by Chris Dicker
Red Cross
Soles4Souls
Special Olympics
United Service Organization
Stevie actually created and donated a guitar to the Big Brothers and Sisters in Arizona, a charity for underprivileged and at-risk children, which helps them to achieve their dreams, and most of the charities she supports are dedicated to helping younger people to reach their full potential.
Once the tour had finished, Stevie rested for a few months and then in 2005 appeared at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for four nights, followed by performing in ten shows with Don Henley on the "Two Voices" tour. Later that year, Stevie carried on with her solo "Gold Dust" tour, engaging Vanessa Carlton as her opening act. This tour comprised of over 20 nationwide dates. In 2006 a rather strange event is meant to have had happened. Stevie was booked to be touring as half of a double-bill with pop singer John Farnham (he is from the 'You're The Voice' song). Reports then followed saying that he had been sacked due to his horrible treatment of Stevie. His manager Glenn Wheatley completely denied this claim, adding that Farnham had never been sacked from anything during his entire career. The promoter of the tour, Andrew McManus, said that he fired the singer himself, stating that Stevie “didn’t know why a support act would treat her so badly.” Wheatley then responded, “All he did was go on stage every night, blow Stevie off the stage, and she couldn’t cope,” also saying that neither he nor Farnham had even spoken to Stevie. He then launched a spiteful attack on Stevie by saying “She was too busy in her coven with black drapes, lit candles, ouija boards and whatever else,” then cruelly added, “We didn’t have the chance to treat her badly. Given the chance, we would have.” Stevie doesn't appear to have ever responded.
In 2007, "Crystal Visions - The Very Best of Stevie Nicks" album was released in the US by Reprise Records. It went straight to number 21 in the Billboard 200 chart, and sold over 500,000 copies in the US alone. It included not just her hit singles, but also a live cover of "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin. The album was released as two separate items, one was a straight audio copy, and the other was a deluxe DVD, which included Stevie's videos and commentary. The same year, in conjunction with the release of this album, Stevie went on a tour with Chris Isaak.
Lindsey Lohan then announced that she wanted to purchase the rights to Stevie's life story, and make a film with herself starring as Stevie.
It did not go down well with Stevie, who called it "crazy" and stated that only she could ever make her life story, as only she had lived it. Other people could never know how she felt, everything that she had done. When it was mentioned to her again in 2009 Stevie declared that Lohan would make the film "Over My Dead Body," adding that if it did ever happen, she would make sure that she ruined whatever chances it had of becoming a success.
Although Stevie has kept a daily journal since she joined Fleetwood Mac, she has also ruled out any intention of publishing a biography any time soon, stating that her journal will be for her godchildren and niece to actually get a real feel of who she was and what she was about, rather than just a documentation, also adding that if she did write a book she would want everyone in it to be old enough not to care what she wrote about them, even though the book would be more likely to focus on the wonderful events in her life, not the gloomy stuff, but it would have to be absolutely truthful.
In 2009 Stevie released another album "The Soundstage Sessions" and it went in at number 47 in the Billboard 200 chart. The album produced two singles "Crash Into Me" and an orchestral version of "Landslide".
Stevie then embarked on another tour with Fleetwood Mac in 2009, a greatest hits show named "Unleashed", and following this tour she started work on a new solo album with former Eurhythmics member Dave Stewart producing. Stevie is a big fan of Stewart's, she gave him a book of her poetry and was most surprised when he turned up at her house a few weeks later, not only having read all the poetry in the book, but also picking up the guitar and immediately starting to play a song which he had created from one of those poems.
In 2010 Stevie appeared in a number of shows which she did not treat as a tour, and which contained none of her new songs as she was against the idea of them being broadcast on YouTube.
