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STEVIE NICKS
ROCK A LITTLE
PRESS KIT
STEVIE NICKS
One's first impression of Stevie Nicks may be that of a lithe spirit, but on closer inspection she's much more than that. She brings to mind the words of a famous boxer "float like a butterfly....sting like a bee", and like a world champ, she packs a hidden punch...in her lyrics and in her music.
"Rock A Little", Stevie's third solo album does not break any tradition that her previous solo albums have set. As with "Bella Donna" and "The Wild Heart", she still captures our imaginations and frees some wild spirit that resides within the listener. She continues to write and perform well-crafted songs with a wide range of emotional and harmonic appeal.
"Talk To Me", the first single success from the ten on the album, sets the pace with its undeniable urgency. This, written by Chas Sandford, is one of only two songs not written or co-written by Stevie. "Sister Honey" is classically Stevie with its seductive vocals, while both "Some Become Strangers" and "Imperial Hotel" are, too, sensually roving in sentiment, instrumentation and vocal quality.
In "I Sing For Things", when she delivers the lines...."Have you ever been in love have you ever touched the soul of someone, baby.....did the fear inside you make you want to turn and run",....she does so in such a way that you want to pick up the phone and straighten out your pest.
On the other hand, the rhythmic "I Can't Wait" could have easily been titled "I Can't Stand Still", it moves with such a constant kinetic energy that it surrounds the senses joyfully.
Being raised in a very successful family, her father having been a prominent businessman in Arizona, Stevie has always been used to the best and does not like to compromise...especially in her music. And she wouldn't settle for less when it came to selecting musicians. Lead guitarist, Mike Campbell and keyboardist, Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's band joined her on this album as did guest guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Les Dudek and drummer Steve Jordan. Together they combine in a winning way, inspirationally interweaving their talents to make one moment seem as gentle as a summer breeze and in the next, rock like a powerhouse.
The musicians also lent their writing talents to the album, Mike Campbell co-wrote 'Imperial Hotel" and Les Dinek co-wrote "Sister Honey" with Stevie.
Stevie's first solo success from the Bella Donna album (1981) also incorporated some of the above musicians as it was recorded with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Another Top 10 culled from that album was "Leather and Lace" sung in duet with Don Henley. The song was originally penned by Stevie
for a Waylon Jennings/Jessie Colter combination in 1975.
The Wild Heart album in 1983 provided "Stand Back" and "If Anyone Falls" two very different but equally dramatic songs that overtook the airwaves.
Before that, it could be said that Stevie somewhat changed musical history when she and Lindsay Buckingham joined forces with the then British blues band, Fleetwood Mac in 1975. Her composition and performance on "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win) is a classic piece which aided the group on its move onto a very successful path and put their songs on the lips of millions.
In 1977, with the release of Rumours and soared to #1 with her composition "Dreams" from the Mac album. The 1979 brought Tusk, and yet two more hits from the Nicks wellspring, "Sara" and "Sisters of The Moon".
It was after this that Stevie felt the urge to work as a solo artist for a while. And we are back to the beginning of this tale and back to the beginning for Stevie, because Stevie is always full of new beginnings.
There's one thing you should always remember if you want to live right, sometimes you've got to ROCK A LITTLE.
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STEVIE NICKS BIO
Jan 75
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Stevie Nicks joins Fleetwood Mac. |
Jun 76 |
Stevie Nicks' single "Rhiannon", from Fleetwood Mac LP, reaches #11 on the Billboard chart. Song becomes highest charting single to date. LP goes on to #1. |
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Nicks single "Dreams", from Fleetwood's Rumours LP hits #1, becomes the group's first and only Billboard #1 song. Single certified gold, catapults Rumours to multi-platinum status.
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Feb 80
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"Sara", Nicks' song from Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album, goes to #7 on Billboard chart. The single pushes the album to multi-platinum status. |
Jul 81 |
Stevie Nicks releases first solo album, Bella Donna. The album enters the Billboard chart at #12. By the summer's end, the album is certified platinum and goes to #1 and yields a top five single, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (a duet with Tom Petty). |
Oct 81
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"Leather and Lace", the second single from Bella Donna, enters Billboard's Hot 100 as "Stop Draggin" completes a 10-week run in the top 10. |
Feb 82
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"Leather and Lace" hits #6. "Edge of Seventeen" enters the chart. Two weeks later at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards, "Edge of Seventeen" is nominated for best rock vocal performance by a female. "Stop Draggin" is nominated for best rock vocal performance by a duo or group. Bella Donna completes a six-month run in the top 10. It is later certified triple platinum for U.S. sales of three million copies. |
Apr 82
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"Edge of Seventeen" goes to #11 on Billboard's Hot 100. Fleetwood Mac's album Mirage, which contains Nicks' "Gypsy", enters pop album chart at #50. It hits the top 10 the following week and #1 in one month. |
Oct 82 |
"Gypsy" goes to #12. Mirage concludes an 18-week run in the top 10. It is laster certified double platinum. |
Dec 82
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Bella Donna is named the #8 album of 1982 on Billboard's year-end recap. Nicks is also named one of the top female album artists of the year. |
Feb 83
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Bella Donna is declared the best-selling album by a female artist for the second consecutive year by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, an industry trade group. It's the only time an album has won that citation two years in a row. |
Jul 83
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The Wild Heart, Stevie Nicks' second solo LP cracks the top 5 three weeks after its release. The first single, "Stand Back", is also a top 5 hit. It goes on to become a big dance club hit - reaching #12 on the Billboard dance/disco chart. |
Sep 83
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The Wild Heart is certified platinum. It completes an 11-week run in the top 10. The second single, "If Anyone Falls", is released. It goes on to #14 on the Billboard chart. |
Dec 83 |
Nicks is named the #1 female pop album artist of 1983 on Billboard's year-end chart recap, on the strength of continued activity for Bella Donna and The Wild Heart. |
Feb 84 |
At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, "Stand Back" is nomina
for best rock vocal performance by a female artist. |
Nov 85 |
"Talk To Me" single is released. Within a week it is one of the most added records on top 40 radio according to Radio and Records. |
Dec 85
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Rock A Little enters pop album chart at #60. It vaults into the top 20 the following week, where it remains for three months, going to #12. |
Jan 86
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Rock A Little is certified gold and platinum simultaneously as "Talk To Me" hits #4 on the Hot 100. It's Nicks' third straight album to top the million sales mark and generate a top five single hit. |
Mar 86
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"I Can't Wait" cracks the top 20, becoming Nicks' 10th consecutive top 40 single - her entire output apart from Fleetwood Mac. |
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