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The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Strayer (vocals, guitar, banjo, Dobro).

Key Information

Martie and Emily (both née Erwin) founded the Dixie Chicks in 1989 with bassist Laura Lynch and singer and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy. They performed bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years. In 1992, Macy left the group with Lynch taking over vocals. After independently releasing three albums, in 1995, the Dixie Chicks were signed by Monument Records Nashville and Maines replaced Lynch. They released their first album with Monument, Wide Open Spaces, in 1998, followed by Fly in 1999. Both albums were certified diamond.

In 2003, the Dixie Chicks publicly criticized the US president George W. Bush and the imminent Iraq War, triggering a backlash and damaging sales of their 2002 album Home. They released Taking the Long Way in 2006 and entered hiatus in 2008; Martie and Emily recorded as a duo, Court Yard Hounds. The Dixie Chicks reunited in 2016 for a series of tours. In 2020, they removed "Dixie" from their name due to negative connotations, and released their first album in 14 years, Gaslighter.

The Chicks have charted 22 times on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs charts; "There's Your Trouble", "Wide Open Spaces", "You Were Mine", "Cowboy Take Me Away", "Without You", and "Travelin' Soldier" all reached number one. The Chicks have received 13 Grammy Awards, ten Country Music Association awards and eight Academy of Country Music awards. By July 2020, with 33 million certified albums sold[2] and sales of 27.9 million albums in the US, the Chicks had become the best-selling all-woman band and best-selling country group since Nielsen SoundScan began recording sales in 1991.[3][4][5]

History

[edit]

1989–1995: Original bluegrass group

[edit]
The Chicks formed as the Dixie Chicks in Dallas, Texas (seen here in 2016).

The Chicks were founded as the Dixie Chicks in 1989 in Dallas, Texas, an area with country music roots. The original lineup consisted of El Paso native Laura Lynch on upright bass, Californian Robin Lynn Macy on guitar, and the multi-instrumentalist sisters Martie and Emily Erwin, respectively born in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and raised in Addison.[1] The Erwin sisters, who were later married and both changed their names twice (Martie to Martie Seidel, then Martie Maguire; Emily to Emily Robison, then Emily Strayer), previously performed as members of the bluegrass group Blue Night Express along with country singer Sharon Gilchrist and her brother Troy.[6][7] The band name was taken from the album Dixie Chicken by Lowell George of Little Feat.[8] They initially played predominantly bluegrass and a mix of country standards. All four women played and sang, though Martie and Emily provided most of the instrumentation while Lynch and Macy shared lead vocal duties. Martie primarily played fiddle, mandolin, and viola, while Emily's specialties included five-stringed banjo and resonator guitar.[1][9][10] In 1987, Martie had won second place, and in 1989, third place in the national fiddle championships held at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas.[11]

In 1990, Penny Cook, the daughter of then-Texas senator John Tower, gave the Dixie Chicks $10,000 to record an album. Later that year, the Dixie Chicks released their self-produced debut studio album Thank Heavens for Dale Evans on a local independent label called Crystal Clear Sound. The album was named after actress and singer-songwriter Dale Evans.[12][13] The group paid $5,000 for the 14-track album.[14] Half of this album's tracks consist of cover songs including Patsy Montana's "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart", Jon Ims' "West Texas Wind", and Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me". Macy co-wrote two tracks, with Martie also serving as co-writer for the title track.[12]

A Christmas single was released at the end of the year – a 45 RPM vinyl record titled Home on the Radar Range with "Christmas Swing" on one side and the song on the flip side named "The Flip Side". The record titles were significant; during that period of time, the bandmates dressed up as "cowgirls", and publicity photos reflected this image. They also appeared at the Grand Ole Opry[15] and Garrison Keillor's radio show A Prairie Home Companion.[16] The Dixie Chicks began building a fan base, winning the prize for "best band" at the 1990 Telluride Bluegrass Festival and opening for established country music artists, including Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, and George Strait.[14]

In 1992, the Dixie Chicks' next Crystal Clear Sound release, Little Ol' Cowgirl, moved towards a more contemporary country sound, as the band used more session musicians, and developed a richer sound with larger and more modern arrangements. Macy and Martie each wrote two of the album's songs, with Lynch co-writing one song with Martie. The band co-produced it with guitarist Larry Seyer, who also played on the album. Displeased with the change in sound, Macy left in late 1992 to devote herself to a "purer" bluegrass sound, remaining active in the Dallas and Austin music scenes.[17] Reviewing their performance at the Birchmere, Virginia in 1992, Eric Brace of The Washington Post wrote that "record label executives will be kicking themselves soon enough ... These Chicks have what it takes to make the big time, yet no major label has taken the plunge to sign them."[18]

Lynch became lead singer on the Dixie Chicks' third Crystal Clear Sound album, Shouldn't a Told You That (1993). Lynch wrote two of the ten tracks on the album, which also included a collaboration with the Erwin sisters on "I'm Falling Again". By this point, the band was still unable to attract support from a major record label and struggled to expand their fan base beyond Texas and Nashville. Their then-manager, Simon Renshaw, approached executive Scott Siman, best known for his work with Tim McGraw, and he signed the band to Sony Music Nashville in November 1995.[19] By the time of their signing, Lynch left the band and Natalie Maines was selected as their third lead singer and second guitarist on the recommendation of her multi-instrumentalist father Lloyd Maines, who contributed to the band's previous albums and has also played for The Maines Brothers Band, Jerry Jeff Walker and Joe Ely.[20][21]

At the time of Lynch's departure, the sisters attributed it to her weariness of touring and hope to spend more time with her daughter.[19] Lynch offered to stay for the first recordings on the new album, but the sisters thought it would send the wrong message to Sony; they all agreed she would leave before the new album.[19] In a 1996 interview, Lynch said, "It can't really be characterized as a resignation. There are three Dixie Chicks, and I'm only one."[22] In 2003, Lynch said she had no regrets about leaving.[23] Lynch's departure left the Erwin sisters as the two remaining original members.

1995–2000: Commercial success with Wide Open Spaces and Fly

[edit]
The Dixie Chicks in 1998

With the addition of Maines, the new lineup had a more contemporary sound, as well as a new look, leaving their cowgirl dresses with their past, giving the band a broader appeal.[1] Renshaw sent staff producer Blake Chancey, best known for his work with Deryl Dodd, to Austin to work with the band.[24]

After Maines joined the band, the instrumental lineup was essentially the same, though Maines was not an acoustic bassist. Instead, she played acoustic and electric guitar, and occasionally electric bass guitar or Tacoma Papoose guitar in concert. She sang lead vocals, with Martie and Emily singing backing vocals. Emily was now contributing to the band's sound, adding guitar, accordion, sitar, and papoose to her mastery of the five-string banjo and dobro, while Martie began adding guitar, viola, and mandolin chops more frequently to her expert fiddle. The sisters welcomed the change; Martie said, "It's very rootsy, but then Natalie comes in with a rock and blues influence. That gave Emily and [me] a chance to branch out, because we loved those kinds of music but felt limited by our instruments."[25]

Within the next year, Sony came to Austin to see the revamped band and signed them as the first new artist on the newly revived Monument Records label. While the trio recorded their first Monument album, Wide Open Spaces, their debut single, "I Can Love You Better", was released in October 1997 and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.[26] Monument released the album in January 1998 and charted four more singles: "There's Your Trouble", "Wide Open Spaces", "You Were Mine", and a cover of Joy Lynn White's "Tonight the Heartache's on Me". Of these singles, Martie and Emily co-wrote "You Were Mine". In addition to "Tonight the Heartache's on Me", half of the album's 12 tracks included cover songs such as Radney Foster's "Never Say Die" and Bonnie Raitt's "Give It Up or Let Me Go". "There's Your Trouble", "Wide Open Spaces" and "You Were Mine" became the most successful singles on the album with a number one peak on the country charts.[26] All five singles made top 10 on RPM Country Tracks, then the main country music chart published in Canada, with "Wide Open Spaces" and "You Were Mine" peaking at number one.[27][a] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic thought the album "appeal[ed] to many different audiences because it was eclectic without being elitist", also stating that "as debuts go (and this does count as a debut), they rarely get better than this".[28]

In March 2020, Wide Open Spaces was certified 13× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 13 million copies.[29] In Canada, the album was certified quadruple-platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (now Music Canada), a certification which at the time honored shipments of 400,000 copies in that country.[30][b]

The commercial success of Wide Open Spaces led to the first of several industry award nominations for the band. The Country Music Association awarded them the Horizon Award for new artists in 1998, given to those who have "demonstrated the most significant creative growth and development in overall chart and sales activity, live performance professionalism and critical media recognition".[32][33] At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1998, the group was nominated for Grammy Award for Best New Artist, while Wide Open Spaces won Best Country Album and "There's Your Trouble" won Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The Academy of Country Music also awarded the band as Top Vocal Group and Top New Vocal Duet or Group in 1999; they would win the former again in 2000 and 2001.[34]

The Dixie Chicks' second Monument release was 1999's Fly, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling over 10 million copies and making the Dixie Chicks the only country band and the only female band of any genre to hold the distinction of having two back-to-back RIAA certified diamond albums.[35] Fly produced a total of nine singles, six of which made the top 10 on the Billboard country singles charts. It was led off by the single "Ready to Run", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1999 Garry Marshall film Runaway Bride along with the band's cover of the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love".

