What Was Buckingham Nicks? All About Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s Band Before Fleetwood Mac
Wait, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had a band before Fleetwood Mac?
With the band’s incredible success in the mid-1970s, many are likely unaware that Fleetwood Mac existed for nearly a decade before recruiting Nicks and Buckingham to their ranks. And they didn’t come out of nowhere: before joining, the two — who met in high school, and previously performed together in a band called Fritz — tried to make it as a musical duo. Their one album, the eponymous Buckingham Nicks, was released in 1973.
It was, to put it mildly, a flop. Two years later, Nicks and Buckingham made their debut on Fleetwood Mac, the band’s tenth album. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart and spawned hits like “Rhiannon” and “Over My Head.” Fleetwood Mac’s career took off, leaving Buckingham Nicks to be forgotten…until recently.
This week, a billboard has popped up on Los Angeles’ Sunset Boulevard, seemingly teasing a reissue of Nicks and Buckingham’s out-of-print album. According to this photo shared by a fan, the billboard replicates the album’s artwork and has the date “Sept. 19.”
a video too in case anyone is still doubting the legitimacy of this. & that car horn couldn’t have been timed any better 😭 pic.twitter.com/gLxtSMraGx
— 💫 (@ChristinaD23) July 22, 2025
Both Nicks and Buckingham added fuel to the fire by posting matching Instagram posts. Each featured lyrics from “Frozen Love,” a song from the Buckingham Nicks album. She posted “And if you go forward…” while he posted “I’ll meet you there,” completing the song’s chorus.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
On top of that, Rhino Records posted a page for Buckingham Nicks on their website over the past weekend. It has been taken down, though the URL for the page reportedly still exists.
Buckingham Nicks, first released on Polydor/Anthem, has been one of those great lost albums. It hasn’t received a digital reissue or a vinyl remastering. Used copies of the cassette version go for around $30 on Discogs, while the cheapest version of the vinyl will set you back about $65 (with Near Mint copies selling well for over $100 USD).
Part of Buckingham Nicks has endured, though: Stevie Nicks’ song “Crystal” first appeared on the LP, before she re-recorded it for Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 album. Nicks later re-recorded the song with her on lead vocals for the Practical Magic soundtrack.
However, don’t expect a Buckingham Nicks reunion. Although they were romantically linked when they joined Fleetwood Mac, their relationship soon deteriorated. And it hasn’t gotten better in the decades since.
Stevie told Rolling Stone that the last time she spoke to Lindsey was for “about three minutes” during the funeral for Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie in 2022. “I dealt with Lindsey for as long as I could,” she said.
Where Are They Now? Music Legends
July/August 2025
They rocked and rolled us, they shredded, they head-slammed and they crooned, but what happened to them and where are they now?
Buy This Issue