The Chicks

The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Strayer (vocals, guitar, banjo, Dobro). Maguire and Strayer, both née Erwin, founded the band in 1989 in Dallas, Texas, with bassist Laura Lynch and vocalist and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy. They performed bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years without attracting a major label. In 1992, Macy left and Lynch became the lead vocalist.

Upon signing with Monument Records Nashville in 1997 and replacing Lynch with Maines, the Chicks achieved success with their albums '' Wide Open Spaces'' (1998) and ''Fly'' (1999). After Monument closed its Nashville branch, the Chicks moved to Columbia Records for ''Home'' (2002). These albums achieved multi-platinum sales in the United States, Canada, and Australia, along with several charting singles 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 a cover of Bruce Robison's "Travelin' Soldier" reached number one. The Chicks also reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart with their 2002 cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide".

Days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Maines told a London audience that the Chicks did not endorse the war and were ashamed of US President George W. Bush being from Texas. The remarks triggered boycotts in the US and a backlash from fans. After a hiatus, the Chicks released ''Taking the Long Way'' in 2006, an album informed by the backlash. "Not Ready to Make Nice" became their biggest crossover single, reaching number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. After another hiatus, Maguire and Strayer released an album in 2009 as the Court Yard Hounds. The Chicks reunited to tour in the 2010s. In 2020, they removed "Dixie" from their name, citing negative connotations, and released their first album in 14 years, '' Gaslighter.''

The Chicks have won 13 Grammy Awards, including five in 2007 for ''Taking the Long Way,'' which received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and its single "Not Ready to Make Nice", which received the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. By July 2020, with 33 million certified albums sold 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 in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present).

History

1989–1995: Original bluegrass group

The Dixie Chicks were founded by Laura Lynch on upright bass, Robin Lynn Macy on guitar and the multi-instrumentalist sisters Martie and Emily Erwin in 1989. The Erwin sisters later married and both changed their names twice (Martie to Martie Seidel, then Martie Maguire; Emily to Emily Robison, then Emily Strayer). The band's name was taken from the album ''Dixie Chicken'' by Lowell George of Little Feat.Tarnow, Noah, "Dixie Chicks", ''Rolling Stone''; 12/01/98 Issue 801, pg.37 They initially played predominantly bluegrass and a mix of country standards. All four women played and sang, though Maguire and Strayer provided most of the instrumental accompaniment for the band while Lynch and Macy shared lead vocals. Maguire primarily played fiddle, mandolin, and viola, while Strayer's specialties included five-stringed banjo and dobro.

In 1990, Penny Cook, daughter of then Senator John Tower, gave the group $10,000 to record an album. Their first studio album, ''Thank Heavens for Dale Evans'', was named after the pioneering performer Dale Evans. They paid $5,000 for the 14-track album.Brooks, Robert
"The All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Timeline"
Last updated October 15, 1999. Retrieved March 25, 2008. The album included two instrumental tunes. In 1987, Maguire (still known then as Martie Erwin) had won second place, and in 1989, third place in the national fiddle championships held at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. 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. However, even with an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, and Garrison Keillor's radio show ''A Prairie Home Companion'',Clark, Rene
"Can the Dixie Chicks make it in the big time? Local Heroes"
''Dallas Morning News'', March 1, 1992. Retrieved March 23, 2008 they did not get much national airplay.

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 such names as Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, and George Strait.

