# The Chicks
**The Chicks** are an American country music trio from Dallas, Texas, formed in 1989 and known until June 2020 as the **Dixie Chicks**. The current lineup consists of [Natalie Maines](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-maines) (lead vocals), [Martie Maguire](https://www.edgepedia.org/martie-maguire), and [Emily Strayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-strayer), the last two being sisters who are founding members. The group is recognized as the biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time, with more than 30.5 million albums sold and 13 Grammy Awards.[1](https://www.mbcpr.com/artists/dixie-chicks/) • [2](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/why-the-chicks-dropped-their-dixie)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | Dallas, Texas, 1989, as a four-piece; Maines joined in 1995[2](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/why-the-chicks-dropped-their-dixie) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-chicks-mn0000162487) |
| Members | Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, Emily Strayer[4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/the-chicks-announce-taking-the-long-way-20th-anniversary-tour) |
| Sales and awards | More than 30.5 million albums; 13 Grammy Awards; multiple diamond (10 million copy) releases[1](https://www.mbcpr.com/artists/dixie-chicks/) |
| Diamond albums | *Wide Open Spaces* (1998) and *Fly* (1999) each sold over 10 million copies[5](https://thechicks.com/about-1) |
| 2003 controversy | Maines's March 10, 2003 London remark about President George W. Bush led to a country radio blacklist and death threats[6](https://time.com/7009832/the-chicks-song-political-history/) • [7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html) |
| Comeback album | *Taking the Long Way* (2006), produced by Rick Rubin, won five Grammys including Album, Record, and Song of the Year[4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/the-chicks-announce-taking-the-long-way-20th-anniversary-tour) |
| Name change | Dropped "Dixie" on June 25, 2020[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dixie-chicks-change-their-name-to-the-chicks/) |
## Origins and early years
The band was founded in Texas in 1989 as a four-piece playing a mixture of bluegrass and traditional country, with the sisters Martie and Emily Erwin (now Maguire and Strayer) as the remaining original members; other early members included Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy.[2](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/why-the-chicks-dropped-their-dixie) • [9](https://www.dixie-chicks.com/) The name was a riff on "Dixie Chicken," a 1973 album by the rock band [Little Feat](https://www.edgepedia.org/little-feat), and did not strike the members as problematic at the time.[2](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/why-the-chicks-dropped-their-dixie) • [10](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-chicks-interview-gaslighter-new-album-trump-george-floyd-bush-a9636596.html)
The group was transformed when Natalie Maines joined in 1995.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-chicks-mn0000162487) The albums *Wide Open Spaces* (January 1998) and *Fly* (1999) both reached diamond status, meaning sales over 10 million copies each, and the band became a multi-platinum act in North America, Europe, and Australia.[5](https://thechicks.com/about-1) By 2003 they had sung the national anthem at the [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl), held the number one and number two album positions simultaneously with *Home* and *Fly*, and sold tens of millions of physical copies.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jul/21/the-chicks-2006-documentary-means-more-now-than-ever)
## The 2003 controversy
On March 10, 2003, days before the United States invaded Iraq, Maines told a London audience before playing "Travelin' Soldier": "We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."[6](https://time.com/7009832/the-chicks-song-political-history/) • [7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html) The comment, first quoted in print by *The Guardian* in London and then disseminated by the Associated Press, reached the United States about a week later and produced an explosive reaction from country fans.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jul/21/the-chicks-2006-documentary-means-more-now-than-ever) • [7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html)
**The backlash.** Country radio programmers blacklisted the band overnight. In Bossier City, Louisiana, a 33,000-pound tractor crushed hundreds of Dixie Chicks CDs; in other cities protesters filled dumpsters and lit bonfires to dispose of the band's merchandise, and DJs at country stations held CD-burning parties. Maines received death threats.[7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html) • [10](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-chicks-interview-gaslighter-new-album-trump-george-floyd-bush-a9636596.html) • [6](https://time.com/7009832/the-chicks-song-political-history/) Being "Dixie Chicked" became country music shorthand for being canceled before the term entered general American use.[7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html) Maines initially apologized for disrespecting the office of the president and later retracted the apology.[6](https://time.com/7009832/the-chicks-song-political-history/)
The episode has been read as more than wartime jingoism. A Philadelphia Inquirer history argues the protests drew on a decades-long connection between country music and the U.S. military that intensified after September 11, 2001, and on the fusion of country music politics with patriotic conservatism.[7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html) The incident's shadow extended beyond the band: in her 2020 documentary *Miss Americana*, Taylor Swift cited her fear of getting "Dixie Chick-ed" as a reason she stayed politically reticent past the 2016 election.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jul/21/the-chicks-2006-documentary-means-more-now-than-ever)