Both Wide Open Spaces and Fly continued to place in the list of the 50 best-selling albums in American history over a half-decade after they were released.[36] Fly again won Grammy awards and honors from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, and the Dixie Chicks received a number of honors from other sources for their accomplishments.[37] The band headlined their first tour, the Fly Tour, with guest artists including Joe Ely and Ricky Skaggs appearing at each show,[38] and also joined Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, and other female artists on the all-woman touring Lilith Fair.[39]

The source of the Dixie Chicks' commercial success during this time came from various factors: they wrote or co-wrote about half of the songs on Wide Open Spaces and Fly; their mixture of bluegrass, mainstream country music, blues, and pop songs appealed to a wide spectrum of record buyers; and where the women had once dressed as "cowgirls" with Lynch, their dress was now more contemporary.[1]

"Cowboy Take Me Away" from Fly became another signature song, written by Martie to celebrate Emily's marriage with country singer Charlie Robison, which took place three months before the album's release. However, a few of their songs brought controversy within their conservative country music fan base, and two songs caused some radio stations to remove the Dixie Chicks from their playlists: "Sin Wagon", from which the term "mattress dancing" takes on a new twist, and "Goodbye Earl", a song that uses black comedy in telling the story of the unabashed murderer of an abusive husband. (The band later made a video portraying the nefarious deed, with actor Dennis Franz playing the murdered husband.) In an interview, Maines commented about Sony worrying about the reference to "mattress dancing" in "Sin Wagon", refusing to discuss it in interviews. She said, "Our manager jokes, 'You can't say mattress dancing, but they love the song about premeditated first degree murder'!" She continues, "... so it's funny to us that 'mattress dancing' is out and murder is in!"[40]

2001–2002: Record label dispute and Home

[edit]

After the commercial success of their first two albums, the band became involved in a dispute with their record label, Sony, regarding accounting procedures, alleging that in at least 30 cases Sony had used fraudulent accounting practices, underpaying them at least $4 million (£2.7m) in royalties on their albums over the previous three years.[41] Sony held out, and the trio walked away, with Sony suing the group for failure to complete their contract.[42] The Dixie Chicks responded with their own $4.1-million lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment on August 27,[43] which added clout to claims made by singers Courtney Love, Aimee Mann, and LeAnn Rimes against the recording industry.[44] After months of negotiation, the Dixie Chicks settled their suit privately, and were awarded their own record label imprint, Open Wide Records, which afforded them more control, a better contract, and an increase in royalty payments, with Sony still responsible for marketing and distribution of albums.[45] Also in 2001, Martie married Irish actor Gareth Maguire.

During the time that they worked with Sony to reconcile their differences, the Dixie Chicks debuted their quiet, unadorned song "I Believe in Love" on the America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon following the September 11 attacks. The three women found themselves home, in Texas, each happily married, planning families, and writing songs closer to their roots, without the usual pressures of the studio technicians from the major labels. The songs they didn't write were solicited from songwriters who wrote with a less commercial emphasis.[46] The result was that Home, independently produced by Lloyd Maines and the Dixie Chicks, was released August 27, 2002.[35] Maines and Martie co-wrote four of the album's twelve tracks. They collaborated with country singer-songwriter Marty Stuart on "I Believe in Love" and "Tortured, Tangled Hearts". Home was led off by a cover of Darrell Scott's "Long Time Gone", which charted at 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number two on the Hot Country Songs chart. It was followed by covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" and Bruce Robison's "Travelin' Soldier", "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" and "Top of the World". Both "Landslide" and "Travelin' Soldier" peaked at number two and number one on Hot Country Songs, respectively. Approximately six million copies of Home were sold in the United States.[47] Home also won Grammy awards, and other noteworthy accolades as before, though it fell short of reaching the diamond record status of the first two albums. Natalie Maines said afterward, "I want to check the record books and see how many fathers and daughters have won Grammys together."[48]

By 2002, the Dixie Chicks were featured on three television specials: An Evening with the Dixie Chicks, which was an acoustic concert primarily composed of the material from Home; VH1 Divas Las Vegas alongside Cher, Céline Dion, Shakira, Anastacia, Stevie Nicks, Mary J. Blige, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston and host Ellen DeGeneres; and a CMT three-hour television special, the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. Ranked No. 13 out of 40, they were "selected by hundreds of artists, music historians, music journalists and music industry professionals—looking at every aspect of what a great artist is".[49]

2003–2005: Comments on George W. Bush and backlash

[edit]
Main article: Dixie Chicks comments on George W. Bush

On March 10, 2003, the Dixie Chicks performed at the Shepherd's Bush Empire theater in London, England.[50] Maines told the audience the band did not support the imminent Allied invasion of Iraq and were ashamed that then-President George W. Bush was from Texas.[51] The remark triggered a backlash in the United States.[51] The band's songs received less airplay on country radio stations,[52] and its members received death threats.[53] "Landslide" also fell from number 10 to 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 in one week and left the chart a week later.[54] The backlash also damaged sales of their next album and tour.[55] Maines issued an apology, saying her remark had been disrespectful; three years later, she rescinded the apology, saying she felt Bush deserved no respect.[52]

The Dixie Chicks performing at Madison Square Garden on June 20, 2003, during the Top of the World Tour

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita battered the Gulf Coast, with the Dixie Chicks' home state of Texas directly in the wake of the disaster. In September, the Dixie Chicks debuted their song "I Hope" in the telethon Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast. It was released as a download with proceeds to benefit hurricane relief through Habitat For Humanity and the American Federation of Musicians Gulf Coast Relief Fund.[56][57][58]

In October 2004, the Dixie Chicks joined the Vote for Change tour, performing at concerts organized by MoveOn.org in swing states, raising funds for political groups opposing Bush.[59] In 2005, Martie, Emily, and Maines joined 31 other recording artists, including Dolly Parton, Christina Aguilera, Yoko Ono, and Mandy Moore, supporting relationships of all kinds, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, on a two-disc release titled Love Rocks, with their song from the album Home "I Believe in Love".[60]

2006–2007: Taking the Long Way and Shut Up and Sing

[edit]

On March 16, 2006, the Dixie Chicks released the single "Not Ready to Make Nice" in advance of their upcoming album. Cowritten with Dan Wilson, it addressed the political controversy that had surrounded the group for the previous three years.[61] Emily said, "The stakes were definitely higher on that song. We knew it was special because it was so autobiographical, and we had to get it right. And once we had that song done, it freed us up to do the rest of the album without that burden." She said writing the song had become their "therapy", since they had to hold in so many stored emotions for so long. Thus, the band considered the album not so much political as very personal.[62]

Taking the Long Way was released in stores and online on May 22, 2006. The album was produced by Rick Rubin who had worked with hard rock acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and System of a Down, as well as idiosyncratic singers such as Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond. The band felt they had nothing to lose by a newer approach, and possibly quite a bit to gain.[63] The three Chicks co-wrote every song on the album, alongside various other songwriters, including Neil Finn of Crowded House. The album contains references to the 2003 controversy.[64] Taking the Long Way debuted at number one on both the U.S. pop albums chart and the U.S. country albums chart, selling 526,000 copies in the first week (the year's second-best such total for any country act) and making it a gold record within its first week. The Dixie Chicks became the first female band in chart history to have three albums debut at No. 1.[65]

