled to her mother. Mick had refused to allow Stevie to release "Silver Springs" on her 1991 Greatest Hits collection, "TimeSpace." The band reconciled for one gig, to play "Don't Stop" for President Clinton's inauguration celebration on January 19, 1993.

In 1997, Stevie rejoined Fleetwood Mac for "The Dance" television special and tour. Stevie has concurrently had a successful recording and touring career as a solo act beginning in 1981, and continuing to this day.

4. Music

4.1 Q: Where can I find a discography for Stevie Nicks?

A: For a complete discography, please consult:

4.2 Q: Where can I find lyrics to Stevie's songs?

A: http://www.nicksfix.com/snsongs.htm

4.3 Q: Who is Rhiannon?

A: Rhiannon is a figure in Welsh mythology. The Mabinogion, a book of Welsh mythology, is loosely translated by Evangeline Walton, a fantasy novelist, in the four books: "Prince of Anwyn," "The Children Of Lyr," "The Song of Rhiannon," and "The Island of the Mighty." Rhiannon is a horse Goddess and the "maker of birds," and the legend of the song of the birds of Rhiannon goes as follows: In times of hardship or pain, the song of the birds can be heard. Down the pathway will come three singing birds, one snow white, one emerald green, and one golden. The song of the birds will put you to sleep, and when you awaken, all hardship and pain will be gone. Stevie wrote the song "Rhiannon" in October 1974, after reading a novel by Mary Leader called "Triad" (Putnam, 2-73, ISBN: 069810496X). The novel featured a heroine by the name of Rhiannon. Stevie was not aware of the legend at the time she wrote the song.

4.4 Q: Who is "Emmiline," in "Seven Wonders?"

A: This song was written by Sandy Stewart. Sandy's demo had the lyrics "you held the line," but Stevie heard it as "Emmiline." As to who or where Emmiline is, Stevie has been quoted as saying that she made it up.

4.5 Q: What words are Stevie screaming in "No Spoken Word" on the Red Rocks video?

A: "I don't know how to learn, not from the pages, not from a book!"

4.6 Q: I heard there was a lawsuit about "Sara?"

A: In 1980, Carol L. Hinton of Rockford MI sued Stevie for the rights to "Sara," claiming she'd submitted the lyrics to Warner Brothers in November 1978. Stevie submitted a demo copy from July 1978 to the Court. But to avoid a long court battle, Stevie's attorneys settled out of court for $1500.

4.7 Q: Is "Buckingham Nicks" available on CD?

A: There is no official CD release of this title. In December of 1995 there was a bootleg CD recording of the vinyl release "Buckingham Nicks" available marked "copyright 1995 GEMA CAT# BN01". Another is marked "Au Revoire" and has a close-up photo of Stevie's eye on the back. The latter is supposedly of lesser quality than the first, but both are recorded from 22 year old vinyl records. There have been at least two bootleg CD versions released.

4.8 Q: I've seen a song mentioned that I've never heard of. What album is it from?

A: Stevie has collaborated with and sung back up for many other artists over the years. In addition, being such a prolific writer, there are scores of her compositions that have never made it to release. Leaked either by people she's worked with or those close to her, the following demonstration recordings and studio outtakes are circulating among fans:

All The Beautiful Worlds, All The King's Horses, All These Years, Amber, Anybody Out There, Are You Mine, At the Fair, Baby Doll, Beautiful Ghost, Belle Fleur, Blue Water, Castaway, Cat House Blues, Cecilia, China Doll, City of Hope, Come Back Jimmy, The Crystal, The Dealer, Dial the Number, Do I Bring You Down, Don't Treat Me Like a Stranger, Forest of the Black Roses, Goldfish and Ladybug, I Need You, I Wanna Talk to You, If You Were My Love, Impossible Task, It's Not a Dream, I've Loved and I've Lost, Joan of Arc, Julia, Knocking on Doors, Lady From the Mountains, Love and War, Love Don't Fail Me Now, Mabel Normand, Mistaken Love, Night Gallery, No Light (Planets of the Universe), Nomad (Candlebright), Old Fashioned, One More Tomorrow, Ooh Ooh Baby, Prettiest Girl in the World, Rock a Bye Baby, Running Through the Garden, Sanctuary, Secret Love, See the World Go By, She Calls You Missing, She Loves Him Still, Smile At You, Something Exquisite, Spinning Wheel, Starshine, Stay Away, Three Birds of Rhiannon, Tied Up in Promises, The Tower, Tragedy of One's Soul, 24 Karat Gold, Watch Devil, What About Love, What Has Rock 'n' Roll Ever Done For You, When Will We Love Again, Without You.

