Mental health Heroes - Stevie Nicks

I wanted a slightly easier blog and to take a bit of a break from doing a history blog for a bit while I'm on maternity leave and what better one to do then something on mental health. Recently I have found that I have been struggling a little bit, that could be because I tried coming of my anxiety medication or the fact we had a baby back in October. I have done two of these types of blogs before and in doing so I hope that they spread aware of mental health and that anyone can help you get through when you need it, no matter who they are or what they do. I have listened to the band Fleetwood Mac since I can remember. My dad showed them to me when I was younger, along with so many other great bands. But I have noticed that in recent months I have been drawn back to them and especially Stevie Nicks. So much so that I had my hair cut like hers from when she was younger and try to dress a bit like her whenever I go out. To some she is just a singer, but to people that suffer with their mental health, she can be so much more.

Stevie was born Stephanie Lynn Nicks on the 26th May 1948 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Her parents are Jess and Barbara, of which she has German, English, Welsh, and Irish ancestry in her blood. When she was four years old her grandfather taught her to sing along with him. The name Stevie came because she couldn't pronounce her name properly and the closest she could get was "tee-dee", this led to her new nickname. Due to her father's occupation, it led to the family constantly moving round America, including Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco to name just a few. When she was 16 she received a Goya guitar, it's with this that she wrote her first songs "I've Loved and I've Lost, and I'm Sad but Not Blue". Stevie spent her youth constantly listening to music so much so that seemed to be living in her own world. 

While she was at Arcadia High School, she joined her first band, the Changing Times, where she focused on vocal harmonies. In her senior year at Menlo-Atherton High School, she met future band mate Lindsey Buckingham. While he was singing karaoke one night, Stevie got up and joined him on the harmonies. This led him to asking her to join his band 'Fritz' due to two members leaving. The band would go on to open for Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, these performances would led Stevie to find her place on stage and feel comfortable. Both Stevie and Lindsey attended San José State University. She majored in Speech Communication and had planned to become an English teacher. But with her father's blessing Stevie dropped out of University in the hope of pursuing a career in music with Lindsey. 

When 'Fritz' split in 1972, Stevie and Lindsey carried on writing songs as a duo while they recorded demo tapes at night in California on a tape recorder that belonged to Lindsey's father. The pair managed to get a record deal with Polydor Records and they released the album 'Theory' on 1973. Sadly it was not a successful album and the pair were dropped by the company. When no money was coming in, Stevie started working multiple jobs to bring in money, it was at this point that she started using cocaine for recreational purposes. Stevie has recently admitted that she used to keep a gram of cocaine hidden in one of her boots and it was the first and last thing she thought of day and night. Lindsey got a job with the Everly Brothers  on their 1972 tour. Stevie stayed behind and carried on writing songs by herself, and wrote 'Rhiannon' and 'Landslide'. 

In 1974 their track 'Frozen Love' was played to drummer Mick Fleetwood who was in California looking for a recording studio. Mick invited Lindsey to join Fleetwood Mac, but he turned it down insisting that Stevie join alongside him. So it was decided, Stevie would join the band and would improve Fleetwood Mac for the future and gave them a different sound which they first noticed during their first recording sessions. The band achieved worldwide success in 1975 with their album 'Fleetwood Mac', it included 'Rhiannon' which was voted one of The 500 Greatest Songs of all Time by Rolling Stones. They way she performed the song became more of a theatrical experience which was totally different to how it was recorded on the album. Her other song 'Landslide' would also prove a hit for the band at a later date. 

Due to Stevie's growing image during her live performances she wanted to work on her image, together with designer Margi Kent they wanted to create a unique style. Together they changed her image and came up with the look that we all see when we think of Stevie Nicks. Stevie's relationship with Lindsey was starting to fall apart and led to her calling things off with him. The band started recording their next album 'Rumours' in 1976, at the same time Stevie and Lindsey were recording backing vocals on Warren Zevon's second album. Stevie made contributions to the album 'Rumours' with the songs 'Dreams' and 'Silver Springs', the later was about her relationship with Lindsey and wasn't included on early versions of the album due to it being to it being a slow song. Stevie was rather unhappy with the bands decision when she found out that it wasn't to be included on the album. It was eventually released as a B-side of the 'Go Your Own Way' single, which Lindsey had written about Stevie. 

