A Timeline of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s Messy Feud

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It appeared for quite a while that Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were, in fact, fated to tread separate paths.

For nearly half a century since their 1976 disbandment, which seemed to signal the end for the rock group Fleetwood Mac, a band that originated in the early ’70s with members including Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and the late Christine McVie, their tumultuous dynamics have continued to garner as much attention as their hit songs.

Indeed, several iconic songs from Fleetwood Mac, such as “Dreams,” “Go Your Own Way,” and “Landslide,” delved into the conclusion of their four-year relationship.

Buckingham shared that he first encountered her around his sixteenth birthday. This relationship eventually evolved into a band partnership, as revealed in the 2009 BBC documentary “Fleetwood Mac: Don’t Stop”. Over the years, their bond has been marked by lengthy periods of separation and conflicts, along with numerous other aspects. It’s never been solely about one issue.

Despite parting ways with the group in the ’90s, they came together for the tour “The Dance” in 1997, which coincided with the 20th anniversary of their “Rumours” album. Stevie Nicks, now 77 years old, notably reworded the lyrics of her breakup song “Silver Springs” to address her ex during this reunion.

During a 2009 interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Nicks said, “When we step onto the stage, we can revive that love affair for everyone to experience, and everyone enjoys it. But once we leave the stage, we each go our own way in separate limos to different hotels, and then we do it all over again the next night.

However, with time comes bravery, and it appears that the duo, who previously collaborated as Buckingham Nicks before merging with Fleetwood Mac, may no longer fear change.

In July, Nicks and Buckingham shared the lyrics for their 1973 collaboration song “Frozen Love” (which initially impressed bandmate Fleetwood), on Instagram. A few weeks later, they collaborated again to release a sneak peek of the song “Don’t Let Me Down Again,” taken from their self-titled studio album.

Now, it seems the rain has effectively scrubbed off all traces, as the ex-pair declared on August 13th their intention to unveil a revamped edition of the album in September.

However, although they appear to reunite the band, it might not be wise for them to express affection towards each other. Instead, delve into the turbulent narrative of their relationship, which once threatened to dismantle Fleetwood Mac entirely.

Prior to the well-known relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, they were classmates in high school. In an interview with Dan Rather, Buckingham recalled that Nicks joined his high school as a senior during his junior year, and their musical interaction was minimal at social gatherings. After Nicks enrolled at San José State College in the mid-1960s, Buckingham completed his senior year there too. During this time, Buckingham was already part of a band called Fritz, to which Nicks later joined. Although they were not romantically involved yet, there was an undeniable spark between them. According to Nicks’ interview with Rolling Stone in 1977, the other members of their band didn’t want her as their girlfriend due to her ambition, but at the same time, they didn’t want anyone else to have her either. After the breakup of Fritz in the early 1970s, Nicks and Buckingham formed the musical duo and romantic pairing known as Buckingham Nicks. Their bond deepened as they spent more time writing songs together until their relationship eventually blossomed into romance.

Keep going until you learn the tale of how Nicks and Buckingham became members of Fleetwood Mac. In a 2009 BBC documentary called ‘Fleetwood Mac: Don’t Stop’, it was revealed that drummer Mick Fleetwood visited Sound City in L.A. in 1974 to check out the recording space. There, he heard a song from Buckingham Nicks, appreciating Buckingham’s guitar skills and seeing an opportunity to replace former member Bob Welch. Fleetwood asked Buckingham if he would be interested in joining the group, which already included John McVie and Christine McVie.

Mick Fleetwood admitted later that at the time, he hadn’t considered Stevie Nicks yet because he was primarily focused on finding a new guitar player. However, Nicks was upset about not being initially wanted and felt she was only brought in as Lindsey Buckingham’s partner. This was true, and it didn’t take long for the duo to realize they were inseparable.

Buckingham even had to discuss his offer with Nicks before making a decision. He said, ‘I’ll have to talk to my girlfriend about that,’ referring to Nicks, and added, ‘but if we do, you’re going to have to take my girlfriend too.’

The band’s self-titled album from 1975 reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, boasting hits like “Landslide,” “Rhiannon,” “Over My Head,” and “Say You Love Me.” Following this success, they started work on their 1977 album Rumours, which eventually won Album of the Year.

