Kenny Loggins Recalls Stevie Nicks' Offer That Led to 'My Breakthrough' in 1978: 'Probably We Were Drunk'

Mar. 15, 2025

Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks circa 1978.Photo:Chris Walter/Getty

Chris Walter/Getty

Kenny Logginshad a run of successful singles in the ’80s, when he was known as the “King of the Movie Soundtrack.” His 1984 No. 1 hit, “Footloose,” from the movie of the same, was one of the defining songs of the decade.

Yet Loggins, 76, who first enjoyed chart success as a member of the duo Loggins and Messina in the early to mid ’70s, says his solo career might never have happened had it not been for a friendly invitation fromStevie Nicks.

Loggins talks about his early association with theFleetwood Macsuperstar in the new HBO filmYacht Rock: A Dockumentary, which explores the belatedly named soft-rock genre of the late ’70s and early ’80s that blended soft rock, jazz and R&B and of which Loggins was a major part.

His contributions to the sound include two Grammy-winning hits that he cowrote with Michael McDonald, his own “This is It” and the Doobie Brothers' “What a Fool Believes,” as well as “Whenever I Call You Friend,” a 1978 vocal collaboration with Nicks.

Kenny Loggins in 1983.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

“There was some bounce back from going solo,” he says in the documentary, which is streaming on Max. “I didn’t realize at the time how difficult it was to go from a successful duo into being a successful soloist, and I credit Stevie Nicks a lot with my breakthrough, because it was the duet with Stevie that ultimately made a huge difference in launching my solo career, ‘cause she was so loved at the time.”

In 1977, during the ascent of Fleetwood Mac’sRumoursalbum, the band tapped Loggins as their opening act. “I like to say I went on theRumoursride with them because I was out with them for six or seven months and became friends with the band, especially Mick [Fleetwood] and Stevie,” he continues.

Kenny Loggins in ‘Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary’.HBO

HBO

“She said to me one day, probably we were drunk, she said, ‘If you need a chick singer, give me a call.’ So I said, ‘OK, I got that going for me.’ "

The resulting single from his Top 10 debut solo album,Nightwatch,went all the way to No. 5 onBillboard’s Hot 100 in 1978, setting the stage for a remarkable solo career that would continue to produce hits through the next decade, including “Footloose” and “Danger Zone” (the No. 2 hit fromTop Gun).

‘Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary’.Courtesy of HBO

Courtesy of HBO

“Kenny Loggins can’t be contained in one genre,” saysYacht Rock(the web series) host Steve Huey in the documentary. “He has to explore; he has to push his boundaries. So even when Kenny Loggins does yacht rock, he’s only doing it a couple tracks an album most of the time. But when he does it, it’s so good and so genre-defining that he’s still up on the Mount Rushmore.”

Yacht Rock: A Dockumentaryis now streaming on Max.

source: people.com