(Credits: Ralph Arvesen)
Tue 28 October 2025 18:00, UK
It’s never easy for anyone like Stevie Nicks to realise they’re going to become legendary.
As much as it might be fun to dream about becoming one of the biggest names in music, you’re always one in thousands of people with the same dream, and there’s a slim to none chance that it’s actually going to come true. But when Nicks first started making music, she knew that she at least had a firm foundation to become a giant once she stepped into the world of Fleetwood Mac.
But before Nicks had even been asked to join, ‘The Mac’ were already legends amongst rock and roll circles. Peter Green had already got away with the unenviable task of displacing Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and as much as he held his own in the group, his genius took the same career trajectory as Syd Barrett. It was great while it lasted, but it was never going to sustain them.
So with a guitar legend now absent, the band went through a bit of a wilderness period before they became the version of themselves that most people know about. Gone were the days of massive blues jams, and with newcomer Bob Welch in the group, they got a little bit closer to the easy-listening version of the group that everyone knows. But listening to Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham play on Rumours, the band were practically a supergroup at that point.
Despite being a close-knit team together, Nicks and Buckingham had to deal with one of the best rhythm sections in rock and roll. Having worked the blues circuit before, Mick Fleetwod and John McVie could have easily become greats on their own, but even with all of their accolades, Nicks was convinced that Buckingham could outshine everyone in the group with his guitar acrobatics.
She had already seen it firsthand, and in a letter to her family, she assured them that Buckingham was bound for stardom, saying, “Lindsey may go down in history as one of ‘greats’ in guitar playing. It really is quite amazing.” And with his unorthodox way of putting together melodies, there’s hardly any reason for anyone to argue with Buckingham’s place in rock and roll Valhalla.
The whole idea of playing without a pick may not have been anything new around that time, but the way that Buckingham approached his craft was unlike any other guitarist. He had the dexterity of a bluegrass legend and the pop sensibilities of a Brian Wilson, and while Nicks eventually realised what she got herself into when he started aiming songs towards her, that didn’t stop the tunes being absolutely fantastic.
But it should also be said that Buckingham very well could have faded into obscurity without Nicks as well. She was the one keeping both of them afloat in the early days of their duo Buckingham Nicks, and regardless of how many times he could work on a guitar part, nothing was going to match the raw passion that Nicks had on her best tunes like ‘Dreams’ and ‘Sisters of the Moon’.
Both of them were the epitome of a package deal when they joined the group, but whenever anyone talks about the greatest guitarists of all time, they need to realise the kind of player that Buckingham was. He may be known for soft rock classics, but those listening to ‘Big Love’ and attempting to play it on the first try are sure in for a surprise.
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