However, during this period, the relationships within the band were falling apart. The duo of Nicks and Buckingham, the McVies, and Fleetwood and his wife Jenny Boyd were all experiencing relationship troubles. In the Don’t Stop documentary, Nicks admitted that when they joined Fleetwood Mac, their relationships with each other were quite rocky. She mentioned that they had made a silent agreement to mend their relationships because the band couldn’t afford to break up.

Sadly, the agreements didn’t hold and the relationships did end. The McVies divorced in 1976, while Nicks and Buckingham also split (Fleetwood and Boyd would later separate as well). Listening closely to their songs from this era-like Christine’s “Don’t Stop,” Nicks’ “Dreams,” and Buckingham’s “Go Your Own Way”-provides a glimpse into the turmoil they were experiencing.

Nicks further explained that her songs were all about Buckingham, and his songs were all about her, but they had to push through and perform their music.

As relationships within the band deteriorated, the group persisted, putting out albums such as 1979’s “Tusk” and 1982’s “Mirage.” Simultaneously, Nicks was branching out on her own, debuting with the solo album “Bella Donna” in 1981, followed by “The Wild Heart” in 1983 and “Rock a Little” in 1985.

However, not everything ran smoothly. In 1985, Nicks sought treatment for her cocaine addiction, which she acknowledged affected her participation during the recording of Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 album “Tango in the Night.” She also battled an addiction to Klonopin, as revealed in the documentary “Don’t Stop.”

The same year marked the departure of Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac before a tour. As Nicks recounted in the doc, she felt like attacking him upon his announcement: “When Lindsey said ‘I’m not going,’ I think I got up and ran across the room and tried to strangle him.” Their fight eventually led to his exit.

Nicks continued her solo career and collaborations with the band, releasing 1990’s “Behind the Mask” featuring Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, who replaced Buckingham. However, she left the group in 1991 after a disagreement over her song “Silver Springs,” which Nicks desired for her album but Fleetwood Mac wanted for theirs.

She expressed disappointment at not being allowed to reclaim the song, telling BBC at the time and later reported by Rolling Stone: “It didn’t occur to me that they wouldn’t let me have it back. I said to his manager, ‘You find Mick, and you tell him that if I don’t have those tapes by Monday, I am no longer a member of Fleetwood Mac.’

In 1997, the members of Fleetwood Mac – Nicks, Buckingham, the McVies, and Fleetwood – came together for an MTV concert and subsequently released a live album titled “The Dance“. Despite their intricate history filled with complications, it seemed that Nicks and Buckingham were open to certain aspects of forgiveness.

In 1997, Nicks stated that Lindsey and she don’t usually engage in deep conversations off-stage. They keep their distance, avoiding potential disagreements. However, when they perform, they put their differences aside and focus on their on-stage relationship. During performances, they need to interact with each other, which can bring up various emotions.

In 2003, Fleetwood Mac released the album “Say You Will“. Over the subsequent years, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks toured both individually and with the band, participating in their 2009 and 2013 concert series. However, in 2018, before another tour was set to begin, Buckingham was dismissed from the band. At that time, Fleetwood told Rolling Stone that he preferred not to use harsh terms like “fired”. Instead, he explained that the band had reached an impasse and it wasn’t a happy situation for them. The logistics of a functioning band had become problematic, leading to the decision that they could not continue with Buckingham. Majority rule was applied in determining the band’s next steps.

Later, during a live show, Buckingham spoke about his departure, stating that he had been away from Fleetwood Mac for three months. He mentioned that his leaving wasn’t necessarily of his own doing or choice. Essentially, there were internal disagreements within the band that had clouded their perspective.

Despite having gone their separate ways decades ago, iconic duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks have decided to collaborate once more. In an exciting development fifty-two years since the initial release of their debut album, Buckingham Nicks, they are giving it a fresh new take. The highly anticipated reworked studio album is set for release on September 19, 2025. Fans can look forward to experiencing this classic album with newly remastered sound as it makes its CD and digital debut. As a tantalizing sneak peek, they have also re-released their hit single “Don’t Let Me Down Again.

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2025-08-14 23:48