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The Dixie Chicks are a (a band also plays the music) the Chicks are outsold by Destiny's Child and Spice Girls .--> The group formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas . After years of struggle and personnel changes, the Dixie Chicks achieved massive country and Pop success starting in the late 1990s with hit songs such as "Wide Open Spaces", " Cowboy Take Me Away ", and " Long Time Gone ". The women became well-known for their lively persona, instrumental virtuosity, soaring ballads, fashion sense and outspoken political comments. As Of 2007 , they had won 13 Grammy Award s. Ten days before the ''. At the 49th Grammy Awards Show in 2007, 'the ''Chicks''' - as they are informally known - won all Five Categories for which they were nominated, including the coveted Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, in a vote that Maines interpreted as being, at least in part, a statement for free speech.Natalie Maines: "I think people are using their freedom of speech with all these awards. We get the message." Dixie Chicks lead Grammys with 5 awards , Herald Tribune. EARLY INCARNATIONS The Dixie Chicks was founded by the sisters Martie and Emily Erwin along with Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy . The Erwin sisters have since married and changed their names to Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, respectively. The Erwin sisters provided the instrumental firepower for the band while Lynch and Macy were the lead singers. All four original members of the Dixie Chicks graduated from Greenhill School in Addison, Texas , a suburb of Dallas . The group began with a largely Bluegrass sound, and released their first album '' Thank Heavens For Dale Evans '' (named after the pioneering, multi-talented female performer Dale Evans ) on independent label Crystal Clear Sound in 1990. The album included two instrumentals, showing the group's strength; Martie had taken third place at the National Fiddle Championships the year before. The Chicks gained some positive notices, winning the best band prize at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and earning opening act spots in support of Garth Brooks , Reba McEntire , and George Strait , but found no airplay outside of Public Radio . The Chicks released the Christmas single "Home on the Radar Range" in late 1991, and their second album, '' Little Ol' Cowgirl '', in 1992. Steel Guitar legend Lloyd Maines played on both of these, and portions of the second album contained a more contemporary country sound. The Dixie Chicks continued to appear at various events in the Texas and Nashville areas, gaining positive critical reviews but sparing commercial success outside of some Dallas area radio airplay. Robin Lynn Macy left in late 1992, for a "purer" bluegrass approach, and remained active in the Dallas music scene. Now a trio, the Chicks released their third album in 1993. '' A NEW SINGER AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS Laura Lynch was replaced in late 1995 by Natalie Maines , the daughter of producer, steel guitar player, and former Chicks' session player Lloyd Maines . Around the same time, Sony scouted the Chicks and signed them to the newly revived Monument Records label. " (1998), is the first album released after the original lead vocalist Laura Lynch was replaced by Natalie Maines , the album was the biggest commercial success and sold 12 million copies in U.S.]] The new Dixie Chicks lineup consisted of group leader Martie (Erwin) Siedel ( Fiddle , Mandolin and Vocals ), Emily Erwin ( Guitar , Dobro , Banjo and vocals), and Natalie Maines ( Lead Vocal and in concerts, guitar). Natalie added a strong and distinctive voice to the sisters' musicianship and harmony vocals, and the combination clicked. A single "I Can Love You Better" was released in October 1997 with major label promotion. It climbed into the Top 10 on the country music charts. The album ''. In the summer of 1999, the Dixie Chicks served as the opening act for Tim McGraw 's concert tour. The Dixie Chicks proved their hits were no fluke with another smash hit album, '' Fly '' in 1999. Nine singles emerged from it, including country No. 1's " Cowboy Take Me Away " and " Without You ." ''Fly'' went on to sell 10 million copies, a rare repeat Diamond Album . The Chicks also staged the Fly Tour , their first as the headlining act and already performing in Arena s. 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 and mainstream Country Music appealed to a wide spectrum of record buyers; their visual image ranged from pretty to jokey to fiery, which further enhanced their general appeal; and lyrically, the Chicks' ethos struck a resonance with the public: :: ''She needs wide open spaces'' :: ''Room to make her big mistakes'' This romantic, adventurous sense of independence was a major theme in the first two Dixie Chicks albums featuring Maines as the lead singer. The romantic theme is strongly evident in "Cowboy Take Me Away," another of their Signature Song s. The Chicks also delivered gleeful revenge epics such as " Goodbye Earl ," the tale of a woman who murders her abusive husband and gets away with it, or raucous, Ribald numbers such as "Sin Wagon," a concert staple rave-up. Both of these tracks contained thematic elements that led to some radio stations removing the Chicks from their playlists, but the group was consistently unapologetic. CONTINUED SUCCESS WITH A "NON-COMMERCIAL" SOUND The Dixie Chicks debuted their quiet, unadorned song "I Believe in Love" on the '''' telethon following the September 11, 2001 Attacks . It was a harbinger of a change in musical direction. The Dixie Chicks