The country band Stevie Nicks would have “happily” joined in a heartbeat: “My favourite person to sing with, ever”
If Stevie Nicks endorses a band, it would be considered the privilege of a lifetime by the subject and mean they could go to their musical grave happy.
There are plentiful younger artists over the years that she has given the rub of the green to, whether this be Vanessa Carlton or Haim, who both worship the ground that she walks upon. For many, just knowing Nicks knows you exist is enough, but to have her respect and adulation is like walking on the moon.
Nicks isn’t one who is shy about the art of collaboration, too. While she is a solo star, it’s always been part of her DNA to work with others. Before Fleetwood Mac, she was one-half of Buckingham Nicks after she met Lindsey Buckingham during their time at university, and she’s always remained keen to challenge herself in new environments.
However, as much as she may have been keen to work with others, making it happen was a different matter while she was balancing Fleetwood Mac with solo endeavours.
Nevertheless, she’s still teamed up with everyone from BB King to Tom Petty and even today’s contemporary artists, such as Miley Cyrus and Harry Styles, the latter of whom joined her on-stage at Hyde Park in 2024.
There’s only a limited amount of time in the day, which means that taking time out to join another band is out of the question for an individual as busy as Nicks. However, if The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks) came calling, Nicks would have accepted the invitation with glee and somehow made it work.
While the call to Nicks from The Chicks never transpired, she has shared a stage with Natalie Maines from the band, which gave her a taste of what it would be like to be an honorary Chick.
Their paths first crossed in 2002 when The Chicks covered Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’, which ultimately led to the special moment. Although Nicks was the more famous name, she was utterly mesmerised by Maines’ talent, and if it was up to her, she’d happily repeat that sensation on a nightly basis.
“Natalie Maines is my favourite person to sing with, ever,” Nicks told Oprah Winfrey in a 2008 interview. “I could happily be a part of the Dixie Chicks. Even though they’re billed as country artists, they’re very rock ‘n’ roll.”
The Chicks’ version of ‘Landslide’ became a monumental success for the group and later went platinum, likely introducing the song to a new demographic, too. For Maines, she was drawn to the song due to being the same age as Nicks when she originally recorded it, which made ‘Landslide’ feel like it was written personally for her situation.
This started a beautiful bond, with Nicks later recalling, “I love it (the cover), and since I got to go to Las Vegas and actually sing it with the girls, that was such a treat for me.”
The singer, referring to VH1 Divas Las Vegas in 2002, when they shared the stage, added of passing ‘Lanslide’ on to the band, “I can remember (writing) it and seeing it through my eyes when I was, gosh, in my early 20s and then through my eyes all the way up until now — and through you guys’ eyes. It’s really quite an amazing metamorphosis for this song from generation to generation to generation, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
The moment clearly left an impression on her, as it was six years later when Nicks declared to Winfrey that Mains was “her favourite person to sing with” in the world.
While they haven’t performed ‘Landslide’ together in over two decades, the bond is still going strong.
In a 2020 interview with Watch What Happens Live, Maines said when asked about Nicks, “She writes the most amazing letters… I’m not somebody who saves a lot of stuff, I’m not very sentimental, and I have everything Stevie Nicks has ever given me.”
Hopefully, in a few years, when Maines is the age that Nicks was when they last performed ‘Landslide’ in 2002, they will reunite once more and let the Fleetwood Mac star live out her dream as a Dixie Chick for one final night.
