Rock journalist Stephen Davis documents the rise of
singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks, solo artist and member of the iconic Fleetwood
Mac.
Forty-odd years
ago, Stevie Nicks, the "Fairy Godmother of Rock," seemed to emerge
from nowhere with a song about an old Welsh witch, "Rhiannon." The
song has since become a classic, one of the most popular songs Nicks ever
recorded with the British band Fleetwood Mac. With reverent care, Stephen
Davis (Hammer of the Gods, about Led Zeppelin) closely
examines Nicks's formative years, the struggles of her early, ascendant career,
and how her emotionally charged affiliation with Fleetwood Mac changed her life.
Her music--popular songs that deal with memories, dreams, romance, regret and
the passing of time--corresponds to important aspects of the
singer-songwriter's life. With that in mind, Davis deconstructs the music to
trace Nicks's childhood and musical roots. He analyzes her tumultuous
relationship with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, and her cocaine-infused heyday
in Fleetwood Mac, complete with juicy dramas about romantic entanglements in
the band and affairs she had with others, including rock stars Don Henley and
Joe Walsh. Furthermore, Davis considers the forces that ultimately empowered
Nicks to take the leap and launch a solo career.
Meticulously presented details are fortified by quotes from Nicks, her family and friends and other musical cohorts. Davis documents, in depth, the influences--good and bad, the mystical and magical--that shaped the rock legend. He details how personal experiences of love, heartbreak and loss directly contributed to her astounding success and longevity in the limelight. Fans of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks will find much to savor in this intimate, comprehensive biography.
Meticulously presented details are fortified by quotes from Nicks, her family and friends and other musical cohorts. Davis documents, in depth, the influences--good and bad, the mystical and magical--that shaped the rock legend. He details how personal experiences of love, heartbreak and loss directly contributed to her astounding success and longevity in the limelight. Fans of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks will find much to savor in this intimate, comprehensive biography.
St. Martin's Press, $27.99 Hardcover, 9781250032898,
352 pages
Publication
Date: November 21, 2017
NOTE:
This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To
read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (January 9, 2018), link HERE