Ask Lori a Question

• Tell me a little about your history, like where you grew up, how you got into performing / singing.
grew up in the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles. From the time I was in elementary school, I sang in the Chorus. In Junior High, I sang in the “Girls Chorus,” and in High School I sang in the Choir, Ensemble and Madrigal Choirs. From the time I was a young teen I had always dreamed of being a “singer.”

I even once auditioned for a well-known club owner in Hollywood, when I was about 17, but for several reasons - most importantly, I helped to take care of my mother who was quite ill - I decided that being a “rock and roll star” was not in my future.

From an early album photo session

When I graduated from High School, in 1969, I decided to go to business college to secure a “career” for myself as a secretary. I figured if I couldn’t be a star, I could work behind the scenes in the music business. My first full-time job was actually with a television production company. After a year and a half, I found a job working for the head of a small record company that was owned by Andy Williams. There I started learning all aspects of the music business, and one time even sang a little background part on a record that my boss was producing. After a couple of years there, I met a record producer from Texas, and ended up moving to Dallas. In Dallas, I worked for many music organizations, including several recording studios, as a secretary. After several years, I did some singing on demos, and even on some commercial jingles.

• How did you first meet Stevie?
hen I was living in Dallas, my (future) husband, Gordon Perry, was working with a producer in Los Angeles, Keith Olsen. Keith was producing a new act he had found called, “Buckingham Nicks.” During the making of their first record, I met Stevie, briefly, in the studio. Over the years, we kept in touch with Stevie, after she joined Fleetwood Mac, when we went to LA, or when the band came to Dallas on tour. One night, after a show in Dallas, Stevie came to Gordon’s studio, “Goodnight Dallas,” to record some demos. She recorded two songs: “Sara” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

Stevie found out that I sang, and suggested I try to put some background parts on the songs. I was so flattered, but a bit reticent to do so.... I really didn’t feel that I had the talent to sing on a “Stevie Nicks” song. Finally, after much urging by Gordon, and the promise that my best friend, Carolyn Brooks, would sing with me, we went into the studio and added background vocals and had a musician put keyboards on the demo “Beauty and the Beast”. When Stevie heard the demo, she called me and told me right then that when she started her solo record, she wanted me to be one of her back-up singers, along with Sharon Celani.

• Confirm what tour(s) and recording(s) with Stevie and/or Fleetwood Mac you were on.
have worked with Stevie, and have sung on every solo record that she has recorded since 1981. I also sang back-up on the first four solo tours Stevie did, including several individual shows and benefits. I have loved every minute, and been proud of all the music we have done together:

I also had the privilege of singing backup on one Fleetwood Mac tour, “Tango In The Night” in 1987-88.

Over the years, there have been several songs I sang on with Stevie that were used on different movie and television soundtracks:

And finally, here are some songs that I sang on with Stevie that were on other artists’ recordings:

• What song do you like performing with Stevie the most and why?

Stevie and Lori circa 2001

here are two songs that I’ve sung with Stevie that are particularly dear to my heart. The first song is “Beauty And The Beast”, partially because it is the song that got me my job singing with Stevie, and also because the harmonies are so beautiful and fun to sing.

The second song is “Nightbird”, which I sang as a duet with Stevie live on “Saturday Night Live” in December, 1983. That performance is probably the highlight of my live singing career with Stevie. It was not planned for me to sing with Stevie until two days before the show, and was an unbelievable experience - one I will carry with me always.