4.9 Q: Where can I get information about videos featuring Stevie?

A: http://www.nicksfix.com/snvideo.htm

There are also quite a few concept videos that were not released commercially. They include:

4.10 Q: Who are Stevie's influences, as far as her stage performance?

A: Janis Joplin, Natalia Makarova, Isadora Duncan, Greta Garbo.

4.11 Q: Who are Stevie's backup singers?

A: The two backup singers that Stevie has worked with primarily are Lori Perry Nicks, and Sharon Celani.

Lori Perry Nicks, formerly Mrs. Gordon Perry, is now married to Stevie's brother Chris Nicks. They have a daughter named Jessica, Stevie's niece, born September 27 1991. Lori is originally from Dallas, TX.

Sharon Celani is from Maui Hawaii, and formerly sang lead in a band. Stevie met Sharon in 1978 when she joined Sharon onstage at the Blue Max in Maui to perform "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." Sharon was also wardrobe mistress for the 1979 "Tusk" tour, and lived with Stevie in 1980 in LA.

Susan and Diana's Sharon Celani Page
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Balcony/9248/index.html

Mindy Stein became one of Stevie's backup singers in the late nineties. She holds a Bachelors in Music from the University of Miami, has sung backup for Don Henley, and currently teaches voice at the Los Angeles Music Academy in Pasadena CA.
http://www.lamusicacademy.com/2000/vocal/instructors.html

4.12 Q: Has Stevie ever written a book?

A: Amazon booksellers has listed a book published by Dolphin Books in November 1989 ISBN 0385189877 entitled: "Wild Heart: An Autobiographical Journey," but no other source can confirm that such a book ever went to press. Stevie has kept many many journals over the years and has reportedly been working on a book for some time. There has been one unauthorized autobiography published about Stevie, "Everything You Want to Know About Stevie Nicks" by Ethlie Ann Vare and Ed Ochs, Ballantine Press, 1985, ISBN 0-345-32238-4. It is out-of-print and considered to be a rare item among collectors. Two other unauthorized biographies exist, although fans have widely panned both editions: "Stevie Nicks, Rock's Mystical Lady," 1993, and "Lady of the Stars, Stevie Nicks" 1995; both by Edward Wincentsen.

5. Gossip

5.1 Q: Who has Stevie been romantically linked to?

A: Dave Young, Brian Kane, Lindsey Buckingham, Walter Egan, Don Henley, John David Souther, Mick Fleetwood, Curry Grant, Kim Anderson, Joe Walsh, Waddy Wachtel, Paul Fishkin, John Stewart, Jimmy Iovine, Brad Jeffries, Dennis Dunstan, Rupert Hine, Johnny Starbuck, Doug Casper, Glen Parrish, Les Dudek.

5.2 Q: Has Stevie ever been married?

A: Yes, once.

On January 29, 1983, Stevie married her long-time best friend's widower of three months. The groom, Kim Anderson, was a born-again Christian. He became delusional that Stevie was Robin, the one so close to them that they both had lost. The marriage lasted three months. The divorce became final in April 1984. Her wedding dress was black lace over white.

5.3 Q: Who is Robin Anderson?

A: Robin Snider (later Anderson) was Stevie's dearest friend from the age of 15. Robin was a speech therapist and toured in 1979 with Stevie in that role. Robin suffered from leukemia and passed away on October 12, 1982. Stevie was naturally devastated by her passing and the effects of grievous loss became apparent in her songwriting and performances.

5.4 Q: Is Stevie a witch?

A: Stevie always denies being a witch in interviews. Her most recent answer to this question, given on a Yahoo chat on April 28 1998, was: "I have no idea what precipitated those rumors...I am not a witch. Get a life!"

She was born into Episcopalianism, and went to several Catholic schools.

5.5 Q: Did Stevie do drugs?

A: In November 1986 Stevie spent a month at The Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage CA for help overcoming a decade of cocaine usage. To kick the habit was mandatory for Stevie as she was advised that if she didn't discontinue using cocaine, she would most likely suffer a brain hemorrhage.

A second 45 day detox occurred in 1993 at Exodus Medical Group in Marina Del Rey CA for a six year dependance on the tranquilizer Klonopin.

5.6 Q: What are Stevie's favorite books/TV shows/movies/etc?

A: Books: "A Course in Miracles" 3 volumes by Helen Schuman, "Sacred Symbols of the Ancients" by Edith L. Randall, "In God's Way" by "a psychic," "Diary of a Drug Fiend" by Aleister Crowley, "Ceremony of the Innocent" by Taylor Caldwell, and "Vindication" by Frances Sherwood. She is also inspired by Wilde and Keats.

