The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Fleetwood Mac

According to Biography, Phoenix-born Stevie Nicks was the granddaughter of country music singer Aaron Nicks. Grandpa not only made a guitar for Stevie, but he also taught her to sing and began taking her with him to local music gigs. After a brief stint in college, Nicks followed her music heart. With a high school friend, Lindsey Buckingham, she joined a band called Fritz. Several notable opening acts later, the couple paired off to create Buckingham-Nicks in 1971. The following year, the young lovers released their only album, which was self-titled and "went largely unnoticed." Nicks would later express her dismay at having to pose topless for the cover.

For the next three years, Buckingham-Nicks struggled financially. Nicks worked at a variety of jobs, including as a dental assistant, maid, and waitress. According to In Her Own Words, Nicks remembered, "I worked at the Copper Penny, Clementine's and Bob's Big Boy. I supported Lindsey and I for years, 'cause he never worked or had a job." But Nicks did so willingly, feeling it was important for Buckingham to refine his musical talents. 

When Fleetwood Mac offered the couple a spot in the band, the pair readily accepted. The band was thrilled with Nicks' songs, namely "Rhiannon" and "Landslide," which Britannica confirms resulted in the multi-million-selling album, Fleetwood Mac in 1975. "From that day that we joined to June of that summer," Nicks later said, "we were famous."

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