Cool Rolling Stone Photoshoot from 1981

Stevie Nicks on the 1981 "Rolling Stone" cover

      In 1981, Nicks was riding high with her first successful solo album entitled Bella Donna.  This album was released on July 27th, 1981 and sold over four million copies in the country. Four singles off her album, Stop Draggin' my Heart Around(ft. Tom Petty), Edge of Seventeen, Leather and Lace (ft. Don Henley) and "After the Glitter Fades" made it in the Top 40 on Billboard Hot 100.  Not too shabby for your first solo album right?

    Right now you're probably thinking "It can't get any better..."  Well, it did.  Rolling Stone Magazine made Nicks their cover girl in 1981 and crowned her as "Queen of Rock and Roll".  I went on youtube.com a few days back and found rare footage of Nicks' Rolling Stone photo shoot.  You can actually hear legend photographer Annie Leibovitz giving Nicks' direction in these clips.  And hey, its only appropriate that they play Rolling Stone's Beast of Burden on a Rolling Stone Magazine photo shoot right?  Check it out...


"Pretty, Pretty, Such a pretty, pretty, pretty girl.  Come on babyyyy.."  Ah I love that song!  :)

I love how shes trying to pose with Max the bird.  Props to her!  That bird looked a little out of control...

    Sometimes, when an artist embarks on a solo career, they can lose who they are as an artist.  Stevie Nicks had a brilliant way (and still does for that matter) of maintaining a strong career for both bands.  I believe this is because she is aware that she needs to be somewhat different in both situations.  If you happen to catch a Fleetwood Mac Tour (I hope to dear god its soon...) take a look at how she is able to be a focal point but able to work with her bandmates as well. She is aware that when she is on tour with Fleetwood Mac, she is one in five people.   She is more inhibited in a sense.  I'm not saying that she stands there like a stone. Sure, she still rocks the platforms, chiffon and twirls, but she definitely tones it down out of respect for her fellow bandmates.  She is not only singing her own songs, but the songs of her other bandmates as well.  Catch her on her solo tour and you will see how her stage presence is much different.  She is less inhibited for she is her own boss in a sense.  It is HER band so she can make her own descisions such as a change up of a set list, or maybe hitting a high note at the end of a song.  With Fleetwood Mac, she doesn't have that luxury.
    Whether on tour with Fleetwood Mac or on her own, Nicks is simply enchanting.  She has an impressive ability to manage her performance in a way that makes everyone happy.  She never was cocky with the fact that she was a successful solo artist, and never intended to rub it in Fleetwood Mac's face. What good would that do? That is class at its finest! 
Nicks is a perfect example of how to stay loyal to your band, while also maintaining a successful solo career.  Fergie,Gwen Stefani...take notes! 
 
My sister is home from Los Angeles for the holidays and now we need to BASH it.  Want to know what a BASH is?  Keep reading over the next few days and you'll find out...

JDSkills