Dixie Chicks Biography
Summary
The "Dixie Chicks" are a country/rock music trio from the United States comprising Emily Robison, Martie Maguire and Natalie Maines. They are the highest-selling female band in any musical genre, having sold 36 million albums as of June 2006.
The group formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas. After years of struggle and personal tribulations, 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 have won 13 Grammy Awards.
Ten days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, lead vocalist Natalie Maines publicly criticized U.S. President George W. Bush. The ensuing controversy cost the group half of their concert audience attendance in the United States as chronicled in the 2006 documentary "Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing".
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 a show of public support for their advocacy of free speech.
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. "Shouldn't a Told You That" featured Lynch as the sole lead singer and pushed bluegrass to the background. Despite constant touring and appearances at higher-profile events such as President Bill Clinton's Inauguration and the national television show "CBS This Morning", no hit song emerged and a commercial breakthrough eluded the Chicks.
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.
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 "Wide Open Spaces" was released in January 1998. Over the space of a year, the next three singles from "Wide Open Spaces" all hit No. 1 on the country charts: the bouncy 'There's Your Trouble,' the statement-of-purpose song, 'Wide Open Spaces,' and the radio-pleasing ballad 'You Were Mine'. "Wide Open Spaces" went on to sell more than 12 million copies, becoming one of the 50 best-selling albums in American history. In the summer of 1999, the Dixie Chicks served as the opening act for Tim McGraw's concert tour.
The Dixie Chicks further proved themselves 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. Already performing in arenas, the band also staged the Fly Tour, their first as the headlining act.
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, which changed from the cowgirl look with the addition of Maines to a variety of styles of dress, which further enhanced their general appeal; and lyrically, the Chicks' ethos struck a resonance with the public:
This romantic, adventurous sense of independence was a major theme in the first two Dixie Chicks albums featuring Maines as the lead singer. Focus on romanticism is also strongly evident in 'Cowboy Take Me Away,' another of their signature songs.
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 "America: A Tribute to Heroes" 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.
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.
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:
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Country Instrumental Performance
*Dixie Chicks for 'Lil' Jack Slade'
Best Country Album
*Lloyd Maines (producer), Gary Paczosa (engineer/mixer) & the Dixie Chicks (producers & artists) for "Home".
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.' 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.
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.
Maines' remark sparked intense criticism; many Americans believed that she should not criticize George Bush on foreign shores. Maines insists, however, 'I said it there 'cause that's where I was.'
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.'
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.'
While some people were disappointed that Maines apologized at all, others dropped their support of the Dixie Chicks and their sponsor Lipton. In one famous anti-Dixie Chicks display, former fans were encouraged to bring their CDs to a demonstration at which they would be crushed by a bulldozer. The degree of hatred directed toward the Chicks - including death threats - provoked concern among the band about their safety and that of their families. Bruce Springsteen and Madonna even felt compelled to come out in support of the right of the band to express their opinions freely. (Although Madonna herself was pressured to postpone and then alter the April 1 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.)
One significant exception to the criticism of the Dixie Chicks from the realm of country music was country music veteran and strident Iraq war opponent Merle Haggard, who in the summer of 2003 released a song critical of US media coverage of the Iraq War. Haggard said the attack on the Chicks was a 'witch-hunt and lynching.' On July 25 2003, the Associated Press reported him saying:
On April 24, the Dixie Chicks launched a publicity campaign to explain their position. During a prime-time interview with TV personality Diane Sawyer, Maines said she remained proud of her original statement. The band also appeared naked (with private parts strategically covered) on the May 2 cover of "Entertainment Weekly" magazine with slogans such as 'Traitors,' 'Saddam's Angels,' 'Dixie Sluts', 'Proud Americans,' 'Hero,' 'Free Speech', and 'Brave' printed on their bodies. The slogans represented the labels (both positive and negative) that had been placed on them in the aftermath of Maines's statement.
President Bush responded to the controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks in an interview with Tom Brokaw on April 24:
At the first concert of their nationwide Top of the World Tour the Dixie Chicks received a positive reception. The concert was held in Greenville, South Carolina on May 1, and was attended by a sell-out crowd of 15,000 (tickets for most of the shows had gone on sale before the controversy erupted). The women arrived prepared to face opposition - and Maines invited those who had come to boo to do so - but the crowd erupted mostly in cheers.
Nevertheless, a Colorado radio station suspended two of its disc jockeys on May 6 for playing music by the Dixie Chicks. On May 22, at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards ceremony in Las Vegas, there were boos when the group's nomination for Entertainer of the Year award was announced. However, the broadcast's host, Vince Gill, reminded the audience that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech. The Academy gave the award to Toby Keith, an outspoken critic of the group who had received criticism for displaying a backdrop at his concerts showing a doctored photo of Maines with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
By the time of the Dixie Chicks' August 3 Atlanta show, Maines remarked that they had not heard any boos for a couple of shows; some were heard that night, but the Chicks felt that it was okay, as they supported freedom of speech.
