Dixie Chicks

The Dixie Chicks is a very popular, and sometimes controversial, American all-female country music group, formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas.

Political controversy

On March 10, 2003, Natalie Maines provoked controversy in America by saying, 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. Following the uproar and 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."

Related Topics:
March 10 - 2003 - London - Texas - Lubbock, Texas - Boycott - March 12

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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."

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Some fans remained angry and pressed on with a boycott of Dixie Chick music and stations that played their music, 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.

Related Topics:
Bulldozer - Bruce Springsteen - Madonna

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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.

Related Topics:
April 24 - Diane Sawyer - May 2 - 2003 - Entertainment Weekly - Publicity stunt

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The original controversy was launched when a Guardian review of the group's London concert was picked up by U.S. media. (For the Guardians summary of the controversy, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,943170,00.html.)

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President Bush responded to the controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks in an interview with Tom Brokaw on April 24:

Related Topics:
President Bush - Tom Brokaw

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:"he Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind. They can say what they want to say...hey shouldn't have their feelings hurt just because some people don't want to buy their records when they speak out...reedom 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=all

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At 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.

Related Topics:
Greenville, South Carolina - May 1 - Natalie Maines

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Nevertheless, the band remained controversial. On May 6th, 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.

Related Topics:
May 6 - May 22 - Academy of Country Music - Las Vegas - Vince Gill - Toby Keith

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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.

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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.

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In October 2004, the Dixie Chicks joined the "Vote for Change" tour,

Related Topics:
October - 2004 - Vote for Change

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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

Related Topics:
Swing states - MoveOn.org - John Kerry - George W. Bush

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with James Taylor. This effort was unsuccessful in getting Kerry elected, and during the concerts

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Maines' stage remarks revealed a certain amount of nervousness over what the Dixie Chicks' future career path would be.

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Conspiracy theories

From the beginning of the controversy, conspiracy theorists have discussed who exactly was responsible for launching the boycott of Dixie Chicks' music, and the extent to which their fans supported the boycott.

Related Topics:
Conspiracy theorists - Boycott

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Some critics of the boycott, such as Michael Moore, claimed that the boycott was not a product of large numbers of fans angry at their comments but an organized plot by Bush-supporting radio chain executives and the Republican Party leadership. Under this theory, the ban on playing their music by country music stations owned by Clear Channel Communications was not simply initiated by local station managers or DJs on their own or in response to some angry listeners, but was instead coordinated by top executives who wanted to curry favor among the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress for policies such as relaxation of media ownership rules.

Related Topics:
Michael Moore - Republican Party - Clear Channel Communications

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They also claimed that people working for the Republican party engaged in a deceptive phone campaign to convince country radio stations to remove the Dixie Chicks music from their playlist. Ultimately, they say, this led to the false perception that many Dixie Chicks fans were strongly opposed to Natalie Maines' anti-Bush remarks. They pointed to the fact that the bands album sales at the time were up, and their concerts were largely selling out to support their claims. The boycott's critics suggest that there was a deliberate attempt to create the false impression that many fans had turned against the Dixie Chicks in order to try and send a message to other celebrities that anti-Bush administration remarks could hurt your career.

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Clear Channel Communications and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have denied these accusations, and no direct evidence emerged to support these claims. Similar theories regarding Clear Channel management's control (or lack thereof) of their individual stations also arose after the September 11, 2000 attacks; see the List of songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks for additional details.

Related Topics:
Republican National Committee - List of songs deemed inappropriate by Clear Channel following the September 11, 2001 attacks

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