Reprise Records then released Stevie's new solo album, "In Your Dreams" in 2011. The strongest single from it, "Secret Love" was a song, which Stevie had written many years before, but had never made it onto any of the Fleetwood Mac albums. It was accompanied by a video, which starred Stevie's goddaughter Kelly portraying the young version of herself, and was directed by Dave Stewart. On another song from the album "For What It's Worth", Stevie's niece appears in the video. The album and the singles both achieved commercial success and Stewart made a documentary supporting the album, which also achieved critical acclaim, and Stevie made various appearances at film festivals to promote it. Alongside this she also made several television appearances including "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
"In Your Dreams" was a big success, even with by music critics, with 'Rolling Stone' calling it "Her finest collection of songs since the eighties." It went straight in the Billboard 200 at number six, making top ten album number five in that chart. Selling 52,000 just in the first week it also made several chart appearances in many other countries. On the same day that the album was released the Glee episode "Rumours" was broadcast, which included six of Fleetwood Mac's songs from their 1977 album, one of which was Stevie's 'Dreams' song. The television exposure generated new interest for Fleetwood Mac and the 'Rumours' album re-entered at number 11 in the Billboard 200 chart, the same week as Stevie's "In Your Dreams" album entrance.
Towards the end of 2011, Stevie recorded a cover of "Not Fade Away" by Buddy Holly, for inclusion on a tribute album to him, called "Listen To Me - Buddy Holly." This year also saw Stevie facing further personal tragedy due to the death of her Mother. A devastated Stevie temporarily became reclusive, feeling her loss greatly. Her mother had always been a positive force in her life, guiding her through the years, at one point telling her, "You have always been on a mission. Your mission has been to entertain the world. And you have done it since you were five years old,” and Stevie found it difficult to accept that she had gone. In recent years, Stevie has sensed and felt that her mother's spirit is, without question, was still present. This has led her to believe that there is definitely some kind of other life, being able to hear her mother's voice and recognize her tone and philosophy instantly, still advising her to this day.
In early 2012, she appeared on the sitcom "Up All Night" as herself, and also sang with both Maya Rudolph and Christina Applegate. Later that year she collaborated, among others, with Dave Grohl on his 'Sound City' soundtrack.
Fleetwood Mac toured again in 2013 and released a four-track EP containing "Without You", one of the songs from the Buckingham Nicks sessions. In December of that year, Stevie released the documentary film "In Your Dreams" on DVD. It debuted on the Billboard Top Music Video charts at number seven, and in the UK Music Video Top 40 chart it went in at number 29, during this year Stevie also conducted the wedding of John McCauley from the band Deer Tick, and singer Vanessa Carlton, having become an ordained minister for the Universal Life Church World Headquarters of Florida in order to do so.
In 2014 Stevie played a fictional character based on herself, in the 'American Horror Story' series, appearing in two episodes as a white witch who had supernatural powers, also performing three of her songs. It is reported that one of the reasons that Stevie appeared as this character in these shows was to ridicule the strange allegations surfacing that were accusing her of being a witch, and of being deeply involved in Wicca. In numerous interviews, Stevie has denied this and gone on to say that she has no dedication to any one religion, although she admires anything mythic or gothic. She has always appeared wearing black clothing, which apparently fuelled the speculation, and for some time she felt pressured enough to stop wearing them, based on people's mistaken pre-conceptions of her.
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br /> That same year she received a BMI Icon Award and an announcement was made that Stevie would be joining as an adviser for Adam Levine's team on 'The Voice'.
Later that year, Stevie released another studio album; her eighth, called "24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault," which rose to number seven in the Billboard 200. She then joined Fleetwood Mac again for their North American Tour, this time including Christine McVie.
In 2015 Stevie re-released her "Crystal Visions - The Very Best of Stevie Nicks", this time on crystal clear vinyl and complete with a messenger bag and a limited edition lithograph.
It has been claimed that Stevie has previously acted like a prima donna; demanding pink walled rooms and champagne wherever she stayed. She hotly denies this, stating that she doesn't even like the pink color. However, it is true that she and Christine McVie always asked for the presidential suites in each hotel that they stayed in, and she is known for leaving one hotel to try another if she doesn't feel the right atmosphere.
Stevie is also an ordained minister for the Universal Life Church World Headquarters of Florida, primarily so that she could conduct the wedding of John McCauley from Deer Tick and singer Vanessa Carlton.
The Pretenders are touring with Stevie in 2016, and as she is supporting Hillary Clinton in the current election run-up between her and Donald Trump, she also has said that WHEN Clinton wins, she wants to her and a few other band who have covered 'Landslide' to perform it live at her inauguration ceremony.