In the fall of 2003 the Dixie Chicks starred in a broadcast TV commercial for Lipton Original Iced Tea, which made a tongue-in-cheek reference to the corporate blacklisting and the grassroots backlash. In the commercial, the Chicks are about to give a stadium concert when the electricity suddenly goes out. They continue anyway, performing an "a cappella" version of 'Cowboy Take Me Away' to the raving cheers of the fans.
In a September 2003 interview, Maguire told the German magazine "Der Spiegel": 'We don't feel a part of the country scene any longer, it can't be our home anymore.' She noted a lack of support from country stars, and being shunned at the 2003 ACM awards. 'Instead, we won three Grammys against much stronger competition. So we now consider ourselves part of the big rock 'n' roll family.' However, in an open letter to fans on the Chicks' website, Maines said Maguire had been misquoted.
Also in 2003, the American Red Cross refused a 1 million USD offer from the Dixie Chicks. The organization did not publicize the refusal; it was revealed by the Chicks themselves in a May 2006 interview on The Howard Stern Show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. According to National Red Cross spokesperson Julie Thurmond Whitmer, the band would have made the donation 'only if the American Red Cross would embrace the band's summer tour,' writes Ms. Whitmer, referring to the group's 2003 U.S. tour after the London incident.
In October 2004, the Dixie Chicks joined the Vote for Change tour, performing in concerts organized by MoveOn.org in swing states. While the Dixie Chicks' artistic collaborations with James Taylor went well, sharing the stage on many occasions, Maines's comments during the concerts revealed a certain amount of nervousness over the future career path of the Dixie Chicks.
In June 2006 an article in the Telegraph quoted Emily Robison on 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.' Robison continued, '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.' Maines commented, '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.'
At the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, Cabin Creek Films, the production company of award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple, premiered "Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing". Distributed by the Weinstein Company, the documentary follows the Chicks over the three years since the 2003 London concert remark.
In 2007 Natalie Maines appeared in the documentary "Pete Seeger: the Power of Song". She gives commentary on Seeger's censorship throughout the 1950s and 1960s from the perspective of her own experiences with censorship.
"Not Ready to Make Nice": The Chicks return
In September 2005 the Dixie Chicks debuted their song 'I Hope' on the "Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast" telethon following Hurricane Katrina, and subsequently made it available as a digital download single with proceeds to benefit hurricane relief.
On March 16, 2006, the Dixie Chicks released the single 'Not Ready to Make Nice' in advance of their upcoming album. Written by all three Chicks alongside Dan Wilson, it directly addressed the political controversy that had surrounded the group for the past three years:
and, in criticism of the death threats the women (particularly Maines) received,
In a press release, Robison 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.'
The question of how the group's new record would fare commercially attracted intense media interest.
The Chicks' new album, titled "Taking the Long Way", was released in stores and online May 22, 2006. The album was produced by Rick Rubin (who had worked with Linkin Park, Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Danzig, System Of A Down, Slipknot, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, and the Beastie Boys among others) and was publicized to be more rock-intensive than country-oriented. All 14 tracks were co-written by the three Chicks, alongside various other songwriters.
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 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.'
Despite minimal airplay, "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 Chicks became the first female group in chart history to have three albums debut at #1.
In Europe, both singles from their "Taking the Long Way" were well received by country radio, remaining on the European Country Charts for more than 20 weeks each: "Not Ready To Make Nice" peaked at #13 and "Everybody Knows" at #11.
The group's 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 cancelled 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. In August, a re-routed tour schedule was announced with a greater emphasis on Canadian dates, where "Taking the Long Way" had gone five-times-platinum. The tour's shows themselves generally refrained from any explicit verbal political comments, letting the music, especially the central performance of "Not Ready to Make Nice", speak for itself. At a Nov. 5, 2006 concert in Calgary, Alberta the Chicks received a thunderous ovation when the song was over, and the band held up a handwritten sign from a fan that read 'Nobody likes a nasty Bush.'
During 2006, the Dixie Chicks became the first major band to hire a designated blogger to be embedded with them for their promotional activities and tour. They partnered with Microsoft and hired Junichi Semitsu, a Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, to write first-hand accounts for their Accidents & Accusations Tour at the website http://dixiechicks.msn.com.
MSN broadcast an entire live concert, called 'Scene of the Crime', of the Dixie Chicks' return to Shepherds Bush, London, the site of 'The Incident'. Toward the end of the concert, Natalie said from the stage, 'And all week, the only thing people keep asking is, 'What are you gonna say? Do you know what you're gonna say?' As usual I didn't plan anything, but I thought I'd say something brand new and just say, 'Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.' ' which was met with thunderous applause and cheers.
In 2006, "Taking the Long Way" was the ninth best-selling album in the United States. It won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Album, Best Record, and Best Song (for 'Not Ready To Make Nice') - 14 years since one artist or group last swept those three awards - and Best Country Album on February 11, 2007.
