Dixie Chicks

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

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 group's mixture of bluegrass and mainstream country music appeals to a wide spectrum of record buyers.

Related Topics:
Fiddle - Mandolin - Vocals - Guitar - Dobro - Banjo - Bluegrass - Country music

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The group's visual image ranges from pretty to jokey to fiery,

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which further enhances their general appeal.

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:: She needs wide open spaces

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:: Room to make her big mistakes

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This romantic, adventurous sense of independence is the major theme of the Maines-era Chicks;

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it is strongly evident too in "Cowboy Take Me Away", another of their signature songs,

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and then later in their cover of Stevie Nicks' "Landslide".

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But the Chicks can also deliver gleeful revenge epics such as "Goodbye Earl"

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(which led to their first mild brush with controversy when some radio stations shied away from playing it)

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or raucous, ribald numbers such as "Sin Wagon" (a concert staple rave-up).

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In contrast, a key track from Home was a rendering of Patty Griffin's "Top of the World"

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(for which the subsequent tour was named),

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which features a startingly unusual point of view and seeks to portray an almost unbearable sense of regret.

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