became involved in a dispute with their record label regarding royalties and accounting procedures. After the trio quit in disgust, Sony sued the group for failure to complete their contract. The group countersued.http://www.aimeemanninprint.com/2001/bg100701.htm After the two parties reconciled their differences, '' Home '', independently produced by Lloyd Maines, was released in 2002. For tracks not written by the group, outside songwriters were solicited for personal songs that were considered "uncommercial". Unlike the Chicks' two previous records, ''Home'' was recorded without drums and is dominated by very up-tempo bluegrass and pensive ballads. In addition, the lyrics of the opening track and first single, " Long Time Gone ," explicitly attacked contemporary country music radio, accusing it of ignoring the soul of the genre as exemplified by Merle Haggard , Johnny Cash , and Hank Williams . " Long Time Gone " became the Chicks' first top ten hit on the U.S. Pop Singles Chart and peaked at #2 on the country chart, becoming a major success. Over six million copies of ''Home'' were sold in the U.S.http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp In 2003 , they gave a performance of The Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XXXVII . The group's independent spirit was alive and well in their cover of Fleetwood Mac 's " Landslide ," which duplicated the top ten country and pop achievements. However, a key track from ''Home'' contrasted with past albums; a rendering of Patty Griffin 's " Top Of The World ," for which the subsequent tour was named, featured a startlingly unusual point of view and sought to portray an almost unbearable sense of regret. ''Home'' dominated the 2003 Grammy Awards by winning four awards, including:
Tickets for the associated Top Of The World Tour often sold out within hours. POLITICAL CONTROVERSY During the run-up to the Invasion Of Iraq , several weeks after their Grammy success, the Dixie Chicks performed in concert in London on March 10 , 2003 , at the Shepherd's Bush Empire theatre. During this concert, the band gave a monologue to introduce their song ''Travelin' Soldier,'' during which Natalie Maines, a Texas native, was quoted by '' The Guardian '' as saying, "Just so you know, we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."Clarke, Betty (2003). [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,912236,00.html "The Dixie Chicks" ''Guardian Unlimited'' (accessed January 22, 2007) Though this is the official circulation of the comment, the full text of the statement Natalie Maines made was as follows: Directly after Natalie's statements on stage, co-band member Emily Robison reportedly remarked that the band supported the American troops 100 percent.Sarah Quelland (2003). "Whistlin' Dixie" Metroactive Music (accessed February 24, 2007) The comment about President Bush , who had moved to Texas from Connecticut at age two, was reported in '' The Guardian '''s review of the Chicks concert. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. media picked up the story and controversy erupted.Campbell, Duncan (2003). "'Dixie sluts' fight on with naked defiance" ''Guardian Unlimited'' (accessed April 13, 2006) Maines' remark sparked intense criticism; many Americans believed that she should not criticize her country's head of state on foreign soil, or criticize the Commander-in-Chief while the country was on the verge of war. Maines insists, however, "I said it there 'cause that's where I was."http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1196419,00.html The comment angered many country music fans and was financially damaging. Following the uproar and the start of a Boycott of the Dixie Chicks' music, Maines attempted to clarify matters on March 12 by saying, "I feel the President is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world." http://www.thebostonchannel.com/entertainment/2040104/detail.html The statement failed to quiet her critics, and Maines issued an apology on March 14 : "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect. We are currently in Europe and witnessing a huge anti-American sentiment as a result of the perceived rush to war. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother, I just want to see every possible alternative exhausted before children and American soldiers' lives are lost. I love my country. I am a proud American." Dixies dropped over Bush remark , ''BBC News'', March 20, 2003 (Accessed: October 30, 2006) "Dixie Chicks singer apologizes for Bush comment" ''CNN'', March 14, 2003 (Accessed: April 09, 2007) While some people were disappointed that Maines apologized at all, others dropped their support of the Dixie Chicks and their sponsor release of her " American Life " video in which she threw a Hand Grenade toward a Bush look-alike, after witnessing the backlash against the Chicks.)http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/music/feature/2003/04/03/madonna/index.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Album Contained Additional Tracks That Seemed To Indirectly Reference What The Group Called "The Incident", And The Group Remained Defiant For Instance, In The | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/May_29" class="copylinks">May 29 issue of '' Time '', Maguire said, "I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith We don't want those kinds of fans They limit what you can do" Maines also retracted her earlier apology to Bush, stating, "I apologized for disrespecting the office of the President, but I don't feel that way anymore I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever"{{cite news |
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