'Rumours' became the best selling album for Fleetwood Mac in 1977. Today it is one of the best selling albums of all time. It remained at number one in the American charts for 31 weeks as well as other countries round the world. The album also won a Grammy on 1978 and produced 4 Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles, one of which was Steve's song 'Dreams'. In 1977, after the 'Rumours' tour Stevie and Mick began a secret affair as at the time Mick was married. She soon ended the affair not long after it started as she felt sorry for his wife and children. By the end of 1978, Mick had left his wife for Steve's best friend Sara. 

Due to the success of their recent album and tour, Fleetwood Mac started working on their third album. Stevie by now had a massive back log of songs that sadly she was unable to record due to there being two other songwriters in the band. Their third album 'Tusk' was released in October 1979. While she was working on this album, Stevie was also singing backup for Walter Egan on his latest recordings. Her song 'Magnet and Steel' became a hit single in 1978. During the next few years many songs that she appeared on became hits. During 1981 she often appeared with Tom Petty on his tour. While she was working on the 'Tusk' album, Stevie was also working on her own solo material. By the start of the 1980's along with Danny Goldberg and Paul Fishkin they founded Modern Records. This allowed Stevie to record and release her own material. 

Her first solo album 'Bella Donna' was released in July 1981. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 Chart and with four singles from it making the Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stones also named her 'the reigning Queen of Rick and Roll. When the album reached number one, Stevie was told that her friend Robin Anderson who was pregnant at the time had leukaemia. She was given three months to live and on the birth of the child Stevie was named Godmother. When Robin passed away in 1982, Stevie married Robin's Widower Kim in the belief that Stevie would look after the child. They divorced three months later. Thanks to her first album, it introduced her to her two permanent back-up singers, Sharon and Lori. They would also add their vocals to all of Steve's solo albums. In November 1981, Stevie set out on her 'White Winged Dove' tour, but she had to cut it short due to Fleetwood Mac starting to record their next album 'Mirage'. 

In June 1983 Stevie released her second album 'The Wild Heart'. It went double platinum and reached number five on the Billboard 200 album chart. Later in the same year she performed at Glen Helen Regional Park before she took her album on the road and toured the USA. By the end of the year she was performing two of her hit singles 'Stand Back' and 'Nightbird' on Saturday Night Live. Once she had finished her tour, she stared work on her third album. Stevie had started to work and record many of the songs, but she started to grow unhappy with what she had and started from scratch in 1985. By the November of 1985 Stevie had released her third album 'Rock a Little'. She toured with the album till the following year. Before the tour started Stevie was told that if she didn't stop using cocaine, it would cause severe health issues. When she finished her tour in Australia she checked herself into rehab for 30 days to help overcome her addiction. On the advice of her friends, Stevie also started to see a psychologist who gave her Klonopin, which was to keep her from using cocaine. 

By late 1985 Fleetwood Mac has started working on their next album 'Tango in the Night'. But due to her touring schedule with her solo album, Stevie was unable to work on the album except for a few weeks while she was staying in rehab. She wrote 'Welcome to the Room...Sara' about her stay in rehab and she sent all her demos to the rest of the band so they could work on them while she was unable to. The album was released in April 1987 and would be their second highest selling album behind 'Rumours'. Due to differences and unresolved issues Lindsey decided to leave the band just before they took their latest album on tour. Fleetwood Mac went on tour in September 1987 with replacements for Lindsey. But sadly the tour had to be suspended while Stevie was suffering with chronic fatigue syndrome and had developed an addiction to Klonopin. The following year the tour was resumed. Not long after three tour ended the band released their Greatest Hits album. 

Also in 1988 Stevie began work on her fourth solo album 'The Other Side of the Mirror'. It was released in May 1989 and received success. It was at this point that Stevie stated a relationship with her record producer Rupert Hine. She went on to tour the US ans Europe towards the end of 1989, but due to her addiction to Klonopin she has admitted that she can't remember the tour. Between 1987 and 1994 she was prescribed increasing amounts of Klonopin still with the attempt to keep her from using cocaine. In 1989 Stevie started to work on Fleetwood Mac's next album 'Behind the Mask', it was released in 1990 and had small success in the US. In the UK it reached number one and became platinum. The band took the album on tour and on the last night Stevie reunited with Lindsey to perform 'Landslide'. When the tour ended Stevie left Fleetwood Mac over a dispute with Mick Fleetwood over not allowing her to release her song 'Silver Springs' on her next solo album 'Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks'. He wanted to save it for release on a upcoming Fleetwood Mac box set album. Mick knew that the song would be a strong selling point for the new box set due to the interest it had gained over the years with their fans. 

