Dixie Chicks Biography

This female trio's beguiling mixture of bluegrass, straight country and pop shook up the contemporary country scene in the late 90s. Raised in Texas, USA, sisters Martie Seidel (mandolin/fiddle) and Emily Erwin (banjo/dobro) were playing their instruments from an early age. When they were still only teenagers they toured throughout the USA with the bluegrass group Blue Night Express. Taking their name from the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken", the Dixie Chicks were founded in 1989 when the sisters, with two other original members Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy (ex-Danger In The Air), began busking on street corners in Dallas. They performed at clubs and dance halls and released two bluegrass-orientated independent label albums and a Christmas single, before Macy left to form the Domestic Social Club with Sara Hickman and Patty Lege. The more contemporary sounding Shouldn't A Told You That was the last recording to feature Lynch, who was replaced by new lead vocalist Natalie Maines (daughter of steel guitarist Lloyd Maines) in 1995.

The new look Dixie Chicks were considered the perfect flagship act for the 1997 relaunch of Monument Records, home to Roy Orbison and Dolly Parton in the 60s prior to its closure. Released in January 1998, Wide Open Spaces quickly became the bestselling country album released by a group in that year, and eventually climbed to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 200 and achieved multi-platinum sales. Its success was buoyed by the release of the singles "I Can Love You Better" and "There's Your Trouble" (a US Country number 1), both examples of the group's spirited, original take on traditional Nashville musical values. They also made a name for themselves in the press, Maines making statements opposing the legalization of marijuana on the Politically Incorrect television show.

Dixie Chicks Links

Click Here for Dixie Chicks Tickets

Dixie Chicks Official Website

At September's Country Music Association Awards they completed a fine year by winning the Vocal Group and Horizon trophies. At the following year's Grammy Awards, Wide Open Spaces was voted Best Country Album. The follow-up Fly, which introduced a more pop-orientated style, shot to the top of the US album chart in September 1999 and spent many months on top of the chart. The Top 10 single "Goodbye Earl', a Thelma And Louise-style tale of two women exacting the ultimate revenge on a violent husband, became a cause celebre after it was banned by several male radio programmers and DJs. The group went on to win four awards at October 2000"s CMA ceremony, including one for "Goodbye Earl". They subsequently entered into major litigation with their record company, Sony Music. In September 2002, with the legal wrangles finally sorted out, the trio returned to the top of the US charts with their new studio album, Home.