Artists: Sulamith Wulfing (1901-1989, Wuppertal Germany), Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939, Czechoslovakia).

Television: "General Hospital," "One Life to Live," "The Muppet Show," "Miami Vice," and "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Movies: Jean Cocteau's 1946 "La Belle et la Bete," or "Beauty and the Beast," "Julia," and "Mary, Queen of Scots."

Backstage atmosphere is provided by Paradise tea, Jasmine candles, and Nag Champa incense. Stevie also collects dolls.

5.7 Q: In the "Enchanted" booklet, who is the girl singing into a hairbrush in the mirror?

A: Sara Recor Fleetwood.

5.8 Q: Who is Britney Marx?

A: In the 1980s Cheryl Cusella was a Stevie Nicks impersonator in Phoenix. She claimed she owned a limo company, and went into the concert promotion business. Cheryl booked acts she couldn't produce, and didn't pay the ones she did, including Mick Fleetwood's Zoo. Cheryl was convicted of two counts of fraud in 1989, served 38 days in jail, got seven years probation and paid $32,000 in restitution. She then changed her name to Britney Marx. Reportedly in 1990 she published a book called "Sweet Poison: A Heartfelt Diary." Most recently in June of 1999, Britney was charged by the Arizona state attorney general's office with six counts of theft (totalling nearly $500,000) and one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices related to an animal rescue organization.

6. Addresses

6.1 Q: How can I contact Stevie?

A: As of March 2000, Stevie Nicks no longer has an assistant with the fan mail. There is currently no fanclub in operation. The rights to operate an official fanclub are held by Stevie's brother Chris and he opts to not run one.

6.2 Other Stevie addresses:

6.3 Q: What is "Night of a 1000 Stevies?"

A: "Night of a 1000 Stevies" is an annual event, formerly held at club Jackie 60 in New York City. The theme of the event is Stevie Nicks. People attend dressed as Stevie. The club is decorated with her pictures, and draped with shawls. The 11th annual event was held at Don Hill's, on Greenwich Street in New York City.

The Jackie Factory's Night of a Thousand Stevies, 212 929-6060
http://www.mothernyc.com/stevie/

  • 5th annual - May 9 1995
  • 6th annual - May 14 1996
  • 7th annual - May 13 1997
  • 8th annual - May 12 1998
  • 9th annual - May 11 1999
  • 10th annual - April 25 2000
  • 11th annual - April 24 2001

    • San Francisco held an annual Belladonna Ball to celebrate Stevie's birthday for five years [3rd 5-25-98, 4th 5-25-99, 5th 5-24-00].

    The tradition continues with San Francisco's first annual "Wild Heart Affair," see:
    http://www.wildheartaffair.com/home.html

    6.4 Stevie Places

    Hard Rock Cafe regularly rotates their exhibits. Please phone ahead to assure that the items are still on display before travelling to see them.

    6.5 Q: Where is Fleetwood Mac's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

    A: Fleetwood Mac's star is located at 6608 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles CA, between North Cherokee and Whitley Avenues, on the south side of the street. It is located directly in front of Frederick's of Hollywood.

    7. Stevie on the Internet

    7.1 Q: Where are the web sites for Stevie?

    A: There are several.

    7.2 Q: Where can I talk to other fans?

    A: There are a myriad of discussion areas.

    To make your visit to the newsgroup or any other discussion area more enjoyable, take a moment to become familiar with the basic tenets of "Netiquette."

    Usenet Newsgroups

    Online service bulletin boards

    The long way around is: keyword "MMC," click "Music Artists" on the right side, then click "Music Community - Artists - N," then scroll down to "Nicks, Stevie."

    To reach rec.music.artists.stevie-nicks from AOL, enter this in the "keyword" box: aol://5863:126/rec.music.artists.stevie-nicks
    To reach alt.music.fleetwood-mac from AOL, enter this in the "keyword" box:
    aol://5863:126/alt.music.fleetwood-mac

    Web message boards

    Private mailing lists

    7.3 Q: How can I chat with other fans on IRC?

    A: To participate in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) you will need an IRC software program, also known as an IRC client. These programs are downloadable from the following web sites:

    PC Users:

    Mac Users:

    The programs come pre-loaded with various IRC servers to connect to assorted networks, and have help files to answer various questions about IRC and how to use the programs.

    Stevie Nicks IRC chats are now held on WEBBnet.

    The channel name is #nicksfix
    IRC server irc.webbnet.org or irc.crstexas.com.

    The Stevie Nicks FAQ was first posted on March 14, 1997.
    rec.music.artists.stevie-nicks was created on June 9, 1997.

    CLMoon clmoon@pipeline.com
    (c) C. L. Moon 1997-2001