On the 10th Anniversary of the start of her solo career, Stevie released her next album 'Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks' in September 1991. In the following year Fleetwood Mac released a four-disk box set for their 25th anniversary, this set included Steve's song 'Sliver Springs'. During the Presidential Election of Bill Clinton, he used Fleetwood Mac's song 'Don't Stop', Stevie would rejoin the band to perform the song during Bill's inaugural gala in 1993. After her performance Stevie was criticised for her weight gain due to her addiction to Klonopin. In the same year Stevie had a accident at her house that made her realise she needed to detox and get off the Klonopin as soon as she could. Following her detox she released her fifth solo album 'Street Angel' in May 1994. The album was badly received and only reached 45 in the charts. Stevie has since expressed disappointment with the album because she had little say in what was going on due to her stay in rehab. 

There were plans for a three month tour to support the album, but Stevie was more focused on her weight and the overall disappointment of the album. Stevie made the pack that she would never set foot on stage again till she had lost the weight. In 1996 Stevie reunited with Lindsey for their song 'Twisted' that was to be on the 'Twister' movie soundtrack. Stevie also remade the song 'Free Fallin' for the TV show 'Party of Five'. In the same year Lindsey was working on a solo album in which he enlisted the help of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, this would eventually lead to the band getting back together, including Stevie for the 1997 'The Dance' tour. Just before the tour started Stevie set about working with a vocal coach to help her gain more control. She also started a diet and going jogging to help her lose weight. 

Fleetwood Mac released the love version of 'The Dance', it received critical acclaim and even earned them several Grammy nominations for their love performances. In 1998 Stevie rejoined Fleetwood Mac for it's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the same year they were awarded the Outstanding Contribution award at the BRIT awards. Stevie was working on her next solo album, but she put it on hold when she was approached by Warner Music to release a solo career box-set. After the end of the Fleetwood Mac reunion tour, Stevie set about making a track list for the three-disk collection. The box set 'Enchanted' was released in April 1998, it included notes from Stevie herself, exclusive photographs and pages from her journals. She went on tour to support the box set which proved to be successful. By the end of the year Stevie had done a song for the 'Practical Magic' soundtrack and would go on to perform at a benefit concert for the Walden Woods Project. Stevie had started working on her sixth solo album 'Trouble in Shangri-La between 1994 and 1995 as she was coming round from her Klonopin addiction. She carried on recording songs for the album and even had Sheryl Crow appear on and produce some of the tracks. Sadly Sheryl pulled out due to her schedule so Stevie asked Dallas Austin to help out, but would eventually settle on John Shanks to produce the album. 

The album was released in May 2001 and like most of her other albums received success, it also restored her solo career success. Some of the songs were nominated for Grammy Awards and Stevie was even named VH1's Artist of the Month. Because of this she was also named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. She made a handful of TV appearances to help support the album and also appeared at the 2001 Radio Music Awards. A tour was planned to support the album, but a few of the shows were cancelled due to Stevie suffering with acute bronchitis. A few more shows were also cancelled because of the 9/11 attacks. In the same year Fleetwood Mac began work on a new album, but this time without Christine McVie. After she finished her latest Tour Stevie sat down with Fleetwood Mac to record the album. 'Say You Will' was released in April 2003 and like all their other albums received success but had mixed reviews. A tour was done to support the album that lasted till September 2004.

Stevie herself has admitted that she was not happy with the album or the tour. Most of this was down to disagreements with Lindsey as well as the absence of Christine. A behind the scenes documentary about the making of the album was released in 2004, this showed the turbulent relationships between some of the band members while they were making the album. After the end of the tour, Stevie done a 4 night stint in Las Vegas which she followed up with a 10 day tour with Don Henley. In 2005 she carried on doing solo shows at 20 dates worldwide. In March 2007 Reprise Records released 'Crystal Visions' this was the very best of Stevie Nicks. It went in at 21 on the album chart. Two versions of the album were made, one was just the album while the other was a deluxe version and included a DVD with music videos and rare footage. She went on tour with Chris Isaak to help support the album. 

