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Stevie Nicks was always meant to work with music in some way. Ever since her grandfather taught her to harmonize at age five, she knew she wanted to perform. While her mother tried to push her to become an actor, she decided that she wanted to pursue a music career.

Fortunately, Nicks met Lindsey Buckingham, and they formed Buckingham Nicks. Eventually, the duo won the golden ticket when the members of Fleetwood Mac asked them to join their disjointed band. Nicks says it was her destiny to join Fleetwood Mac, and it must have been. However, she did have a few alternative plans up her sleeve if her music career didn’t work out.

Stevie Nicks performing in black with Fleetwood Mac in California, 1977.
Stevie Nicks | Richard McCaffrey/ Michael Ochs Archive/ Getty Images

Nicks’ mother, Barbara, instilled a great work ethic in her daughter. Barbara never wanted Nicks to depend on anyone and warned the singer that she better be her own boss because Nicks hated being told what to do. Nicks envisioned she could be independent like her mother wanted if she started a music career. Barbara supported Nicks in every way she could, but Nicks had to work for what she wanted.

So, of course, Nicks had to come up with backup plans just in case things didn’t work out. But those backup plans didn’t have to be outside of music. In 2001, Nicks told 96.1 WSRS that if her music career fell through, she’d have still managed to get some kind of music-related career.

“I think if I had not have made it in the music business I would’ve either been a music teacher or a disc jockey,” Nicks said. “Absolutely.”

“Because that would’ve been where my love would have went, you know, and this is my low disc jockey voice,” she continued. “I’ve been doing press for weeks. So I’m kind, kinda losing my voice from talking. This is not a loss from singing. This is just from speaking, you know. So this low voice… I have to raise up my pitch you know, and come up, you know, but so, this is my disc jockey voice… (Stevie chuckles).”

Nicks planned to become a teacher after she got her degree

According to StevieNicks.info, Nicks briefly attended Cañada College, a community college in Redwood City, California. Later, she chose to major in speech communication and minor in psychology at San Jose State College (University).

After college, Nicks planned to pursue a career in teaching before deciding she wanted to drop everything for a career in the music business.

Nicks referenced this time in her life during her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction speech in 2019. She said as soon as she called her mom to tell her she quit college because she and Buckingham had to move to LA to start their music careers, Barbara said, “OK, that’s fine. But we will be withdrawing all financial support, as of this minute.” Nicks flat out said, “I know, mom.”

Fortunately, it all worked out for Nicks. However, we think she would have been a great teacher, psychologist, speech therapist, music teacher, or disc jockey.

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Nicks said joining Fleetwood Mac was her destiny

Nicks knows what else would have happened had her music career failed. If she and Buckingham hadn’t moved to LA, they would have started a life together.

“And we would have married and had children, ’cause we were headed that way. We didn’t really mess up till we moved to Los Angeles. And that was when the whole world just ripped us apart,” Nicks told the Guardian.

However, Nicks believes that she was destined to join Fleetwood Mac. “Fleetwood Mac was our destiny,” Nicks said. It certainly was.

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