Neither "Not Ready to Make Nice" or second single "Everybody Knows" reached top 35 on Hot Country Songs. In June 2006, Emily noted the lack of support from other country music performers: "A lot of artists cashed in on being against what we said or what we stood for because that was promoting their career, which was a horrible thing to do. ... A lot of pandering started going on, and you'd see soldiers and the American flag in every video. It became a sickening display of ultra-patriotism."[66]

Maines said, "The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism. Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country ... I don't see why people care about patriotism."[66] The two singles were more successful in Europe, peaking at Nos. 13 and 11 respectively and remaining on the European Country Charts for more than 20 weeks each.[67]

The Accidents & Accusations Tour began in July 2006. Ticket sales were strong in Canada and in some Northeastern markets, but notably weak in other areas. A number of shows were canceled or relocated to smaller venues due to poor sales, and in Houston, Texas, tickets never even went on sale when local radio stations refused to accept advertising for the event.[68] In August, a re-routed tour schedule was scheduled with a greater emphasis on Canadian dates, where Taking the Long Way had gone five-times-platinum. As part of the tour, the Dixie Chicks became the first major band to hire a designated blogger "all-access" to keep up with them in their promotional activities and tour.[69] During the tour, the group members generally refrained from any explicit verbal political comments. When the Dixie Chicks performed again at Shepherd's Bush Empire, site of "The Incident", Maines joked that she wanted to say something the audience had not heard before, but instead said, "Just so y'all know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas," to much laughter and applause.[70]

In 2006, Taking the Long Way was the ninth-best-selling album in the United States. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2007, the Dixie Chicks won all five categories for which they were nominated, including the top awards of Song of the Year and Record of the Year, both for "Not Ready to Make Nice", and Album of the Year, for Taking the Long Way. "Not Ready to Make Nice" was also the group's fourth and final award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Maines interpreted the wins as being a show of public support for their advocacy of free speech.[71] It had been 14 years since an artist had swept those three awards.[72]

After the Grammys, Taking the Long Way hit No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the country album charts and "Not Ready to Make Nice" re-entered the charts at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "Not Ready to Make Nice" was nominated for the 2007 CMT Music Video Awards in the categories of Video of the Year and Group Video of the Year.[73] The group was nominated for the 2007 Country Music Association's award for Top Vocal Group, but lost to Rascal Flatts.[74]

At the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, Cabin Creek Films, the production company of documentarian Barbara Kopple, premiered Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing. The documentary follows the Dixie Chicks over the three years since the 2003 London concert remark and covers aspects of their musical and personal lives in addition to the controversy.[75]

An ad for Shut Up and Sing was turned down by NBC on October 27, 2006, because of a policy barring ads dealing with "public controversy". Ads were rebuffed by the CW as well, but local affiliate stations of all five major broadcasters, including NBC and CW, ran promotional spots for the film in New York and Los Angeles, the two cities where it opened that day.[76] The film's distributor Harvey Weinstein said, "It's a sad commentary about the level of fear in our society that a movie about a group of courageous entertainers who were blacklisted for exercising their right of free speech is now itself being blacklisted by corporate America."[76]

2008–2014: Hiatus, Court Yard Hounds and continued touring

[edit]

At a December 2007 rally in Little Rock, Arkansas, Maines expressed support for the West Memphis Three, three men convicted of a 1993 triple murder who many believe innocent.[77] Maines cited a recent defense filing implicating Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of the victims, and posted similar comments in a letter on the Dixie Chicks website.[77] In August 2008, Emily divorced Charlie Robison.[78] That November, Hobbs sued Maines and the Dixie Chicks for defamation as a result of her statements.[79] On December 2, 2009, a U.S. federal judge dismissed the defamation case on the grounds that Hobbs had not shown the statements were made with actual malice.[80] A proposed April 2008 commercial spot to promote Al Gore's "We Campaign" involving both the Dixie Chicks and Toby Keith was eventually abandoned because of scheduling conflicts.[81] In 2010, Martie and Emily released their first album as Court Yard Hounds, with Emily singing lead vocals.[82][83] Lloyd Maines said that the Dixie Chicks were "definitely still an entity".[82] Beginning on June 8, 2010, the Dixie Chicks joined the Eagles on their stadium-based Eagles 2010 Summer Tour,[84] visiting cities such as Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis and Winnipeg with a performance at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. Australian-American country singer and guitarist Keith Urban appeared at selected shows.[85]

The Dixie Chicks appeared in the 2010 music documentary Sounds Like a Revolution about protest music in America. They sang "You" on the March 2011 release of Rare Bird Alert, a Steve Martin bluegrass album, accompanied by the Steep Canyon Rangers.[86] In March 2011, Maines made a solo recording of the Beach Boys hit "God Only Knows" for the final episode of the HBO series Big Love.[87] In July 2011, Emily and Martie said that new music involving Maines is in the works.[88] That October, following a series of wildfires destroying homes and businesses throughout Texas, the Dixie Chicks played the Concert for Wildfire Relief in Austin. During the set, Maines stated that there was "zero hesitation" when the group was asked to do the show.[89]

In July 2013, the Court Yard Hounds released their second album, Amelita. That month, the band replaced Lady Antebellum as headliners at Canada's Craven Country Jamboree, and later performed at the Ottawa Bluesfest and the Cavendish Beach Music Festival.[90][91] In October, the Dixie Chicks resumed touring for the Long Time Gone Tour through various cities across Canada and Europe. The tour incorporated the C2C: Country to Country festival held in London and Dublin during March 2014.[92]

2016–present: MMXVI World Tour, name change and Gaslighter

[edit]

In June 2015, a European tour was scheduled to commence in Antwerp on April 16, 2016. The DCX MMXVI World Tour initially included dates for Switzerland, The Netherlands, Scandinavia, the UK and Ireland; however, in November 2015, the tour was extended into North America, with over forty shows scheduled across the United States and Canada.[93] The tour was extended to Australia and New Zealand, and was followed by a live album and video, DCX MMXVI Live.[94]

On the 50th anniversary of the Country Music Association Awards on November 2, 2016, the Dixie Chicks performed alongside Beyoncé on her song "Daddy Lessons". A studio version of the performance was released to digital outlets the following day.[95] They also collaborated with Taylor Swift on her song "Soon You'll Get Better" from Swift's 2019 album Lover.[96] On May 3, 2018, the Dixie Chicks' manager, Simon Renshaw, retired after having managed them since 1995. They signed with Ian Montone and Rick Yorn at Monotone/LBI Entertainment.[97]

On June 25, 2020, the band changed their name to the Chicks, dropping the word "Dixie".[98] The change followed criticism that the word had connotations of slavery in the United States.[99][100][c] The band said they had picked "that stupid name" as teenagers, and had wanted to change it for years. They decided to change it when they saw the Confederate battle flag described as "the Dixie Swastika" on social media in June 2020.[101] They were also inspired by the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, saying it "definitely lit a fire in us to be on the right side of history".[98] They received the blessing of the Chicks, a New Zealand duo, to share the name.[99][102] Alongside the name change, the Chicks released the protest song "March March" with a music video directed by Seanne Farmer, in tribute to social justice movements.[99] They also introduced John Silva as their new manager,[103] with publicity by Cindi Berger of R&CPMK.[104]

On July 17, 2020, Columbia released the Chicks' first new studio album in 14 years, Gaslighter, produced by Jack Antonoff.[105] The first single, "Gaslighter", was released on March 4.[106] On August 20, the Chicks performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.[107] On December 22, 2023, founding bassist Laura Lynch died in a traffic collision near El Paso, Texas, at the age of 65.[108] The Chicks issued a statement saying Lynch was "a bright light" whose "undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West".[108]

Band members

[edit]
The Dixie Chicks in 2006

Current members

Former members

  • Laura Lynch – vocals, guitars, bass, percussion (1989–1995; died 2023)[109][110]
  • Robin Lynn Macy – vocals, guitars (1989–1992)

Timeline

[edit]

Discography

[edit]
Main article: The Chicks discography

Studio albums

Tours

[edit]
Set list from the Top of the World Tour: Madison Square Garden, June 20, 2003.