In March 2009 Stevie released a new album called 'The Soundstage Sessions', it reached number 47 in the charts. Also in the same month Fleetwood Mac went on tour again without Christine. The tour would become known as their Greatest Hits Tour. Once the tour had finished with Fleetwood Mac, Stevie became work on her next solo album. She would also do a few shows in August 2010. In May 2011 her latest solo album 'In Your Dreams'. A song that Stevie has originally written on 1976 and was finally included on this album as years of demand from fans. Stevie made a video to go along with the song that included her goddaughter Kelly. The song would reach number 20 in the chart. A documentary film was also made to go alongside the album and was critically acclaimed. Stevie also made appearances on various TV shows throughout America. Her latest solo album was called her finest collection of songs since the eighties. It gave Stevie her fifth top ten album to enter the charts. Thanks to an episode of the hit TV show Glee featuring six of Fleetwood Mac's songs it sparked a renewed interest for the band so much so that their album 'Rumours' re-entered the charts at number 11. In September 2011 Stevie also contributed to a tribute album for Buddy Holly and sung 'Not Fade Away'. 

In March 2012 she made an appearance on 'Up All Night'. Where she sang duets with Maya Rudolph and Christina Applegate. By the end of the year it was announced that Stevie was to feature on a track done in collaboration with Dave Grohl and other artists. The following year Fleetwood Mac went on tour again as a four piece through North America and Europe. In the April the band released new material for the first time in nine years. In the December Stevie released the 'In Your Dreams' documentary on DVD which reached number seven. In 2014 Stevie appeared as a special guest in the third series of American Horror Story: Coven and then again in the eighth series. She played a fictional version of herself and performed four of her songs. In the same year she was awarded with a BMI Icon Award and joined 'The Voice' as an adviser for Adam Levine's team. By the end of the year Stevie had released her eighth solo album '24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault' and reached number seven in the chart. At the same time Fleetwood Mac began a North American Tour and this time with Christine. 

Stevie decided to reissue her album 'Crystal Visions-The Very Best of Stevie Nicks' on a transparent double vinyl. Then the following year she went back on tour to help support her album '24 Karat Gold'. In April 2017 Stevie featured on a track with Lana Del Rey on her fifth album. In July Stevie performed with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Hyde Park in London. This would be the last time that they would perform together due to Tom Petty passing away three months later.  In the following year Lindsey was fired from Fleetwood Mac due to disagreements with Stevie and Mick. Stevie would help to find a replacement in Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. This new line up would then go on a world tour from 2018 till 2019. Stevie was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2019 and would become the first woman to be inducted twice, the first time with Fleetwood Mac and the second as a solo artist. 

In September 2020, Stevie released a live album and a concert film which was filmed during her last solo tour. A month later she had released new music along with a music video to support it. By the end of the year the music company Primary Wave decided to buy an 80% stake in Stevie's song catalogue, the deal was estimated to be valued at $100 million. Stevie was one of the headliners for the May 2021 Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta and by August she had to cancel five dates from her planned solo performances due to the concerns about Covid-19. In 2023, Stevie was back at it and appeared on a track from Gorillaz and then on a track with Dolly Parton on her latest album. In July 2024 Stevie was back at Hyde Park in London performing over the weekend of the festival, a few weeks later she was touring select parts of the United Kingdom for a handful of dates. Stevie released her new song 'The Lighthouse' in September 2024, it was written to help promote women's rights. At the end of 2024 Stevie had appeared on a cover of Ron Sexsmith's 'Maybe This Christmas' as part of a charity Christmas album. 

Stevie is only 5ft 1in, which when compared to fellow Fleetwood Mac band mate Mick Fleetwood, who is 6ft 6in, she felt small. It was because of this that she started to wear 6 inch heeled boots, she even carried on wearing them once they had gone out of fashion as she didn't want to go back to her original height while on stage. Stevie has become known for her flamboyant flowing clothes and accessories while she is performing, which she calls her 'uniform'. She has stated that her vocal style has come from female artists such as Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, she fell in love with Janis when she got the chance to see her perform before her death. Stevie saw a girl once in the crowd with Gibson Girl hairstyle and big boots, she knew she wanted a style somewhat along those lines, so she took the look and made it her own style. Her style has stayed the same over the years and even in her 60's she is still influencing people. In the 70's Stevie was accused of being a Witch, because she only ever wore black, they frightened her so much that between 1978 and 1982 she wore different colours other than black. She hated every moment and just wanted to go back to wearing her black clothes, she eventually went back to black in 1983. 