After their Grammy win, the Dixie Chicks album "Taking the Long Way" hit #8 on Billboard 200 and #1 on the country album charts and the Song of the Year-winning Not Ready to Make Nice re-entered the charts at #4 on the 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,' however, the video did not win in its nominated categories.
The Dixie Chicks were nominated for the 2007 Country Music Association's award for Top Vocal Group, their first nomination from the CMA Awards since 2003. They didn't win.
"Shut Up and Sing"
An ad for "Shut up and Sing", a documentary about the furor over Maines's comment, was turned down by NBC on October 27, 2006, citing a policy barring ads dealing with 'public controversy'. Ads for the documentary were rebuffed by the smaller CW network as well; 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. '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,' the film's distributor Harvey Weinstein said in a statement.
"Shut Up And Sing's" title was taken from 'Not Ready To Make Nice', which in turn took the phrase from a threatening letter received by the band.
Discography
Albums
1990: "Thank Heavens for Dale Evans"
1992: "Little Ol' Cowgirl
1993: "Shouldn't a Told You That"
1998: "Wide Open Spaces"
1999: "Fly"
2002: "Home"
2003: "Top of the World Tour: Live"
2006: "Taking the Long Way"
Awards
American Music Awards
2003: Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group
2003: Favorite Country Album - "Home"
2001: Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group
Billboard Music Awards
2002: Country Duo/Group of the Year
Country Music Association Awards
2002: Vocal Group of the Year
2000: Album of the Year - "Fly"
2000: Entertainer of the Year
2000: Vocal Group of the Year
2000: Music Video of the Year - 'Goodbye Earl'
1999: Single of the Year - 'Wide Open Spaces'
1999: Vocal Group of the Year
1999: Music Video of the Year - 'Wide Open Spaces'
1998: Horizon Award
1998: Vocal Group of the Year
Grammy Awards
2007: Album of the Year - "Taking the Long Way"
2007: Song of the Year - 'Not Ready to Make Nice'
2007: Record of the Year - 'Not Ready to Make Nice'
2007: Best Country Album - "Taking the Long Way"
2007: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - 'Not Ready to Make Nice'
2005: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - 'Top Of The World'
2003: Best Country Album - "Home"
2003: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - 'Long Time Gone'
2003: Best Country Instrumental Performance - 'Lil' Jack Slade'
2000: Best Country Album - "Fly"
2000: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - 'Ready to Run'
1999: Best Country Album - "Wide Open Spaces"
1999: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - 'There's Your Trouble'
Juno Awards
2007: International Album of the Year - "Taking the Long Way"
MTV's "Rock the Vote"
2004: Patrick Lippert Award for "protecting freedom of speech".
People's Choice Awards
2002: Favorite Musical Group or Band
Other Awards
2006: ACLU Bill of Rights Award
Tours
As an opening act
1998 Clay Walker
1999 George Strait Country Music Festival
1999 Tim McGraw
2006 The Eagles (Twickenham - 17 June 2006)
2007 The Eagles (Grand Opening of The Nokia Theatre L.A.Live)
Benefits
2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes
2003 Honor the Earth
2003 Recording Artists' Coalition
2004 Vote for Change
2005 Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast
Festivals
1999 Lilith Fair
Headlining tours
2000 Fly Tour
2003 Top of the World Tour
2006 Accidents & Accusations Tour
Further reading
Dickerson, James L. (2000). "Dixie Chicks: Down-Home and Backstage". Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 0-87833-189-1.
External links
(Extensive Dixie Chicks Fan Site)
(DixieChicksFans.net) offers the latest in news, photos, lyrics, plus a fan forum
(The All Inclusive Dixie Chicks) extensive site with stories and discography, focusing on the band's Western and Bluegrass roots
(Protesting the Dixie Chicks) documentary on country music fans' conceptions of freedom and patriotism, as well as the anger and violence which accompany the impulse to defend them.
(Dixie Chicks Exclusive Performance & Behind the Scenes footage) on AOL Sessions
Archived news articles
(In 'Sing,' a trio whistles Dixie) The Christian Science Monitor
(Chicks' Naked Fury) about the Entertainment Weekly cover
(The Entertainment Weekly cover)
(AP article on Greenville concert) .
(Dixie Chicks & Alec Baldwin Fighting For 'Center Square'on The Hollywood Squares? Jake Easton, Radok News) (pro-boycott)
(Dixie Chicks Return, 'Taking the Long Way') - NPR Interview on All Things Considered, May 23, 2006. Includes discussion of death threats received in 2003.
(Dixie Chicks song about Lubbock, Texas stirs up some local trouble.)
(Article on a different Dixie Chicks documentary.)
(Dixie Chicks) feature and CD and concert reviews] at (Country Standard Time) pdc:Dixie Chicks
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Dixie Chicks.