Surely one of the busiest female performers ever, her punishing schedule never seems to bother her, so dedicated is she to what she does. These days she uses ice packs for aching muscles and wears glasses to help her eyesight, but still manages to pack in a phenomenal amount of work. Writing songs through the small hours, and finally going to bed at around 4 a.m. is the pattern she has followed for years, and there are no signs of that ever changing. The one constant that Stevie has always had in her life is her music, and it will remain so until Stevie decides otherwise.
However, when Stevie does talk about this possibility, her future without the music scene, it promises freedom for her, there is still so much that she wants to do. If she ever decides that it's time to quit the band and her solo music career, it will open the door for her to pursue her further hopes, dreams and ideas. She was on a mission when she was young, and she has already completed that mission, beyond even her wildest dreams. Perhaps she will write that book of memoirs? Perhaps she will write novels; maybe she could help young artists, possibly in the production side of things. Possibly make a movie or a TV show? She has even talked about going to live in Paris for a couple of years. When her friend Robin died, Stevie seemed to inherit an instant gift for art, and that's another thing that she might like to focus on. She has stacks of her own art from years ago that she often plays around with, making amendments, undoing mistakes in her art that she feels she made when she was younger, painting and drawing while high on drugs, feeling that she can somehow fix them, make them right. She might even get the chance to spend more time in the wonderful seaside trailer she has bought, which overlooks the ocean. She has no addictions, although it has been reported that she still sometimes smokes the odd joint while she is sitting writing at the piano. Her writing process is simple, she writes about things that have affected her, touched her. She can write a song based on a couple she saw holding hands that day, or she can still write a song about something that happened twenty years ago, as long as it still feels it she can write about it, anything that inspires or has inspired her can be turned into a very real piece of writing, it's all from inside her, and she believes that anyone who is no longer moved by things should stop writing immediately, adding that nobody really wants to read anything written by someone who is bitter and jaded.
There is no doubt that Stevie is an actual, real legend, her solo materials alone, producing over 40 Top 50 hits, and selling 140 million albums. Her earnings are estimated at around $78 million in total. Those who know her absolutely love her and are totally loyal to her. Her personal assistant Karen Johnston has held her position for 26 years, and has never once bad-mouthed about her, or gone to the press with stories about her.
Despite being a very strong-minded individual who would have no qualms about expressing her dislikes for something or someone, Stevie is considered by some to be like some kind of fairy godmother, always encouraging people to follow their dreams, and possessing the most caring, nurturing nature. Generous is another word that is used a lot when people speak of Stevie Nicks, she cares, and if she cares about you, you will know it. She often gives people gold moon pendants if they have touched her life some way. One that she originally had was given to herby the father of a very ill young girl, Sara, who eventually lost her battle for life. Stevie befriended her, and in total she had seen Stevie perform 32 times, so Stevie encrusted the pendent with 32 jewels to represent each one of those times. Her homes are beautiful, she loves beautiful things, and are filled with antique lamps, books, and rugs, and there is always at least one piano in each of her homes. There are also lots of Buddha statues, just in case she believes in them one day.
Sometimes called a hoarder, she can't bear to part with anything that someone has given her as a gift, especially when it comes to clothing, and she has storage units full of clothes, some of which she may have never even worn. Her home often contains the minimal amount of food, which is mainly Weight Watchers chicken meals, jellies, large amounts of carrots, and yoghurts. She also has her animals, usually cats and dogs, who are incredibly precious to her - an intriguing mix of toughness and fragility, a tiny fairy hell-bent on a mission. If she is any kind of witch, as so many people have claimed, then she is a good one. She has a genuine appreciation of life and love, and a vivid imagination, which is fuelled by mystery, romance, legend, and all things magical.
Stevie doesn't like computers or mobile phones, preferring instead the now old-fashioned procedure of either writing letters or meeting up face to face with people. The only way to contact her is either through her landline or via her personal assistant. It has also been said that that if you do get to meet up with her, she totally 'gives' herself to you, she has time for people, and she is open and honest.
Whatever this smoky-voiced beauty decides to do, you can bet that it will be fuelled by the dedication and the passion that has driven her life so far, and I don't think that any one will be disappointed. The word 'icon' is all too often bandied about these days without just cause, but I think if ever there was a genuine reason to use it, Stevie Nicks is it.