Stevie Nicks recently shared a decades-old letter that reveals her early prediction about Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar prowess. She posted the personal correspondence on Instagram.
The letter was written over 50 years ago during the recording of the Buckingham Nicks album. It was addressed to her family and had been preserved by her mother in a drawer all these years.
“I wanted to share this letter I wrote to my family while Lindsey and I were making Buckingham Nicks,” Nicks said. “My mom saved it and it’s been in a drawer for over 50 years.”
The letter provides intimate glimpses into the young musician’s life and aspirations during the recording process.
“Dear Mom and Dad and Chris, Well, here I am – once again at the ‘famous’ Sound City Recording Studio,” she wrote. “I am getting very tired of sitting around listening to 12 hours of music per day. Oh well, I know it will pay off in the end, and when I am sitting in my small but luxurious Beverly Hills home overlooking my small but tasteful pool that is totally secluded, where I can sun in the nude and tan my entire fat body while waiting for my plastic surgery leg lift – it will all be worth it.”
The letter also contains playful family banter and birthday plans, as Nicks was approaching her 25th birthday at the time.
“Speaking of being almost 25 – I have decided that we should set aside the entire month of May to celebrate the fact that I am now 1 quarter of a century old,” she continued. “A new landmark like this should not simply be passed over as yet another birthday, but should include a gala celebration.”
Most notably, the letter contains her prescient observation about Buckingham’s musical talent.
“Dad and Chris – that rock and roll tune that you both liked (‘Baby Baby, don’t treat me so bad’) with the fancy guitar work is almost finished and Lindsey may go down in history as one of ‘greats’ in guitar playing,” she wrote. “It really is quite amazing.”
This prediction would prove remarkably accurate. Buckingham later became renowned for his innovative guitar work with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
The timing of this letter’s release coincides with renewed interest in the duo’s early work. Their collaborative efforts during this period laid the foundation for their later success with Fleetwood Mac.
Wikipedia reported that Buckingham Nicks was recorded in 1973 at the famous Sound City Recording Studio and produced by Keith Olsen. This process involved Lindsey and Stevie dropping out of college to fully focus on their music careers. Despite their dedication and the quality of the recordings, the album was a commercial failure upon its release. It sold poorly and received limited radio play.
The album remained largely forgotten by mainstream audiences for decades, though it gained cult status among dedicated fans. Stevie Nicks Info noted that the record was not remastered or digitally re-released for over five decades. This made original vinyl copies highly sought after by collectors. This scarcity only added to the album’s mystique and the significance of the early recordings that captured the duo’s raw talent.
The album showcased Buckingham’s versatility as both a guitarist and songwriter. It featured instrumental tracks like “Django” — an homage to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt — and “Stephanie,” a love song written specifically for Nicks, whose birth name is Stephanie Lynn Nicks. These pieces demonstrated the creative range and technical skill that would later make Buckingham one of rock’s most respected guitarists.
Rhino Records confirmed that on September 19, 2025, Buckingham Nicks was finally remastered and re-released on CD, vinyl, and streaming platforms. This brought the duo’s early work to a new generation of listeners. This reissue has reaffirmed the enduring significance of their collaboration and validated Nicks’s early prediction about Buckingham’s musical legacy.