Headlining

Supporting

Co-headlining

Residencies

  • 2023: The Chicks: Six Nights in Vegas

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by the Chicks

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

The Chicks

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Chicks is an American and folk trio consisting of on lead vocals and guitar, and sisters on , , and guitar, and on , , and guitar. Formed in , , in 1989 by Maguire and Strayer (initially with other members), the band evolved from bluegrass roots to mainstream success after Maines joined in 1995, releasing breakthrough albums Wide Open Spaces (1998) and (1999) that sold millions and earned multiple for Best Album. With over 35 million albums sold worldwide, they rank among the top-selling female bands in history, achieving crossover hits like "Wide Open Spaces" and "" that blended traditional instrumentation with pop sensibilities. The group encountered severe backlash in March 2003 when Maines stated during a London concert that she was "ashamed" President George W. Bush was from Texas, amid opposition to the Iraq War, prompting country radio stations to ban their music and fans to organize boycotts, effectively halting their chart dominance in the genre for years. Despite the fallout, they released Taking the Long Way (2006), which won five Grammys including Album of the Year—the first for a country album in seven years—and critiqued the controversy through songs like "Not Ready to Make Nice." In June 2020, amid protests following George Floyd's death, the band shortened their name to The Chicks, citing the term "Dixie" as evoking painful historical connotations tied to the Confederacy and slavery, a move aligning with broader cultural reevaluations of Southern symbols. The Chicks have amassed 13 Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, and 8 Academy of Country Music Awards, cementing their influence despite navigating political divides in an industry often favoring conformity.

Origins and Early Development

Formation as Bluegrass Trio (1989–1995)

The Dixie Chicks formed in 1989 in , , when sisters Martie Erwin (fiddle, ) and Emily Erwin (, ) joined forces with (upright bass, vocals) and Robin Lynn Macy (guitar, vocals), initially naming the group the Dixie Chickens after the Little Feat song "." The quartet drew from bluegrass and traditions, performing acoustically with an emphasis on instrumental precision and harmony vocals rooted in Texas folk influences. Early performances centered on busking along Dallas's McKinney Avenue street corners, evolving into gigs at small regional venues, dances, county fairs, and bluegrass circuits across , where the band honed its tight-knit acoustic sound amid modest audiences. In 1992, Macy departed to pursue , streamlining the group into a trio with Lynch assuming primary lead vocals alongside the Erwin sisters' core, which preserved the band's commitment to unamplified bluegrass purity in the local Dallas-Fort Worth scene. The trio self-released its debut album, , in December 1990 on the independent Crystal Clear Sound label, featuring traditional covers and originals that sold fewer than 20,000 copies, largely at live shows. This was followed by in 1992, another self-produced effort emphasizing cowgirl-themed bluegrass tracks, which similarly achieved limited distribution through performances rather than widespread retail. By 1995, after six years of grinding regional play without major label interest, the band sought a more dynamic lead voice and replaced Lynch with , the daughter of Texas steel guitarist , to bolster vocal projection while retaining acoustic focus ahead of broader opportunities. This shift concluded their formative bluegrass era, during which the trio built a following through relentless Texas-area touring and fidelity to genre conventions.

Transition to Mainstream Country (1995–1997)

In 1995, replaced as the lead vocalist of the Dixie Chicks, introducing a more powerful singing voice and enabling three-part harmonies that broadened the group's appeal beyond bluegrass audiences. This lineup adjustment infused the band's performances with greater energy and narrative-driven storytelling, aligning with mainstream country conventions while retaining acoustic instrumentation. The addition of Maines coincided with a development deal from Nashville, under which the group produced demos showcasing their refined sound and multi-instrumental prowess, including and leads by Martie Seidel and guitar work by Emily Erwin. These recordings highlighted a fusion of traditional textures with accessible pop sensibilities, attracting industry attention through regional touring and live shows that built support. By 1997, the Dixie Chicks secured a recording contract with Monument Records, Sony's country imprint, following the success of their demo efforts. Their initial single, "I Can Love You Better," issued on October 27, 1997, achieved early regional radio play in Texas and surrounding markets, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and laying groundwork for wider recognition without yet dominating national airwaves.

Commercial Ascendancy

Wide Open Spaces and Fly Era (1998–2000)

The Dixie Chicks achieved commercial breakthrough with their major-label debut album Wide Open Spaces, released on January 27, 1998. The record sold over 12 million copies in the United States, earning diamond certification from the RIAA and becoming the best-selling album by a duo or group in country music history. Propelled by hit singles such as "Wide Open Spaces," which topped the chart, and "," the album explored themes of personal independence and for women transitioning from sheltered rural upbringings to broader horizons. Building on this momentum, the group released on August 31, 1999, which debuted at number one on the all-genre chart with first-week sales of 341,000 copies. Certified diamond for shipments exceeding 10 million units, the album featured crossover successes like "" and "Sin Wagon," the latter incorporating lively, irreverent lyrics and -driven energy that appealed beyond strict boundaries. These tracks, alongside others reaching number one on country charts, demonstrated the band's ability to fuse traditional instrumentation—, , and pedal steel—with pop-infused production, attracting a wider . The era cemented the Dixie Chicks' dominance through accolades and live performances. In , they won the Association's Horizon Award for New and Vocal Group of the Year. By 2000, they secured four CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Fly, and Vocal Group. Their inaugural headlining Fly Tour, launched in April 2000, filled arenas across , with extended dates added due to demand, showcasing high-energy sets that transitioned them from opening acts to stadium-level draws. This period's chart success and sold-out shows expanded their fanbase, bridging country loyalists with mainstream pop listeners.

Home Album and Independence (2001–2002)

In 2001, the Dixie Chicks initiated a legal dispute with Entertainment over alleged fraudulent , underpayment of royalties, and restrictive terms that limited their creative and financial . The conflict escalated when the group notified Sony in July 2001 of their intent to cease recording under the existing agreement, prompting mutual lawsuits; the Chicks sought $4.1 million in damages, while Sony countersued for breach. Resolution came in June 2002 through a renegotiated deal that included a reported $20 million advance and provisions for the band to establish their own imprint, Open Wide Records, under Sony's and Columbia labels, enabling self-production and distribution support without full label oversight. The resulting album, , released on August 27, 2002, marked a deliberate pivot to acoustic, bluegrass-influenced country, produced primarily by fiddler/vocalist Martie Seidel, banjoist/vocalist Emily Erwin, and steel guitarist (father of lead singer ), eschewing the polished production of prior releases like . Key tracks included the Radney Foster-penned "Godspeed," a meditative acoustic ballad, and Bruce Robison's "," which blended narrative storytelling with fiddle-driven arrangements evoking the band's early bluegrass origins. The album featured three covers of songs by singer-songwriter —"Let Him Fly," "Truth No. 2," and "Top of the World"—highlighting Griffin's raw, introspective style after her own label disputes prevented her recordings, and emphasizing the Chicks' preference for unadorned, harmony-rich interpretations over mainstream pop-country sheen. Home debuted at number one on the chart on September 5, 2002, selling 780,000 copies in its first week amid a slumping industry market, and ultimately achieved over 6 million units sold worldwide, with certifications including six times in the United States. This commercial success occurred with minimal initial radio promotion tied to the recent label tensions, relying instead on the band's established fanbase and appeal through acoustic authenticity rather than heavy . The era underscored the Chicks' maturation toward artistic self-determination, with ' lead vocals gaining expanded prominence in emotive, unfiltered deliveries that contrasted the harmonious ensemble focus of earlier work, signaling internal shifts in creative balance. This insistence on control—evident in rejecting Sony's proposed producers and prioritizing family collaborators—reflected mounting frustrations with Nashville's formulaic expectations, laying groundwork for the band's assertive navigation of industry norms.

