Why Tom Petty Was ‘Wary’ of Stevie Nicks When They Met

While Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are often considered one of the most notable relationships in rock ‘n roll, Nicks and Tom Petty had an influential friendship when it came to music. When the two first met, Nicks was a huge fan of Petty, but Petty was apprehensive about Nicks’ intentions.

Stevie Nicks was a fan of Tom Petty

Petty was primarily known for his work in the band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers while Nicks was known as a member of Fleetwood Mac.

According to Music Spotlight Magazine, Nicks wrote a tribute to Petty in Rolling Stone Magazine, explaining how she learned about him.

“In 1976, I’d been in Fleetwood Mac for about a year when I heard Tom Petty’s debut,” Nicks wrote in 2004. “I became a fan right then. I loved the way Tom’s Florida swamp-dog voice sounded in cahoots with Mike Campbell’s guitar and Benmont Tench’s keyboards.

She continued, “Tom had the same influences we had- the Byrds, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash-but he dropped in lots of serious old blues. I became such a fan that if I hadn’t been in a band myself, l would have joined that one.”

Tom Petty was nervous about Stevie Nicks at first

In an interview with American Songwriter, Petty shared that he was “a little wary” about Nicks when she first asked to work with him.

“Stevie came to me around ’78. And she was this absolutely stoned-gone huge fan. And it was her mission in life that I should write her a song. And we were a little wary of Stevie,” Petty admitted to American Songwriter.

According to Petty, he associated Nicks with preconceived notions he had about Fleetwood Mac.

“We didn’t quite know whether to like Stevie or not, because we kind of saw this big corporate rock band, Fleetwood Mac, which was wrong, they were actually artistic people,” Petty said.

The two artists became good friends

Speaking with American Songwriter, Petty admitted that he was suspicious about Nicks’ intentions.

“But in those days, nobody trusted that sort of thing and we just kept thinking, ‘What does she want from us?’” Petty explained.

However, Petty ended up being wrong about his initial wariness, and he went on to regard Nicks as a close friend.

“And then, of course, she turned into one of my great, great friends forever. But Stevie was really adamant about me writing her a song,” Petty told American Songwriter.

In 1981, Petty and Nicks released a duet with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers called “Insider.” Nicks and Petty remained friends until Petty’s death in 2017.