In 1992, a second independent album, ''Little Ol' Cowgirl'', moved towards a more contemporary country sound, as the band enlisted the help of more session musicians, and developed a richer sound with larger and more modern arrangements. Robin Lynn Macy was not pleased with the change in sound. She left in late 1992 to devote herself to a "purer" bluegrass sound, remaining active in the Dallas and Austin music scenes."Dixie Chicks Biography
8 Notes Online. Retrieved February 10, 2008. It was during this period that professional steel guitarist Lloyd Maines (who had played on both albums) introduced them to his daughter, Natalie, an aspiring singer. Lloyd Maines thought his daughter would be a good match to replace the departed Macy, and had passed along Natalie's audition demo tape, which had won her a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, to both Maguire and Strayer."Dishing With The Dixie Chicks"
''Redbook'' March 1, 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2008. Her distinctive voice was a match for Maguire's soprano and Strayer's alto harmonies. As Maguire and Strayer considered their options and the major record labels waffled over whether they should take a risk on an all-woman band, a few reviewers took note of their talents:

Lynch, thrust into the role of sole lead singer on their third independent album, ''Shouldn't a Told You That'' in 1993, was unable to attract support from a major record label, and the band struggled to expand their fan base beyond Texas and Nashville.

New manager Simon Renshaw approached music executive Scott Siman and he signed them to a developmental deal with Sony Music Entertainment's Nashville division. The deal was finalized with Sony over mid-1995. The Chicks then replaced Lynch with singer Maines.Dickerson, James L. (2000) Dixie Chicks: Down-Home and Backstage. Taylor Trade Publishing, Dallas, Texas. . Accounts of the departure have varied. At the time, the sisters stated that Lynch had been considering leaving the band for over a year, weary of touring, and hoping to spend more time with her daughter at home. She offered to stay for the first cuts on the new album for Sony, but the sisters thought it would send the wrong message to the label; they all agreed she would leave before the new album. In a later interview, Lynch said, "It can't really be characterized as a resignation. There are three Dixie Chicks, and I'm only one." By her own account Lynch noted that she had no regrets about leaving.

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

With the addition of Natalie 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. Renshaw sent staff producer Blake Chancey to Austin to work with the band.

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 papoose in concert. She sang lead vocals, with Maguire and Strayer singing backing vocals. Strayer 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 Maguire began adding guitar, viola, and mandolin chops more frequently to her expert fiddle. The sisters welcomed the change; Maguire said, "It's very rootsy, but then Natalie comes in with a rock and blues influence. That gave Emily and ea chance to branch out, because we loved those kinds of music but felt limited by our instruments."

Within the next year, Sony came to Austin to see the revamped Dixie Chicks and committed to sign them to a long-term deal and they were selected as the first new artist on the newly revived Monument Records label. A single "I Can Love You Better" was released in October 1997, and reached the Top 10 on American country music charts, while the new lineup recorded the rest of their debut album. '' Wide Open Spaces'' was released on January 23, 1998.Official Dixie Chicks Site
Over the space of a year, the next three singles from ''Wide Open Spaces'' reached first place on the Country charts: "There's Your Trouble", "You Were Mine", and the title track. The album added a widespread audience to their original following, entering the top five on both country and pop chartsSmith, Chris (January 19, 2008)
"100 Albums You Need To Own"
, ''The Vancouver Sun''. Retrieved May 12, 2011. with initial sales of 12 million copies in the country music arena alone, setting a record for the best-selling duo or group album in country music history.Ankeny, Jason Dixie Chicks Biography/ref> As of 2003, the 12 million copies sold in the United States of ''Wide Open Spaces'' made it a RIAA-certified diamond album.RIAA Official Assessment Site
. Retrieved May 9, 2008

In 1998, the Dixie Chicks sold more CDs than all other country music groups combined."Dixie Chicks Biography"
''Elle''. Retrieved May 30, 2008 Big Country music took note of the Chicks, awarding 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".
By 1999, the album won the new lineup their first Grammy Awards as well as acclaim from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, and other high-profile awards.

On August 31, 1999, the Dixie Chicks released another album, ''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. Nine singles were released from ''Fly'', including country No. 1s "Cowboy Take Me Away" and " Without You". Dixie Chicks albums continued to place in the list of the 50 best-selling albums in American history over a half-decade after they were released.Willman, Chris (2005), ''Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music'', New York: The New Press

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