Defining Controversy

2003 Political Statement in London

On March 10, 2003, during a at the theater in , Dixie Chicks lead vocalist prefaced a performance of the band's single "" by telling the audience, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the is from ," in reference to President . The remark was made to an overseas crowd amid vocal opposition to the anticipated U.S.-led military action, with Maines explicitly introducing the song—a of wartime longing and loss—as tied to the band's stance against the impending conflict. The statement occurred nine days before the U.S. invasion of on March 19, 2003, at a time of intense global debate over the rationale for , including disputed intelligence on weapons of mass destruction. Maines, a native of —the same hometown as Bush—delivered the comment from a foreign stage, amplifying perceptions of detachment from domestic sentiment in the lead-up to hostilities. This followed a period of elevated national unity after the , 2001, attacks, during which the Dixie Chicks had aligned with patriotic expressions, including performances at benefit events like America: A Tribute to Heroes and the release of as an early post-9/11 soldier anthem evoking sympathy for military sacrifices. Initial reporting emerged in a Guardian concert review, quickly drawing U.S. media attention that highlighted the irony of Texas-born country artists voicing apparent disavowal of the president from a platform abroad, against the genre's traditional alignment with conservative values and military support.

Backlash from Country Industry and Fans

Cumulus Media banned the Dixie Chicks' music from its 270 stations for 30 days starting March 18, 2003, citing the controversy surrounding ' statement. Clear Channel, the largest radio conglomerate at the time, urged its affiliates to curtail and facilitated public events where fans destroyed the band's CDs using bulldozers and steamrollers. This led to a sharp reduction in spins, severely limiting the band's visibility in their core market. The album , which had sold strongly prior to the incident, experienced a abrupt sales decline; weekly units fell below 72,000 by late March 2003, reversing its upward trajectory and stalling further chart dominance. Sponsors severed ties amid the uproar, with Lipton terminating its promotional partnership that had supported the band's tour. These commercial repercussions stemmed directly from audience and industry aversion to the perceived anti-war stance expressed abroad during heightened national tensions preceding the invasion. Fans reacted viscerally, organizing and participating in CD burnings and "chicken toss" events at stations, where attendees discarded albums, tapes, and tickets in . The band received numerous death threats, prompting Maines to relocate for and the group to implement metal detectors and bolstered at performances. Such responses reflected widespread conservative sentiment that Maines' remarks dishonored U.S. troops on the cusp of deployment, conflicting with country music's ethos of and rural American . Critics from conservative quarters, including lawmakers, argued the statement eroded the genre's foundational trust in artists as voices of heartland values, especially amid war mobilization; the House passed a 50-35 resolution on March 26, 2003, demanding a free for troops and families as atonement. This boycott by listeners and programmers—evident in voluntary airplay cuts and consumer rejection—contrasts with retrospective framings in certain progressive media as proto-cancel culture, which downplay the causal link to authentic market signals of alienated rather than coerced suppression.

Defiant Response and Crossover Pivot (2003–2005)

Following the immediate backlash to Natalie Maines' March 10, 2003, statement, the Dixie Chicks issued a formal apology on March 14, expressing regret for the "wording of [her] remarks" while maintaining opposition to the Iraq War and affirming pride in their American identity. Maines later clarified in interviews that the group stood by their right to free speech but acknowledged the phrasing had been inflammatory and poorly timed, given the patriotic fervor surrounding the war's outset. This partial retraction did little to quell the controversy, as country radio stations, representing over 90% of the format, imposed a de facto ban on their music by mid-March, with Clear Channel organizing rallies against them. In response, the band adopted a visibly defiant posture, most notably posing nude for the cover of Entertainment Weekly on May 23, 2003, adorned with graffiti such as "Big Mouth," "Traitors," "Boycott," and "Suck," symbolizing their rejection of the vitriol while highlighting perceived hypocrisy in the backlash. They framed the episode as a defense of artistic freedom, with Maines stating in subsequent press that silencing dissent contradicted American values, though critics argued the London venue and personal attack on Bush's Texas origins—core to their fanbase—invited the fan revolt rather than industry censorship alone. This stance earned acclaim in progressive media as martyrdom against conservatism, yet empirical data on sales and airplay indicated a self-induced rupture with their primary rural, conservative audience, whose loyalty had driven prior successes. To sustain momentum, the group launched the Accidents & Accusations Tour on May 1, 2003, rebranded from its original Top of the World moniker to confront the head-on, booking large arenas like rather than traditional venues. The tour grossed $62.2 million from nearly 800,000 tickets sold across 2003, marking the highest-earning tour to date despite sporadic protests and empty seats in conservative markets. Facing the blackout, they pivoted toward crossover appeal, releasing the single "Top of the World" on September 30, 2003, which charted modestly on pop and adult contemporary formats but failed to crack mainstream Top 40 in the U.S., underscoring limited non- viability at the time. Domestically, sales, already at over 5 million units pre-controversy, dropped 42% in the week following Maines' remarks—from 123,000 to under 72,000 copies—reflecting fan efficacy, though international markets and imports sustained certifications to 6× overall. This U.S. exile persisted, with no return to format playlists by , permanently eroding their core base while international tours provided financial buffers. The period's pressures, including death threats requiring FBI protection and constant media scrutiny, exacerbated internal tensions, with members reporting exhaustion and relational strains that foreshadowed their eventual recording hiatus after 2006.

Resilience and Adaptation

Taking the Long Way and Shut Up and Sing (2006–2007)

The Dixie Chicks released their seventh studio album, Taking the Long Way, on May 23, 2006, through Columbia Nashville, marking their return after a three-year hiatus amid industry blacklisting. Produced by Rick Rubin, known for work with rock acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the album shifted toward a rock-influenced sound with reduced emphasis on traditional country instrumentation, such as fewer fiddles and more strings, while incorporating band-written songs addressing personal resilience and the prior controversy. The lead single, "Not Ready to Make Nice," explicitly referenced the 2003 backlash, expressing unapologetic defiance with lyrics like "I'm not ready to make nice / I'm not ready to back down," which Rubin described as a vigorous response to external pressures. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 526,000 copies in its first week, and topped the Top Country Albums chart, eventually achieving multi-platinum status through sustained sales driven by crossover appeal beyond Nashville radio. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on February 11, 2007, Taking the Long Way won Album of the Year—one of only five country albums to do so—and the group secured four additional Grammys for the project, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Not Ready to Make Nice," plus Best Country Album, totaling five awards that highlighted its artistic validation amid commercial success. Concurrently, the documentary Shut Up and Sing, directed by and , premiered at the on September 12, 2006, and received a theatrical release on October 27, 2006, chronicling the band's endurance of death threats, concert cancellations, and corporate boycotts following the 2003 statement. The film captured raw footage of specific threats, including a detailed assassination plot against lead singer , alongside the group's decision to pivot from country conventions toward broader artistic independence, emphasizing their refusal to self-censor. While mainstream critics and award bodies lauded the album and documentary as triumphs of authenticity and resilience, the direct engagement with drew from conservative audiences and outlets for exacerbating divisions rather than seeking reconciliation, with some viewing tracks like as a deliberate rejection of patriotic unity valued in country music traditions. This polarization underscored a causal split: the project's rock-leaning production and unyielding stance facilitated Grammy-level acclaim and sales exceeding five million units but solidified estrangement from core play, where boycotts persisted post-release.

Extended Hiatus and Side Ventures (2008–2014)

Following the Accidents & Accusations Tour's conclusion in 2007, the Dixie Chicks entered an extended hiatus, stepping away from band activities to address personal priorities including family and recovery from prolonged touring demands. The members emphasized raising their children as a key factor, with , , and collectively prioritizing motherhood over new group recordings or tours during this period. Their prior album sales exceeding 30 million units worldwide provided , enabling this pause without immediate pressure to produce. Maguire and Strayer pursued a collaborative outlet by forming in 2010, after Maines extended an initial two-year band break. The duo released their self-titled debut album on May 4, 2010, via , co-produced by Jim Scott and featuring 12 tracks of country-rock with harmonies and instrumentation showcasing their bluegrass roots. Maines, meanwhile, developed her solo work independently, culminating in the release of Mother on May 3, 2013, a 10-track album of covers and originals like the title track from Pink Floyd's , emphasizing introspective rock-oriented themes tied to family and anxiety. The trio maintained limited public presence through select joint appearances, including a reunion performance at the Concert for Wildfire Relief on October 17, 2011, at Austin's . This benefit event, headlined alongside and , raised over $725,000 for wildfire victims and represented their first onstage collaboration in in over five years. These ventures preserved individual creative momentum amid the band's dormancy, coinciding with country music's shift toward male-centric "" styles that reduced space for female harmony-driven acts.

