Most famous musicians start by listening to what their parents loved. The songs played at home often shape their sound. But for Stevie Nicks, things were different. Even though she grew up surrounded by music, she quickly realized what she liked — and it wasn’t exactly what her family expected.
Her grandfather was a country singer, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had followed that path. But young Stevie had her own taste. “My grandfather was a country singer, but I said, ‘No, I’m full-on Top 40. I’m not country,’” she once told Rolling Stone. Instead of twangy ballads, she was dancing to R&B hits by the Shirelles, the Supremes, and songs written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. That was her introduction to the joy of singing — fun, catchy, emotional music that spoke to her spirit.
As Stevie grew older, she began to look beyond what was popular. She started to pay attention to the great storytellers — artists who could turn their thoughts and feelings into poetry. This is when she discovered Joni Mitchell, one of her biggest inspirations. Joni didn’t just write songs; she wrote stories filled with emotion, confusion, love, and pain. Stevie admired how Joni could fit so many words and ideas into one song and still make it sound beautiful.
“I studied how Joni phrased her lyrics,” Stevie once said. “You can fit a lot of words into a song if you sing them right.” That lesson shaped how Stevie wrote her own songs later in life. Every lyric she sang — from “Landslide” to “Dreams” — carried emotion and honesty because she learned how to make words flow naturally.
Along with Joni Mitchell, Stevie also admired Carole King. She looked up to how Carole and her songwriting partner Gerry Goffin created timeless hits that connected deeply with listeners. Stevie said she used to listen to Carole’s songs and imagine herself doing the same one day. When she eventually wrote Dreams for Fleetwood Mac, she thought back to that little girl who used to sing along to Carole King records and dream about writing something meaningful.
While Joni and Carole shaped her songwriting, other powerful women inspired her stage presence. Stevie learned confidence and strength by watching singers like Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, who owned every stage they stepped on. Stevie took that same energy and made it her own — flowing dresses, twirling movements, and a mysterious charm that became her signature look.
Over the years, Stevie Nicks has become the kind of artist she once looked up to. Younger generations now study her music the same way she once studied Joni Mitchell’s. Her voice, lyrics, and spirit continue to inspire singers and songwriters all over the world.
What makes Stevie’s journey special is that she never simply copied her idols. She listened, learned, and then followed her own heart. By blending the storytelling of Joni Mitchell, the emotion of Carole King, and the power of classic R&B, she created a sound that was uniquely hers — timeless, honest, and unforgettable.