Stevie Nicks

by Zoe Howe      (Get the Book)
Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Stevie Nicks . . . the great female singers who fronted legendary rock bands constitute a list of off-the-hook personalities. This highly engaging biography of Stevie Nicks, whose electric and eccentric involvement in Fleetwood Mac led to her being dubbed by Rolling Stone the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” is written by a distinguished British music journalist. Factually full and consistently fascinating, the life story the author assembles is one of abiding dedication, frequent hurt, and ultimate triumph. Stevie came from Phoenix, and early in her life, she was at home in a fantasy world, plus she knew for a long time that her aim was to be a songwriter. She and boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham’s early musical collaboration led to the pair being absorbed into the British band Fleetwood Mac, and their star-crossed relationship became the stuff of rock legend as they spent more time in bitter public fighting than in harmony. The Mac’s climb to top-rung status held excitement for the members, but drugs and alcohol were definitely part of their scene. The band eventually dissolved (although recently it came together again for a concert tour), but Nicks has enjoyed a solo career in which she could continue to pour her haunting, soul-baring songs. It’s important for fans to note that “the chiffon-clad rock queen image was no stage act”; it has been her armor and confidence builder. And for us, it’s how we know and adore her. --Booklist