MMXVI Tour and Reunion Momentum (2016–2019)

The Dixie Chicks initiated the DCX MMXVI World Tour on April 16, 2016, in , , representing their first major headlining outing in ten years following the Accidents & All Tour in 2006. The itinerary expanded to over 80 dates across , , and , concluding on April 18, 2017, in , , with the ensemble adopting a monochromatic black-and-white aesthetic for staging, costumes, and instrumentation to evoke a refreshed, cohesive visual identity post-hiatus. This revival tested the band's enduring fan loyalty amid a decade of limited activity, drawing strong turnout that underscored a dedicated, if specialized, audience base less reliant on contemporary airplay. The tour generated approximately $61 million in gross revenue from North American legs alone, with reported attendance exceeding 900,000 across the full run, including sellouts in key markets like Nashville's , where two shows yielded over $2 million and attracted 30,477 fans. Performances featured an —a novelty for the group—allowing wardrobe transitions and setlist segmentation into hits-heavy segments, covers of artists like Prince and , and album deep cuts. Typical openings with "The Long Way Around" transitioned into sequences like "Lubbock or Leave It," "Truth #2," and "Some Days You Gotta ," evolving mid-tour to emphasize radio staples from Wide Open Spaces and Fly for broader appeal, while incorporating medley-style blends of fan favorites to sustain momentum. Reception highlighted invigorated stage presence, with critics noting the trio's harmonious vocals and instrumental prowess—fiddle, banjo, and guitar—reignited audience enthusiasm, affirming resilience despite prior industry estrangement. As the tour progressed into 2017 and beyond, subtle indicators of creative resurgence emerged, including occasional teases of unreleased material in encores and interviews signaling studio sessions, culminating in 2019 Instagram posts with hashtags like #DCX2019 that cryptically affirmed an impending after 13 years without new releases. These developments built reunion momentum, reflecting internal deliberations on sustaining relevance in an era of cultural polarization and shifting boundaries, where the band's crossover history positioned them as outliers in Nashville's conservative ecosystem yet viable for pop-leaning international crowds. Attendance metrics revealed niche dominance—high per-show averages but limited penetration into mainstream venues—prompting strategic pivots toward broader artistic independence.

Rebranding and Contemporary Phase

Name Change Rationale and Reception (2020)

On June 25, 2020, the country music trio formerly known as the Dixie Chicks announced they were rebranding as The Chicks, citing the word "Dixie" as carrying historical associations with the American Confederacy and the era of slavery in the Southern United States. The band's official statement on social media emphasized a commitment to anti-racism, declaring, "We want to meet this moment," in reference to the nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, which amplified scrutiny of symbols linked to racial injustice. This rationale aligned with a broader wave of corporate and cultural reevaluations of terminology evoking the antebellum South, though the band had used "Dixie Chicks" since the early 1990s without prior public accusations of racial insensitivity tied to the name itself. The name change received praise from progressive media outlets and activists for demonstrating in the Black Lives Matter movement, with coverage framing it as a necessary evolution away from outdated regional identifiers. Conversely, significant backlash emerged from conservative commentators, traditionalists, and portions of the band's Southern fanbase, who characterized the decision as performative virtue-signaling amid cultural pressures rather than a response to any direct harm caused by the original name. Critics argued that "," historically a term of regional pride in songs and branding predating the band's formation, was being retroactively stigmatized without evidence of the group promoting Confederate ideology, potentially alienating audiences who associated it with non-racial cultural heritage. This perspective linked the move to wider patterns of what detractors called "," where pre-2020 usages were reframed through contemporary lenses without causal evidence of prior offense. Empirical indicators of reception included polarized responses, with the announcement video garnering millions of views but also spawning calls from fans decrying ; country play for subsequent releases remained limited, though attributable in part to the band's 2003 controversy. Mainstream sources like and , often critiqued for left-leaning institutional biases, predominantly highlighted supportive narratives, while genre-specific outlets expressed skepticism over the erasure of a term long emblematic of the band's bluegrass-Southern roots. The Chicks acknowledged the band of the same name, securing permission to share it, underscoring the rebrand's logistical finality despite divided public sentiment.

Gaslighter Album and Tour (2020–2023)

Gaslighter, the eighth studio album by The Chicks, marked the group's first release in 14 years following in 2006. Produced primarily by , the album features 12 tracks emphasizing personal narratives of betrayal and emotional resilience, with the title song addressing in the context of ' divorce from . Originally scheduled for May 1, 2020, via , its release was postponed to July 17 amid the to allow for proper promotion and touring support. The album debuted at No. 3 on the , selling 84,233 equivalent album units in its first week, including 71,000 pure sales and 15 million streams, while topping the Top Country Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts. Despite this commercial performance, Gaslighter received no Grammy Award nominations, a notable omission highlighted by critics given its thematic depth and production quality. Reception praised its blend of country instrumentation with pop elements but noted limited on , reflecting ongoing industry reluctance and a reliance on crossover appeal outside traditional country formats. The accompanying Gaslighter Tour faced significant disruptions from the , with initial 2020 plans postponed and rescheduled to begin on June 14, 2022, after a two-year delay. Spanning four legs across , , and , it concluded on October 30, 2023, encompassing 67 North American shows and additional international dates, emphasizing the group's live performance energy through high-production sets featuring album tracks alongside earlier hits. The tour underscored The Chicks' enduring draw in arena and amphitheater venues, though specific gross figures were not publicly detailed beyond reports of sellouts in key markets.

Post-Tour Activities and Future Prospects (2024–present)

In August 2024, The Chicks performed a rendition of "" at the in on its final night. This marked one of their first major public appearances following the conclusion of the Gaslighter Tour in March 2023, highlighting their continued engagement in high-profile events aligned with progressive political contexts. By mid-2025, the group expanded into musical theater as executive producers for "Goodbye Earl: The Musical," a jukebox production co-written by author and Ashley Rodger, centered on their 1999 song and incorporating additional tracks from their catalog. No premiere date has been confirmed, but the project reflects a pivot toward licensing their repertoire for narrative adaptations amid a lack of new studio recordings. In September 2025, they were announced as co-headliners for Brandi Carlile's Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival, scheduled for January 15–19, 2026, in , , alongside Carlile and , emphasizing selective festival commitments over extensive touring. As of October 2025, no new album has been announced, with the band's output since 2020's Gaslighter limited to live performances and archival streaming, which sustains catalog visibility at approximately 4.8 million monthly Spotify listeners and over 3.7 billion total lead streams. Fan discussions on platforms like Reddit express optimism for a potential tour revival in 2026 or later, though official indications point to sporadic engagements rather than a full-scale comeback, influenced by the members' ages (Natalie Maines at 51, Martie Maguire at 56, and Emily Strayer at 53) and their evolution from traditional country toward pop-infused material that may limit broad genre appeal. Prospects favor niche events like women-focused festivals over arena tours, preserving legacy without demanding new material production.

Musical Identity

Bluegrass Roots and Instrumental Expertise

The Chicks originated in Dallas, , in 1989 as an all-female bluegrass ensemble, with sisters and providing the instrumental core through acoustic , mandolin, , and . Maguire, influenced by Texas fiddling styles, began lessons at age five and won multiple national fiddle championships as a teenager, demonstrating precision in traditional techniques like bowing and double stops. Strayer complemented this with proficiency starting at age ten, alongside , emphasizing and Scruggs-style picking rooted in bluegrass conventions. Their early configuration included upright bass support, maintaining strict acoustic purity without amplification or electric elements during street busking and regional festival circuits. This instrumental foundation fostered technical expertise that underpinned the group's pre-1998 performances, where extended jams highlighted individual solos and tight ensemble interplay characteristic of bluegrass authenticity. Maguire's work drew from contest traditions, incorporating regional variations such as longbow strokes and shuffle rhythms, while Strayer's and added resonant drive and slide precision, enabling credible navigation of bluegrass circuits. Such proficiency garnered respect in acoustic circles, distinguishing the trio's origins from polished commercial country acts and lending enduring genre legitimacy.

