Happy 77th Birthday to the mystical queen of rock and roll herself, Stevie Nicks! The shawl-spinning, moonlight-summoning, voice-of-your-soul singer-songwriter has cast her spell over generations of music lovers. In honor of her 77th trip around the sun, here are 77 facts about the woman who gave us “Rhiannon,” “Landslide,” and “Edge of Seventeen”—and a whole universe in between.
1. Stevie was born Stephanie Lynn Nicks on May 26, 1948.
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Her grandfather taught her to sing harmonies when she was just four years old.
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She got her nickname because she pronounced “Stephanie” as “Tee-dee.”
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Her first song was called “I’ve Loved and I’ve Lost, and I’m Sad but Not Blue.”
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She received a Goya guitar for her 16th birthday—and used it to start writing her future.
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Stevie met Lindsey Buckingham in high school. Their partnership changed music forever.
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Before Fleetwood Mac, they recorded an album together called ‘Buckingham Nicks.’
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She once opened for Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix while in the band Fritz.
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Nicks dropped out of college to pursue music with Lindsey. Her dad gave her his blessing.
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She waited tables and cleaned houses before fame found her.
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She wrote “Rhiannon” after reading a novel—not knowing the mythology behind the name.
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She later bought the film rights to the Rhiannon mythos.
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“Landslide” was written in Aspen during a moment of self-doubt.
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Mick Fleetwood heard a Buckingham Nicks song in a studio—and the rest is history.
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She joined Fleetwood Mac on New Year’s Eve, 1974.
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Her 1975 performance of “Rhiannon” was so intense, Mick Fleetwood called it “an exorcism.”
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Her flowing, bohemian look was co-designed with Margi Kent.
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“Dreams” is Fleetwood Mac’s only Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit.
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“Silver Springs” was left off ‘Rumours’—a decision that haunted Stevie for years.
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She wrote “Gold Dust Woman” about addiction and darkness—her own crystal ball.
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Nicks had a brief, secret affair with Mick Fleetwood in 1977.
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Her 1981 solo debut ‘Bella Donna’ went to #1 on the Billboard 200.
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On the same day ‘Bella Donna’ hit #1, her best friend died of leukemia.
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Stevie married her friend’s widower out of grief—and divorced him 3 months later.
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She once said she “never enjoyed Bella Donna because of the heartbreak.”
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“Edge of Seventeen” was inspired by the phrase “just like the white-winged dove.”
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She’s been joined on stage by Tom Petty, Don Henley, Bob Dylan, and Prince.
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Prince played synthesizers on “Stand Back.” She says it wouldn’t exist without him.
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She’s in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice—Fleetwood Mac (1998) and solo (2019).
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Stevie was dubbed the “Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll” by Rolling Stone.
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She once toured with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty in Australia.
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She kicked cocaine in the mid-’80s after a surgeon warned her she might die.
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She checked into the Betty Ford Center in 1986.
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Then she spent years addicted to Klonopin—a battle she’s been honest about.
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“I lost those 8 years of my life,” she said of her Klonopin period.
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“Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You” was inspired by Joe Walsh’s daughter.
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She had a physical altercation with Lindsey Buckingham after he left the band.
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She made a surprise appearance at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration with Fleetwood Mac.
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Her box set ‘Enchanted’ is a treasure trove of rare songs and journal entries.
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She keeps a journal every single day.
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She said her niece and godchildren will one day read her life through those journals.
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She once said, “My mission maybe wasn’t to be a mom… but to write songs for moms.”
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She appears as a witch on two seasons of American Horror Story—and it was perfect.
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She wears platform boots because she’s only 5’1″.
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Her mic stand is always draped in ribbons, beads, and scarves.
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She was the inspiration behind Walter Egan’s “Magnet and Steel.”
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“Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child samples “Edge of Seventeen.” Stevie loved it.
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She never released “Secret Love” in the ’70s—she waited until 2011.
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‘In Your Dreams’ was called her best album since the ’80s.
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Taylor Swift and Harry Styles have both cited her as an icon.
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So has Beyoncé. So has Courtney Love. So has Lorde.
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Stevie and Sheryl Crow are close friends and musical collaborators.
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She sang on the Gorillaz track “Oil” in 2023.
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She sang with Dolly Parton in 2023, too—two queens, one track.
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Her charity “Band of Soldiers” gives iPods to wounded veterans.
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She decorates each one with handpicked playlists and personal touches.
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In 2020, she sold 80% of her songwriting catalog for $100 million.
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She has always insisted on creative control over her solo records.
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Her house in Santa Monica has views of the Pacific—and probably some magic.
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In 2017, she played “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” one last time with Tom Petty.
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She once said she’d never write a memoir unless she could “tell the truth.”
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In 2024, Taylor Swift name-dropped her in the song “Clara Bow.”
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Stevie responded by writing a poem for the album’s liner notes.
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She officiated Vanessa Carlton’s wedding in 2013.
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Stevie performed “Landslide” with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
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She says she still gets nervous before every performance.
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She was once accused of witchcraft—so she stopped wearing black for years.
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Her style is inspired by Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, and Victorian ghosts.
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She shops for chiffon and velvet like most people shop for coffee.
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She has hundreds of shawls. One is even under lock and key in a climate-controlled vault.
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She considers herself a “crazy aunt” to many kids—and she loves it that way.
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Her dog is named Lily, and Lily once had her own Instagram following.
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“Landslide” has been covered by The Smashing Pumpkins and The Chicks—and both versions are incredible.
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She’s written more than 400 songs.
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“Dreams” charted again in 2020 thanks to a viral TikTok of a man skateboarding and drinking Ocean Spray.
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Stevie responded by making her own TikTok—with cranberry juice in hand.
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And finally… She’s still touring, still enchanting, still writing, still rocking—because Stevie Nicks isn’t just a legend. She’s a universe.