STEVIE NICKS INFO

Category: FAQ – People

Who is Sara Fleetwood?

Sara Lynn Fleetwood (née Jones) (b. October 2, 1953) is one of Stevie’s close friends. She assisted with recording the demo for “Sara,” which was later recorded for Fleetwood Mac’s 12th studio album Tusk (1979). The song’s title was inspired by her. “I used her name because I love the name so much” (Nicks, 2009).

“My friend Sara was there when I wrote it. She kept the coffee going and kept the cassettes coming and made sure we didn’t run out of batteries, and it was a long, long night recording that demo. She was a great songwriter helper.

“Sara was the poet in my heart. She likes to think it was all written about her, but it really wasn’t. She’s in there, for sure, but it’s written about a lot of other things, too” (Nicks, 2015).

In 1978, Sara started dating drummer Mick Fleetwood after his secret affair with Stevie ended. Sara and Mick married in 1988 and divorced in 1995. Sara was previously married to producer Jim Recor in the early 1970s.

Sara provided backup vocals for some tracks on Stevie’s fifth solo album Street Angel (1994) and accompanied her on the Street Angel Tour as a backup vocalist.

References

Fleetwood, M. (1990). Fleetwood: My life and adventures with Fleetwood Mac. New York: Morrow.

Jones (Recor), Sara L. California, Marriages, 1960 – 1985.

Nicks, S. (2009). Stevie Nicks on her favorite songs. Entertainment Weekly.

Nicks, S. (2015). Fleetwood Mac: Tusk Expanded [liner notes].

May 1, 2001
Who is Lori Nicks?

Lori Nicks is one of Stevie’s longtime backup singers.

Stevie first met Lori in 1973 through her future husband Gordon Perry, who knew Buckingham Nicks producer Keith Olsen. “When I was living in Dallas, my (future) husband, Gordon Perry, was working with a producer in Los Angeles, Keith Olsen. Keith was producing a new act he had found called Buckingham Nicks. During the making of their first record, I met Stevie, briefly, in the studio. Over the years, we kept in touch with Stevie, after she joined Fleetwood Mac, when we went to LA, or when the band came to Dallas on tour. One night, after a show in Dallas, Stevie came to Gordon’s studio, Goodnight Dallas, to record some demos. She recorded two songs: ‘Sara’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast.’

“Stevie found out that I sang, and suggested I try to put some background parts on the songs. I was so flattered, but a bit reticent to do so…. I really didn’t feel that I had the talent to sing on a Stevie Nicks song. Finally, after much urging by Gordon, and the promise that my best friend, Carolyn Brooks, would sing with me, we went into the studio and added background vocals and had a musician put keyboards on the demo ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ When Stevie heard the demo, she called me and told me right then that when she started her solo record, she wanted me to be one of her back-up singers, along with Sharon Celani.”

Lori toured consisently with Stevie’s solo band from 1981 to 1989 until she married Stevie’s brother Christopher. Together, they had one child, Jessica “Jessi” James, born on September 27, 1991. Lori took a hiatus from touring to focus on her family, which continues to this day. But Lori makes occasional appearances at Stevie’s performances and benefit shows.

Reference

Nicks, L. (2010, Nov-27) [Archive.org capture date]. Ask Lori a question. The Nicks Fix.

May 1, 2001
Who is Karen Johnston?

Karen Johnston has been Stevie’s loyal personal assistant and close friend since 1990. Karen took care of Stevie’s former Phoenix home for many years. Prior to then, Ginny “The Fan Mail Lady” Kamano assisted Stevie. Karen’s sister Kelly co-wrote the Fleetwood Mac song “No Questions Asked” and also assisted Stevie for a short time.

May 1, 2001
Who is Marilyn Martin?

Marilyn Martin is one of Stevie’s backup vocalists. She is best known for singing on the No. 1 single “Separate Lives,” a duet with Phil Collins, from the White Nights: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985).

Marilyn met Stevie during The Wild Heart Tour in 1983. “We were doing sound check one day when the tour began, and Stevie was watching. Actually, I think Stevie listened to Joe whenever she could because she had a deep appreciation for his music and his insane sense of humor. I was lucky to have been in the background, and fortunate to have caught her eye/ear. A few weeks into the tour Stevie asked if I would like to sing with her as well as Joe.”

