"M" AND "N" BLOG POST, TWO IN ONE!

Yesterday was "M" day on the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I did not post an "M" blog post so I am going to combine yesterday and today's "N" blog into one post.

We take another detour off the beaten path for the group portion of the blog post. This group came out of the folk music scene and consisted of two men and two women. This "M" group came to be known as The Mama's and the Papa's.

The Mama's and the Papa's were formed in 1965 by husband and wife John and Michelle Phillips. John and Michelle added Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot from the folk group, the Mugwumps. John was the leading songwriter. Denny and Cass were the vocal leads depending on the song. Michelle provided backing vocals and harmonies.

After forming up, the band went to the Virgin Islands to rehearse and develop their sound. After returning to New York the band was invited to audition for Dunhill Records in L.A. They made the trip, auditioned and were signed to a contract for two albums per year for ten years. Unfortunately for the record company the group did not last ten years, disbanding in 1968.

The band's tenure was marked by Michelle being unfaithful to John. Reportedly she had affairs with a member of the Byrds and later with Denny Doherty. Michaelle was tossed from the band for her indiscretions but later rejoined because her replacement did not possess the same charisma as she did.

The band released five studio albums. Some of their hits include "Go Where You Wanna Go;" "California Dreamin';" "Monday, Monday;" (Their Greatest Hit); "I Saw Her Again;" "Words of Love;" and "Creeque Alley." Creeque Alley is a song-biography about the formation and early history of the band. 

Although their time was brief they did make an impact. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1968.

My "N" solo artist is in my humble opinion the finest female rock and roll lead vocalist of all time...Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks. Stevie was born on May 26, 1948, in Phoenix, AZ. Stevie's dad is Jess Nicks the president of Greyhound Armour-Dial. Her mom, Barbara was a homemaker. Stevie sang duets with her paternal grandfather, a struggling Country and Western singer, at four years old. 

Stevie met her musical soul mate, Lindsey Buckingham, in high school. Both Stevie and Lindsey attended San Jose State University in California. Stevie studied Speech Communication with a view towards becoming an English teacher. Both Stevie and Lindsey dropped out of school and moved to L.A. to pursue a music career.

Between 1972 and 1974 Stevie and Lindsey lived together with a number of people. Stevie worked different odd jobs to support them and to work on her music. It was during this period that Stevie wrote two of her greatest hits "Rhiannon" and "Landslide."

In 1975 lightning struck and both she and Lindsey joined Fleetwood Mac. The rest, as they say is history. Stevie Nicks helped make Fleetwood Mac the hit making juggernaut that it became. Stevie contributed "Rhiannon" and "Landslide" to the first album she recorded with Fleetwood Mac, the self titled "Fleetwood Mac."

By the time they started working on their second album with Fleetwood Mac, Stevie's and Lindsey's personal relationship deteriorated to the point of bitterness bordering on hatred. The best selling album was called   Rumours." 

Throughout her years with Fleetwood Mac, Stevie worked on several solo projects that became big hits. Her records and awards are too many to list in a short blog post, but they are very many and very impressive.

Stevie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Fleetwood Mac in 1998. Stevie also has done a wonderful job addressing the needs of this country's wounded warriors. She has contributed her time visiting with wounded servicemen and their families and gave of her fortune for the same reason. She gives wounded servicemen I-Pods containing music that she personally selects and she personally autographs them.

I have been a fan of Stevie Nicks since she joined Fleetwood Mac. I still am and will always be! Rock n Stevie!