Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks) became one of the most popular groups in American country music in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The vocal and instrumental trio consists of Natalie Maines (1974-…) and sisters Martie Maguire (1969-…) and Emily Strayer (1972-…). All three sing, with Maines performing as lead singer. Maguire plays fiddle and mandolin, Strayer plays guitar and banjo, and Maines plays guitar. The group first gained national fame with their 1998 album Wide Open Spaces. They appealed to young listeners with their modern country sound and energetic performing style.
Natalie Louise Maines was born on Oct. 14, 1974, in Lubbock, Texas. She married Adrian Pasdar, an actor, in 2000, but kept her maiden name. The couple divorced in 2019. Maguire was born Martha Eleanor Erwin on Oct. 12, 1969, in York, Pennsylvania. She married her second husband, Gareth Maguire, a teacher, in 2001. The couple divorced in 2013. Slayer was born Emily Burns Erwin on Aug. 16, 1972, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She married Charles Robison, a country singer, in 1999. The couple divorced in 2008. In 2013, she married the musician Martin Strayer.
The first version of the Dixie Chicks originated in Dallas in 1989. The group was founded as a quartet by the Erwin sisters, Laura Lynch, and Robin Lynn Macy. Macy left the group in 1992, and Maines replaced Lynch in 1995.
The Dixie Chicks released their first album, Thank Heavens for Dale Evans, in 1990, and their second, Little Ol’ Cowgirl, in 1992. Critics praised the albums, but neither sold well. A third album, Shouldn’t a Told You That, was released in 1993, but also was not a commercial success. After Maines joined the group, the Dixie Chicks began to gain national attention. A single called “I Can Love You Better” (1997), later included on their Wide Open Spaces album, was their first top-10 hit. The song was one of three singles from the album that reached number one on the country music chart. With the release of Wide Open Spaces, the group became superstars. The Dixie Chicks were voted Group of the Year by the Country Music Association for 1998, the first of many awards the group received. Their next album, Fly (1999), was a smash hit, containing two more number-one songs.
Along with their success, the group has created controversy with their outspoken opinions on politics and the music industry. During a concert in London in 2003, Maines criticized United States President George W. Bush. Maines’s remarks caused an uproar in the United States and led to the cancellation of many of the group’s concerts and a boycott of their records on radio. By 2007, however, the Dixie Chicks were back on top of country music, winning five Grammy Awards for their album Taking the Long Way (2006) and a song from the album, “Not Ready to Make Nice.” In 2009, Martie and Emily formed the country music and folk duo the Court Yard Hounds.
In 2020, the Dixie Chicks removed Dixie from their name and became the Chicks. Dixie is a nickname often given to the southern part of the United States, especially the states which united to form the Confederacy before the American Civil War (1861-1865). In the years since the war, Dixie has become a polarizing term associated with slavery to many African Americans and others. In 2020, the Chicks released Gaslighter, their first studio album in 14 years. It was the first recording released under the group’s new name. The album featured the single “March March,” a tribute to social justice protesters.