After the tour, Marilyn and Stevie collaborated on Stevie’s song “Sorcerer,” recording the track for the Streets of Fire: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1984). She later provided backup vocals for Stevie’s third solo album Rock a Little (1985). This opportunity led to a brief solo career, with Marilyn releasing two solo albums in the mid-1980s: Marilyn Martin (1986) and This Is Serious (1988). In 2012, she recorded one more album, Trust, Love, Pray.

Marilyn has been touring with Stevie as a backup vocalist since the 24 Karat Gold Tour (2016). Stevie affectionately refers to Marilyn as “Mini.”

Reference

Martin, M. (2004, Jan-16) [Archive.org capture date]. Singers’ Pages: Marilyn Martin. The Nicks Fix.

May 1, 2001
Who is Robin Synder Anderson?

Robin Snyder Anderson was Stevie’s childhood friend. They met at Arcadia High School in the mid-1960s. Sadly, Robin succumbed to leukemia in 1982. Shortly before passing away, Robin gave birth to her and her husband’s (record executive Kim Anderson) son, Matthew. Partly out of their grief, Stevie and Kim married in 1983 but divorced after only three months.

Stevie reflected on Robin’s death in the songs “Gypsy” (1982) and “Nightbird” (1983).

May 1, 2001
Who is Glen Parrish?

Glen Parrish is Stevie’s close friend and former manager (from January 1986 to March 1995).

Tragically, Glen’s 18-year-old son, Glen Berlin Parrish, died in 2011, allegedly from an accidental drug and alcohol overdose at a UCLA fraternity (Stevens, 2011). Stevie’s song “You Can’t Fix This” was inspired by this incident.

Reference

Parrish, G. (1986-1995). Artist Manager, HK Management [employment profile]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/in/glen-parrish-925a474b

Stevens, M. (2011). Father blames UCLA fraternity for son’s death. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-nov-09-la-me-1109-frat-house-death-20111109-story.html

May 1, 2001
Who is Sharon Celani?

Sharon Celani is one of Stevie’s longtime backup vocalists.

In 1978, which vacationing in Maui, Stevie met Sharon at The Blue Max, a nightclub on historic Front Street in Lahaina. Sharon and her Top-40 music band invited Stevie onstage to perform with them. One of the first songs that they performed together was Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” later covered and popularized by Linda Ronstadt and Teri Clark. Although Stevie didn’t know the words to the song, Sharon amusingly whispered them in Stevie’s ear as they sang together.

Sometime that evening, Stevie told Sharon about the new condo she had purchased at on the island, but it was missing a piano on which she could rehearse songs. The following day, Sharon arranged to borrow a piano from one of her musician friends and have it delivered to Stevie’s condo. Delighted by the gesture, Stevie invited Sharon over to the condo so that they could rehearse a song that Stevie had been working on called “Blue Water” and, more importantly, hear how their voices sounded together. Impressed with the results, Stevie asked Sharon if she would be interested in participating on the solo project that would become Bella Donna. Sharon graciously accepted Stevie’s offer and the rest, as they say, is history. Sharon has been recording and performing onstage with Stevie ever since.

References

Celani, S. (2021, Mar-30). Stevie Nicks changed my life! The Magic of Rock n Roll: Sharon Celani [interview]. ADIKA LIVE!

Celani, S. (2002, Jul-26). [Archive.org capture date] Vocalist: Sharon Celani. The Nick Fix.

May 1, 2001
Who is Sandy Stewart?

Sandy Stewart is a singer-songwriter who has collaborated with Stevie on many tracks through her solo career. She is featured collaborator on Stevie’s second solo album The Wild Heart (1983), performing on several tracks such as “If Anyone Falls”and “Nightbird.” Stevie provided backup vocals on three tracks (“Cat Dancers,” “Get My Way,” “I Pretend”) on Sandy’s 1983 solo album Cat Dancer.

Sandy co-wrote the songs “Seven Wonders” from Tango in the Night, “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind” from Street Angel (1994), and “Too Far From Texas” from Trouble in Shangri-La (2001).

May 1, 2001