Over the years she has started a charity called 'Stevie Nicks's Band of Soldiers', it helps wounded military personnel. In 2004 she started visiting Army and Navy medical centres in Washington DC, while there seeing the wounded service men and women she became determined to find something that she could leave with them to help raise their spirits and to have something to look forward to every day. She purchased hundreds of iPods, loaded them with music that she had selected and then handed them over. To this day she carries on giving out these tokens and even takes along a friend to share the experience. Over the years Stevie has influenced many different artists from Courtney Love, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. Many of her songs have also been covered and performed by other artists from The Dixie Chicks covering 'Landslide' and The Corrs covering 'Dreams'. In 2010 she performed with Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards, Taylor would then write a song about Stevie on her eleventh album.

Stevie has been romantically linked to fellow Fleetwood Mac band mate Lindsey Buckingham from 1972 to 1976. She would also have a brief relationship with another band mate Mick Fleetwood in 1978. Through the years she has had multiple relationships including Don Henley and HD Souther. In 1979 Stevie had an abortion after falling pregnant with Don in 1979, she later admitted that if she had kept the baby and it was girl she would have named it Sara after her best friend. This is also said to be the real meaning behind her hit song 'Sara'. Other men include Jimmy Lovine and Joe Walsh who she admitted in 2007 was her greatest love. But due to both parties suffering with drug addictions it wasn't meant to last. Steve's only marriage to Kim Anderson, who was the widower of her friend Robin. The pair married in 1983 three months after Robin passed away. She was keen to look after Robin and Kim's baby, but after three months they got divorced after both agreeing it had been a mistake and done while they were both grieving. 

After the divorce she reunited with Robin and Kim's son when he was a teenager. She put him through college and has kept in contact with him ever since. The boy has since had a daughter of his own, who is named after his mother Robin, yet she calls Stevie 'Grandma Stevie'. Stevie chose not to have children of her own, this is due to her demanding career and following her art wherever it takes her. She has said 'My mission maybe wasn't to be a Mom and a wife; maybe my particular mission was to write songs to make Moms and wives feel better'. Because of the extended family she has, she has become known as the Crazy Auntie which she prefers. Throughout her time in Fleetwood Mac she kept a daily journal, she done it so those closer to her can read about her life and feel closer to her especially once she is gone. Stevie has never had a desire to write her own book about her life. If she did she would use it to tell the truth and  miss out the bad parts to focus on the fantastic memories. 

Stevie used to live in Arizona in a house that she had built, she shared this house with her brother, his wife and their daughter. In 2007 she put the house up for sale and was looking for a smaller property to focus more on her charity work. Once the house was sold she took up residency in an ocean-view property in California. Stevie is also an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church, then allowed her to officiate the wedding of singer John McCauley and Vanessa Carlton in December 2013. In November 2022, Stevie would lose a close friend and fellow Fleetwood Mac band member Christine McVie to cancer. Both women were really close and despite other relationships in the band they both really got on with each other. In recent interviews Stevie has admitted that Christine's death really hit her hard and that she carries part of her ashes in a necklace that she wears all the time. At her recent shows she has performed the song 'Landslide' as a dedication to Christine, during this performance a video is played on the big screens behind her, Stevie has also admitted to not turning round to see while on stage. 

Since putting this post together I have left that I am a little bit closer to Stevie and feel that I understand her a bit better. I have been listening to Fleetwood Mac and her solo music more since doing this and have even tried to watch the series of American Horror Story that Stevie was in. In an interview she done in reference to her being cast in American Horror Story and them asking her to perform some of her songs for the series she said 'I want people to put my songs on because they are unhappy and need a boost to dance around their apartment a little and feel good, that's why I write'. This to me sums up Stevie so much and since become obsessed with her I feel that it is also a true statement, I put on music all the time when I need cheering up and nothing makes me happier now then hearing her voice. I was hoping last year to see Stevie while she was performing in the UK, but things didn't allow me to go. I'm hoping that she will come back to the UK and then I might have another chance to see her as it will make me so happy. I'm so happy that my dad showed me Fleetwood Mac all those years ago as I wouldn't be here writing this now. In the last few months a lot has happened to me that has caused me to suffer a bit with my mental health, but since having Stevie in my life and listening to her music again it has made me feel a lot better and allowed me to forget everything that has been going on. I'm not one for dancing around my living room or kitchen, but will admit that in the last few months I have which has also made me feel a bit better about things.