Stevie Nicks Shares 50-Year-Old Letter to Her Parents, Written Before Fleetwood Mac

Sharing a Note From the Past

Stevie Nicks has given fans a rare look into her early career by posting a handwritten letter she sent to her parents while recording the album Buckingham Nicks with Lindsey Buckingham. The note, written on Sound City Studios stationery in Van Nuys, California, appeared on her Instagram on September 22 to celebrate the reissue of the record, which came out again on Friday, September 19.

“I wanted to share this letter I wrote to my family while Lindsey and I were making Buckingham Nicks,” Nicks, now 77, wrote in her caption. “My mom saved it and it’s been in a drawer for over 50 years.” The album, first released in 1973, marked the debut for both Nicks and Buckingham, a year before they joined Fleetwood Mac.

 

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Humor and Long Studio Days

In the letter, Nicks joked about the long hours in the studio, saying she was “getting very tired of listening to over 12 hours of music per day” but believed “it will pay off in the end.” She added a playful prediction about future success: “And when I am sitting in my small but luxurious Beverly Hills home overlooking my small but tasteful pool that is totally secluded, where I can sun in the nude and tan my entire fat body while waiting for my plastic surgery leg lift—it will all be worth it. Otherwise, everything here is just ‘peach-y.’”

Nicks also sent love to her parents and teased her father, Jess Nicks, about his youthful appearance. “I hope my little family is doing fine and not working too hard,” she wrote, adding that her dad was “already beautifully tan and lythe. How sickening that he looks better than I do at 47(?) and I’m only 25. (Give me a break, Dad!).”

A Birthday Request

The singer’s 25th birthday was approaching on May 26, and she had plans for a big celebration. “Speaking of being almost 25—I have decided that we should set aside the entire month of May to celebrate the fact that I am now 1 quarter of a century old,” she wrote. “A new landmark like this should not simply be passed over as yet another birthday, but should include a gala celebration. I shall leave it to the three of you to plan it. By the way, presents will be accepted any time after the first of May—no C.O.D’s please.”

Early Praise for Buckingham

Nicks also mentioned a song that would later appear on the album. “By the way—Dad and Chris—that rock and roll tune that you both liked (‘Baby Baby, don’t treat me so bad’) with the fancy guitar work is almost finished and Lindsey may go down in history as one of ‘greats’ in guitar playing. It really is quite amazing,” she wrote.

Nicks and Buckingham, who first met in high school, began dating in 1972 and ended their relationship four years later. On New Year’s Eve 1974, they officially joined Fleetwood Mac, just before the band’s rise to worldwide fame with the release of Rumours. Despite their breakup, the two continued making music together for decades, performing alongside Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and the late Christine McVie.