Stevie Nicks biography

Fleetwood Mac

A few weeks later, Fleetwood Mac's then-guitarist Bob Welch quit the band. In need of a guitarist, Fleetwood remembered Buckingham's track and arranged a meeting with the musician. The group asked Buckingham to join the band, but he refused to collaborate unless Stevie was part of the deal. Fleetwood agreed,

and in 1975 Stevie and Buckingham signed on to Fleetwood Mac.

The newly forged band quickly recorded an eponymous collection that went straight to No. 1 and sold 3 million copies. Nicks' tracks—especially the mystical "Rhiannon" and the romantic ballad "Landslide"—were smash hits, and transformed the singer into an overnight sensation. Subsequent touring efforts showed audiences Stevie's flowing outfits and whirling onstage dances.

In 1976, the band started recording their sophomore effort, but their personal lives were in total disarray. The rigors of touring had strained Stevie's voice, and she sought medical help. The band was also in the middle of an emotional upheaval, and all of its romantic relationships disintegrated: The McVies decided to divorce, Fleetwood and his wife separated, and Nicks and Buckingham were in the midst of a tumultuous split.

The band continued to record together, however, and their next album, Rumours (1977), became a record-setting hit. It spent more than 31 weeks on the Billboard 200; went platinum in both the United States and the U.K.; and earned the group a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978. Nicks' song "Dreams," inspired by the group's dissolving relationships, was the band's first No. 1 single. During this time, Nicks had a brief affair with band member Mick Fleetwood, and began an up-and-down relationship with Eagles drummer, Don Henley.

Going Solo

The band continued to put out albums, including 1979's Tusk and 1980's Fleetwood Mac Live, but Stevie felt the draw toward solo work. In 1981, she released Bella Donna, which featured guest vocalists Tom Petty and Don Henley. The album reached No.1 on the Billboard chart, and featured the hit singles "Edge of Seventeen" and "Leather and Lace," as well as a duet with Petty called "Stop Dragging My Heart Around."

Stevie continued on at a prodigious rate, recording 1982's Mirage with Fleetwood Mac and her second solo effort, The Wild Heart, in 1983. Around this time, Stevie's best friend, Robin, succumbed to leukemia. In an effort to provide a mother for Robin's young son, Matthew, Stevie married Robin's widow, Kim Anderson. The relationship lasted less than a year.

Addiction Struggles

Although it went platinum, Nicks' 1985 solo album, Rock A Little, didn't match the commercial success of her previous efforts. The singer also started developing serious problems with alcohol and drugs. She maintained a severe cocaine habit that eventually created a hole in her nasal cartilage. In 1986, she entered the Betty Ford Clinic for a 28-day rehab program, which helped end her chemical dependence.