Evolution to Pop-Country Hybrid

The Dixie Chicks' album Fly (1999), produced by Blake Chancey and Paul Worley, marked an initial departure from strictly traditional country sounds through more polished, layered production that incorporated subtle rock influences, enabling crossover success as evidenced by its debut at number one on the Billboard 200—the first for a country group—and certification as diamond by the RIAA with over 10 million units sold. Tracks like "Sin Wagon" featured edgier rhythms and electric guitar elements, reflecting label encouragement toward broader appeal amid rising popularity post-Wide Open Spaces. This hybrid approach propelled singles such as "Ready to Run" and "Cowboy Take Me Away" to top the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart while crossing into pop radio play, underscoring the band's strategic pivot for mainstream viability. Following the 2003 controversy and subsequent boycott by country radio stations, the group's 2006 album , produced by , accelerated the shift toward a pop-country hybrid with prominent rock production techniques, including heavier beats, electric instrumentation, and reduced emphasis on and banjo in favor of guitar-driven arrangements. The album debuted at number one on the , selling 774,000 copies in its first week, and achieved multi-platinum status, with "Not Ready to Make Nice" reaching number four on the via rock and adult contemporary formats rather than . This evolution was driven by the need to circumvent Nashville's rejection, as the trio sought audiences beyond traditional country strongholds, resulting in five Grammy wins including Album of the Year. Traditional country critics and purists have argued that these changes diluted the genre's authenticity, accusing of "selling out" to chase pop success, particularly evident in the post-controversy pivot that prioritized crossover charts over dominance. herself acknowledged characterizations of as a "rock or post-country album," embracing the label amid the shift away from conventions. This hybrid trajectory continued influencing later works, aligning with broader industry trends where production enhancements facilitated genre-blending for commercial expansion.

Lyrical Themes and Vocal Dynamics

The Chicks' songwriting frequently explores motifs of female autonomy, interpersonal relationships marked by heartache and resilience, and defiance against external pressures or betrayals. In "Wide Open Spaces" (1998), lyrics depict a young woman's pursuit of independence from familial expectations, emphasizing self-discovery and breaking free from constraints as pathways to personal growth. Similarly, "Travelin' Soldier" (2002) conveys wartime regret through the narrative of a soldier's unrequited love and isolation, highlighting the emotional toll of separation and loss without overt politicization. More recent works like "Gaslighter" (2020) delve into personal vendettas stemming from marital dissolution, with direct accusations of deception and emotional manipulation underscoring themes of liberation from toxic dynamics. These themes often intersect with empowerment, as seen in the group's consistent portrayal of women navigating adversity through assertiveness rather than passive acceptance. Vocally, the trio's dynamics center on ' lead role, which evolved into a powerhouse style after her 1995 integration, contrasting earlier configurations where Robin Lynn Lynch handled more solos. Maines' delivery provides raw emotional intensity, often amplifying relational strife or bold stands, as in the unyielding resolve of "" (2006), where her phrasing conveys unapologetic resistance. Complementing this are the intricate three-part harmonies from Maines, , and , a hallmark blending bluegrass precision with expressiveness to create layered, resonant support that enhances thematic depth without overpowering the narrative. This arrangement allows for dynamic shifts, from harmonious builds in choruses symbolizing solidarity to Maines' isolated verses underscoring individual turmoil. Critics have praised the relatability of these elements, noting how the lyrics' focus on universal struggles fosters broad appeal, while the vocal interplay delivers authenticity that elevates storytelling. However, post-2003 outputs faced accusations from some observers of veering into preachiness, particularly in tracks perceived as lecturing on forgiveness or societal conformity amid the group's public controversies, though defenders argue this reflects genuine conviction rather than didactic intent. Overall, the combination yields a body of work where vocal prowess reinforces lyrical candor, prioritizing emotional truth over polished restraint.

Personnel

Core Members and Contributions

The core members of The Chicks are , , and , who have formed the band's primary lineup since 1995. Maines serves as , delivering the group's distinctive frontwoman presence through her powerful voice and direct lyrical delivery. Maguire and Strayer, sisters who co-founded the group, provide instrumental foundation and tight harmony vocals that underpin the band's multilayered sound. Martie Maguire, born October 12, 1969, specializes in and , instruments central to the band's early bluegrass influences and ongoing string arrangements. She began lessons at age five and transitioned to fiddling by age twelve, developing championship-level skills that she applies in live performances and recordings. As a songwriter, Maguire co-composes tracks, contributing to the melodic and structural elements of albums like Gaslighter (2020). Emily Strayer, born August 16, 1972, handles , guitar, and , adding rhythmic drive and textural depth to the trio's arrangements. Her multi-instrumental role evolved from the band's bluegrass origins, where she focused on , to broader instrumentation in later works. Strayer also participates in songwriting and harmonies, enhancing the group's cohesive vocal blend. , born October 14, 1974, in , brings familial connections to the Texas music scene through her father, , a renowned pedal steel guitarist and producer who has collaborated with numerous artists. Her lead vocal duties define the band's emotive core, while her involvement in song selection shapes their repertoire toward personal and narrative-driven material. Collectively, the trio oversees song choices, drawing from external writers and their own compositions, and exerts influence on production to maintain artistic control across albums. This collaborative approach has sustained their evolution from traditional to a hybrid style, with all members credited on key creative aspects of recent releases.

Former Members and Transitions

The Dixie Chicks, as the group was originally known, formed in 1989 with founding members Martie Seidel (), Emily Erwin (), Robin Lynn Macy (guitar and vocals), and (upright bass and vocals), focusing initially on bluegrass and performed in Dallas-area venues. Robin Lynn Macy departed in 1992 amid disagreements over the band's musical direction, preferring a stricter adherence to traditional and bluegrass elements as the group experimented with broader pop influences to attract wider audiences. Following her exit, assumed primary vocal duties alongside her bass role, contributing to the independent albums (1992) and (1993). Laura Lynch left the band in late 1995, replaced by Natalie Maines as lead vocalist to enhance the group's stage energy and vocal power for a major-label breakthrough, a decision described by remaining members as necessary for musical evolution rather than personal conflict. The transition was amicable, with Lynch expressing support for the band's subsequent success and no regrets over forgoing its commercial heights. After departing, Lynch transitioned to public relations at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in , maintaining a low-profile life away from music. She died on December 22, 2023, at age 65, in a head-on car crash on U.S. Highway 62 near , when an oncoming vehicle attempted to pass on the undivided road.

Timeline of Lineup Changes

The Dixie Chicks (later The Chicks) experienced lineup shifts primarily in the early 1990s as they transitioned from bluegrass roots toward broader appeal, achieving stability thereafter with the core trio intact for nearly three decades.
  • 1989: Band founded in Dallas, Texas, as a comprising sisters Martie Erwin (, ) and Emily Erwin (banjo, dobro), guitarist/vocalist Robin Lynn Macy, and bassist/vocalist , focusing on bluegrass performances at local venues.
  • 1992: Robin Lynn Macy departed after a performance in Austin, citing creative differences over the band's shift from strict bluegrass; the group continued as a trio with Lynch assuming primary vocal duties alongside the Erwin sisters.
  • 1995: left amid the band's pursuit of a major-label deal and more contemporary sound; she was replaced by as lead vocalist, forming the enduring trio of Maines, Martie (now Maguire), and Emily (now Strayer).
No further personnel changes have occurred since Maines' arrival, enabling consistent output across seven studio albums and sustained touring.

Output and Performances

Discography Highlights

The Chicks' primary studio output consists of five albums released between 1998 and 2020, which collectively account for over 30 million units sold worldwide, establishing them as one of the top-selling female groups in music history. Their commercial peak occurred in the late and early with diamond-certified releases that dominated and pop charts, driven by crossover appeal and multi-platinum singles. Subsequent albums reflected stylistic shifts but maintained strong initial sales, though with post-2006 amid industry changes and external controversies.
AlbumRelease YearU.S. Sales/CertificationChart Performance
Wide Open Spaces1998Over 12 million (diamond, 12× Platinum)Debuted at #2 on ; #1 Country Albums
Fly199910 million (, 10× )#1 (341,000 first-week sales)
Home2002Over 6 million (6× )#1 (780,000 first-week sales)
Taking the Long Way2006Over 2.5 million (2× )#1 (526,000 first-week sales)
Gaslighter202071,000 first-week pure sales#3 ; #1
Key singles from these albums include "Wide Open Spaces," which propelled the title track to multi-platinum status, and "Goodbye Earl" from Fly, a narrative-driven hit that peaked at #19 on the while showcasing the group's harmonious vocals and thematic boldness. Later singles like "Not Ready to Make Nice" from Taking the Long Way achieved crossover success, reaching #36 on the Hot 100 and underscoring the album's Grammy-winning production. These releases highlight the band's from traditional instrumentation to polished, radio-friendly tracks with broad commercial metrics verified through Nielsen SoundScan and RIAA data.

