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The Dixie Chicks is an American all-female country music group, formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas. Considered among the more popular country acts starting in the late 1990s, they aroused considerable controversy for publicly denouncing President George W. Bush on the eve of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

Group history

The original members of the Dixie Chicks were the sisters Martie Erwin and Emily Erwin, Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy. Martie and Emily have married and their names are now Martie Maguire and Emily Robison.Robin Lynn Macy left in late 1992, preferring a "purer" bluegrass sound. She joined Sara Hickman and Patty Lege to form the group Domestic Science Club, which issued two albums before disbanding. Macy later founded a group called Big Twang, which cut one CD before its band members went their separate ways.Laura Lynch was replaced in 1995 by Natalie Maines, daughter of producer and steel guitar player Lloyd Maines. The new lineup had a massive hit with their album ''Wide Open Spaces'' on Sony's Monument label. This was followed by another smash hit CD, '' Fly''.
As of early 2005 these albums have sold over 12 million and 10 million copies respectively.In September 2001 the Dixie Chicks debuted their song "I Believe in Love" on the ''America: A Tribute to Heroes'' telethon following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The group was involved in a dispute with their record label for two years, and their next album '' Home'' was an independent production, produced by Lloyd Maines and released in 2002 after the Chicks and Sony reconciled their differences. Despite having a "non-commercial" sound –
unlike the two previous records, ''Home'' lacks drums and
is dominated by very-up-tempo bluegrass and pensive ballads –
it was also a major success and has sold over 6 million copies
(which might have been more but for the political controversy to come). Despite (or perhaps because of) the negative publicity, ''Home'' dominated the 2003 Grammy Awards, winning four of them, including Best Country Album. Tickets for the associated ''Top of the World'' tour often sold out within hours.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.

The sound

The current line-up consists of group leader Martie (fiddle, mandolin, and vocals), Emily (guitar, dobro, banjo, and vocals), and Natalie (lead vocals and in concert, guitar). While Martie and Emily are accomplished musicians, Natalie has a strong and distinctive voice.
The Chicks write or co-write about half the songs on their records, while using outside songwriters for the rest; for ''Home'' they solicited personal songs that the writers might think uncommercial.
The group's mixture of bluegrass and mainstream country music appeals to a wide spectrum of record buyers.
The group's visual image ranges from pretty to jokey to fiery,
which further enhances their general appeal.:: She needs wide open spaces

:: Room to make her big mistakesThis romantic, adventurous sense of independence is the major theme of the Maines-era Chicks;
it is strongly evident too in "Cowboy Take Me Away", another of their signature songs,
and then later in their cover of Stevie Nicks' "Landslide".
But the Chicks can also deliver gleeful revenge epics such as "Goodbye Earl"
(which led to their first mild brush with controversy when some radio stations shied away from playing it)
or raucous, ribald numbers such as "Sin Wagon" (a concert staple rave-up).
In contrast, a key track from ''Home'' was a rendering of Patty Griffin's "Top of the World"
(for which the subsequent tour was named),
which features a startingly unusual point of view and seeks to portray an almost unbearable sense of regret.

Political controversy

On March 10, 2003, during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq (which would take place on March 20), Natalie Maines stated during a concert in London that the band was "ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." (Maines is a native of Lubbock, Texas.) This remark sparked intense criticism from many Americans, on three different grounds: that Maines shouldn't be criticizing the nation's head of state while on foreign territory; that Maines shouldn't be criticizing the nation's commander-in-chief while the country was on the verge of war; and that Maines shouldn't be making political statements that would offend the Dixie Chicks' culturally conservative audience base.Following the uproar and the start of a boycott of their music, the singer attempted to clarify matters on March 12 with the statement "I feel the President is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world."This statement failed to quiet her critics, and on March 14 she issued an apology stating "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."Some fans remained angry and pressed on with a boycott of Dixie Chick music, stations that played their music, and their sponsor Lipton Tea, while other fans were disappointed that she apologized. In one display of anti-Dixie-Chick publicity, former Dixie Chick fans were encouraged to bring their Dixie Chicks CDs so that they could be crushed by a bulldozer. The extent of the backlash resulted in the artists being concerned about their personal safety and that of their families. Bruce Springsteen and Madonna were among those who came out in support of the right of the women to express their opinion. Not one to back down from controversy, even Madonna herself was pressured to cancel the release of her anti-war video "American Life" which featured a Bush parody.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, 2003 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. Many critics called the moves publicity stunts, since they were launched on the eve of a U.S. concert tour.The original controversy was launched when a ''Guardian'' review of the group's London concert was picked up by U.S. media. (For the ''Guardian'''s summary of the controversy, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,943170,00.html.)President Bush responded to the controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks in an interview with Tom Brokaw on April 24:
:"The Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind. They can say what they want to say...They shouldn't have their feelings hurt just because some people don't want to buy their records when they speak out...Freedom is a two-way street...I...don't really care what the Dixie Chicks said. I want to do what I think is right for the American people, and if some singers or Hollywood stars feel like speaking out, that's fine. That's the great thing about America. It stands in stark contrast to Iraq..." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/25/international/worldspecial/25BUSH-TEXT.html?pagewanted=allAt the first concert of their nation-wide tour the Dixie Chicks received a very positive reception. The concert was held in Greenville, South Carolina on May 1 and was attended by a sell-out crowd of 15,000. The women had come prepared to face up to opposition and Natalie Maines invited those who had come to boo to do so but the crowd erupted in cheers. Nevertheless, the band remained controversial. On May 6, a Colorado radio station suspended two of its disc jockeys for playing music by the Dixie Chicks in violation of a ban on their music. 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 awards was announced. However, the broadcast's host, Vince Gill, reminded the audience that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech. The Academy made the award to Toby Keith, an outspoken critic of the group. In the fall of 2003 the Dixie Chicks starred in a broadcast TV commercial for Lipton Ice Tea which made a tongue-in-cheek reference to the corporate blacklisting and the grassroots backlash: in the tea spot, the Chicks are about to give a stadium concert when the electricity suddenly goes out - but they manage to electrify the stadium all by themselves, belting out a rousing "a capella" version of "Cowboy Take Me Away" to the raving cheers of the fans.In a September 2003 interview, Maguire told ''Der Spiegel'' magazine: "We don't feel a part of the country scene any longer, it can't be our home any more." 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 that Maguire had been misquoted.In October 2004, the Dixie Chicks joined the "Vote for Change" tour,
playing a series of concerts in American swing states. These concerts were organized by MoveOn.org with the general goal of mobilizing people to vote for John Kerry and against George W. Bush in that year's Presidential campaign. The Dixie Chicks' appearances were joint performances
with James Taylor. This effort was unsuccessful in getting Kerry elected, and during the concerts
Maines' stage remarks revealed a certain amount of nervousness over what the Dixie Chicks' future career path would be.As of late 2005, CMT and country music radio still seem to shy away from playing Dixie Chicks songs, but the group has not had any significant promotion or new material out since the controversy, so it is difficult to assess the lasting impact of these events.

Conspiracy theories