10 Stevie Nicks Facts Most Fans Don’t Know About

Stevie Nicks performs at the 2001 Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas Friday, Oct. 26, 2001. Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect

Stevie Nicks is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame as a member of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. Stevie Nicks has had a fascinating life and career, marked by both success and adversity. From her early tap dance performance to her founding of a charitable foundation, Nicks has left an indelible mark on the music industry and the world. Here are ten interesting things you may not know about her life and career:

 

  1. Tap dance routine inspired her career: Nicks was inspired to become a performer after a successful tap dance routine with a friend at a sixth-grade talent show.
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  1. Learned from her grandfather: Her grandfather, Aaron Nicks, was a country singer who taught her how to sing and play guitar at an early age.
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  1. Met Lindsey Buckingham at a party: Nicks met Lindsey Buckingham, her future bandmate in Buckingham Nicks and Fleetwood Mac when she abruptly started singing with him at a high-school party in San Francisco.
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  1. Jimi Hendrix dedicated a song to her: After joining Buckinghamโ€™s band Fritz, Nicks got to play some high-profile gigs opening for Buffalo Springfield, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix once dedicated a song to Nicks during a gig.
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  1. Joined Fleetwood Mac while broke: When Nicks and Buckingham got the call to join Fleetwood Mac, they were down to their last few dollars. Nicks was working as a waitress to support them. Initially, Lindsey Buckingham was the only one who was recruited by Mick Fleetwood, but he insisted to bring Nicks because Buckingham Nicks โ€œis a package.โ€ The rest then, is history.
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  1. Had a short-lived marriage: After her best friend Robin died of leukemia, Nicks married her late friendโ€™s husband, Kim Anderson, to help raise their son. The marriage did not work out.
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  1. Overcame drug addictions: Nicks has battled an addiction to cocaine and the prescription drug Klonopin, which is a tranquilizer used to treat panic attacks. She has been sober since the mid-โ€˜90s.
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  1. Dated Joe Walsh: Nicksโ€™s relationships with Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, and Eagles singer Don Henley are well known, but she has recently revealed that the love of her life was Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh.
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  1. Grammy nominations: Nicks has been nominated for a Grammy eight times as a solo artist but has never won. She won one Grammy with Fleetwood Mac for Album of the Year (Rumours).
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  1. Charity work: She founded the Stevie Nicks Soldierโ€™s Angel Foundation, which uses music to help in the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. The foundation provides soldiers with iPods filled with music.
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