Major Tours and Live Milestones

The Fly Tour of 2000 represented The Chicks' transition to arena-scale performances as headliners, spanning with dates extended into December and culminating in over 1 million attendees and $61 million in gross revenue, the highest for any act that year. The subsequent Top of the World Tour in 2003, supporting the Home, grossed approximately $62 million despite backlash from the prior year's political , with nearly 800,000 tickets sold in a single day setting a record at the time; however, the tour encountered empty seats and some cancellations in certain markets due to boycotts. After a decade-long hiatus from major touring, the DCX MMXVI World Tour began in in April 2016 before shifting to over 50 North American dates in amphitheaters and arenas, earning $56.2 million and incorporating an , wardrobe changes, and setlists that balanced career hits with covers of songs by Prince and . The Gaslighter Tour, delayed by the and launching in June , featured sellouts at outdoor venues including amphitheaters, with setlists evolving to highlight tracks from the album alongside staples, adapting to broader audience demographics post-controversy. These tours illustrate a progression from arena dominance pre-2003 to resilient returns in amphitheater-focused formats, sustaining high attendance amid industry shifts and selective venue bookings following the era.

Recognition and Critique

Awards and Commercial Metrics

The Chicks have won 13 , including a sweep of five in 2007 for , which earned Album of the Year, (""), Song of the Year (""), Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (""), and Best Country Album. Earlier Grammy successes include Best Country Album for Wide Open Spaces (1999), (2000), and (2003). The group has received 10 , highlighted by Entertainer of the Year in alongside wins for Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year (Fly), and Single of the Year ("Ready to Run"). Commercially, The Chicks have sold over 36 million albums worldwide, establishing them as one of the best-selling female bands in . In the United States, the RIAA has certified Wide Open Spaces (1998) at 13× platinum and Fly (1999) at status (10 million units), with (2002) at 6× platinum; these figures reflect shipments exceeding 30 million units domestically. Post-2003, (2006) sold more than 2.5 million copies in the U.S., achieving 2× certification and debuting at number one on the despite minimal country radio support, demonstrating sustained pop and overall market viability.
AlbumRIAA CertificationUnits (U.S.)
Wide Open Spaces (1998)13× Platinum13 million
Fly (1999)10 million
Home (2002)6 million
Taking the Long Way (2006)2 million+

Critical Reception Across Eras

The Dixie Chicks' debut major-label album Wide Open Spaces (1998) received widespread acclaim for revitalizing with its blend of traditional bluegrass instrumentation and harmonious vocals, positioning the trio as innovative forces in a male-dominated . Reviewers highlighted the album's songcraft and the band's musicianship, crediting it with broadening 's appeal without diluting its roots, as evidenced by its five top-ten country singles and over 12 million copies sold worldwide. Following the crossover success of Fly (1999), which featured pop-leaning production and topped the , some critics accused the group of commercial sellout, arguing that the shift prioritized mainstream accessibility over authentic country sensibilities. This perception persisted into later works, with detractors viewing the evolution as a pursuit of pop stardom that eroded genre boundaries, though sales exceeding 10 million units underscored its market viability. The 2006 album Taking the Long Way marked a purported artistic peak for outlets like , which ranked it among the year's top releases for its unapologetic response to political backlash and mature songwriting, yet faced counter-criticism for prioritizing defiance over musical depth, with some labeling it a "complete " amid perceived sanctimonious lyrics that further alienated conservative audiences. The record's emphasis on personal and political resilience broke barriers for outspoken women but drew charges of commercial calculation in reframing the group's image post-2003 . Gaslighter (2020), the trio's first release in 14 years, elicited mixed responses, praised by for its punchy evolution while critiqued for an overt pop tilt under producer that distanced it from country conventions, rendering it more a "pop record for adults" than genre fare. Though lauded for raw honesty on themes like , detractors noted lyrical intensity bordering on vindictiveness, echoing earlier complaints of alienating traditional fans through perceived rather than broad relatability.

Broader Influence

Impact on Genre Boundaries

The Dixie Chicks achieved significant crossover success in the late by integrating pop production elements with instrumentation on albums such as Wide Open Spaces (1998) and Fly (1999), which debuted at number one on both the and charts. Fly sold 341,000 copies in its first week and eventually reached diamond certification for 10 million units in the United States, while the combined sales of Wide Open Spaces and Fly exceeded 15 million units domestically by 2002, demonstrating the commercial viability of hybrid sounds that appealed beyond traditional audiences. This fusion expanded the genre's market share, as their hits like "Wide Open Spaces" and "" topped charts while crossing over to adult contemporary and pop radio formats, setting precedents for female-led acts to achieve multi-genre dominance. Following the 2003 controversy, the band's exclusion from country radio prompted a stylistic evolution toward rock and pop influences on Taking the Long Way (2006), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 526,000 first-week sales despite minimal country airplay support. This shift underscored causal pressures on genre innovation: radio boycotts necessitated broader appeal strategies, fostering diversity in country-pop hybrids but also revealing divides between purist expectations—rooted in traditional instrumentation and narratives—and commercial imperatives for wider accessibility. The album's success, including five Grammy wins, illustrated how such adaptations could sustain high sales volumes outside Nashville's gatekeeping structures, influencing subsequent genre-blurring efforts. Their trajectory paved the way for pop-country hybrids, notably influencing , who has repeatedly cited the Dixie Chicks as formative in her early career, crediting songs like "Goodbye Earl" for demonstrating bold, narrative-driven songwriting that transcended country confines. Swift learned "" as one of her first guitar pieces and collaborated with the band on "" (2019), highlighting their role in establishing female precedents for genre fluidity and crossover viability. By achieving over 30 million album sales as the top-selling female group in country history, they empirically broadened the genre's boundaries, enabling later artists to prioritize pop accessibility without forfeiting core country elements.

Cultural and Political Legacy

The 2003 controversy, precipitated by ' March 10 remark in expressing shame over President George W. Bush's origins amid preparations, crystallized debates on patriotism's role in music, where pro-military sentiments prevailed among listeners. responded with a de facto blacklist, slashing airplay to one-fifth of prior levels within weeks and ejecting the group's tracks from charts. Album sales fell over 40% in one week, propelling them from the top of rankings to outside the top 40 in two. This audience-led reaction, rooted in the genre's conservative demographic, demonstrated causal market discipline: artists' political expressions, when diverging from fan alignments, trigger boycotts that persist absent reconciliation, as evidenced by the Chicks' enduring exclusion from country airwaves despite later crossover successes. Progressive outlets lauded the stance as anti-war valor protected by free speech principles, yet conservative analyses highlighted self-inflicted damage, with the band alienating its core base without influencing war policy or public opinion shifts. President Bush acknowledged their speech rights but noted "freedom is a two-way street," encapsulating the interplay of expression and consequence in private markets. The episode polarized , instilling wariness toward overt dissent—especially against Republican leaders—and serving as a cautionary exemplar of celebrity-political risks, where elite acclaim (e.g., five Grammys for the controversy-themed 2006 album ) failed to restore mass-country viability, delaying major tours until 2016. The June 25, 2020, rebranding to The Chicks, dropping "" amid unrest, amplified perceptions of performative cultural adaptation, as the term evoked Southern heritage rather than explicit racism, yet aligned with progressive institutional pressures. Band members cited long-held dissatisfaction with the name's "stupid" connotation, but timing drew critiques of opportunistic virtue-signaling, yielding elite nods like performances while reinforcing genre shunning by conservative audiences. Collectively, these events underscore empirical realities of audience-agency realism: political interventions by entertainers invite verifiable commercial fallout in ideologically homogeneous sectors, fueling enduring free speech discourses on expression versus accountability without negating market-mediated polarization.

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  178. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/taylor-swift-chicks-taught-female-rage-bonding-experience/story?id=71894325
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