## Taking the Long Way and the Grammys
The trio answered the backlash with *Taking the Long Way*, released May 23, 2006, their first full-length after the industry turned against them and the first record on which they co-wrote every song. It was produced by [Rick Rubin](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-rubin) and expanded their sound into pop and rock alongside pure country songs like "Bitter End."[1](https://www.mbcpr.com/artists/dixie-chicks/) • [12](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-chicks-taking-the-long-way/) • [13](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2026/05/27/chicks-taking-long-way-anniversary-tour-interview/c1faabc0-59d0-11f1-8a9d-afb1148204e1_story.html) Its lead single, "Not Ready to Make Nice," written by all three members with singer-songwriter [Dan Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-wilson), transformed the public backlash into one of the defining songs of the decade; Maines described the album as "pure therapy."[6](https://time.com/7009832/the-chicks-song-political-history/)
At the 49th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) in February 2007, the album won five awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, along with Best Country Album and Best Country Performance.[7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html) The album topped the Billboard 200 chart.[4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/the-chicks-announce-taking-the-long-way-20th-anniversary-tour) The 2006 documentary *Shut Up and Sing*, directed by Barbara Kopple and [Cecilia Peck](https://www.edgepedia.org/cecilia-peck), tracked the three years from the controversy to the album's release.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jul/21/the-chicks-2006-documentary-means-more-now-than-ever)
## Name change and Gaslighter
After a nearly 14-year hiatus from new studio albums, the band returned in 2020. On June 25, 2020, amid the protests following [George Floyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-floyd)'s murder, the trio dropped "Dixie" from its name, updating its social media accounts and website with the statement "We want to meet this moment."[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dixie-chicks-change-their-name-to-the-chicks/) • [2](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/why-the-chicks-dropped-their-dixie) Maines said the decision came after NASCAR banned the Confederate flag: "if Nascar can do that, we gotta change our name for sure." The record label had already pressed 400,000 copies of the new single and made a sticker insert so buyers could edit the name themselves.[10](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-chicks-interview-gaslighter-new-album-trump-george-floyd-bush-a9636596.html) Historians note that "Dixie" carries associations with the Confederacy and segregation; Karen L. Cox, a professor of history at the [University of North Carolina at Charlotte](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte), calls the term "synonymous with segregation."[2](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/why-the-chicks-dropped-their-dixie)
The fifth studio album, *Gaslighter*, followed in July 2020 on [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records), a 12-track record co-produced by [Jack Antonoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-antonoff) and their first new album in 14 years.[4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/the-chicks-announce-taking-the-long-way-20th-anniversary-tour)
## Influence and anniversary tour
The band's influence has traveled outside country music: indie songwriters such as Katie Alice Greer and boygenius have covered their songs, and artists from Beyoncé to [Soccer Mommy](https://www.edgepedia.org/soccer-mommy) have heard their own stories in them.[14](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/dixie-chicks-home/) Beyoncé performed "Daddy Lessons" with the Chicks at the 50th CMA Awards in 2016.[15](https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-nashville-317d8640-6ee9-11ef-8853-7556560df693)
In 2026 the trio marked the 20th anniversary of *Taking the Long Way* with a 16-date tour of intimate U.S. theaters, beginning September 30 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit and ending with two nights at the [Dolby Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-theatre) in Hollywood on November 1 and 2, performing the album in its entirety for the first time alongside an expanded reissue.[4](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/the-chicks-announce-taking-the-long-way-20th-anniversary-tour) • [7](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html) Maines said of the album's signature song that "people have their own 'Not Ready to Make Nice' story to tell."[13](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2026/05/27/chicks-taking-long-way-anniversary-tour-interview/c1faabc0-59d0-11f1-8a9d-afb1148204e1_story.html)
## References
1. [The Chicks biography, MBC PR](https://www.mbcpr.com/artists/dixie-chicks/)
2. [Why the Chicks Dropped Their "Dixie," The New Yorker (2020)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/why-the-chicks-dropped-their-dixie)
3. [The Chicks biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-chicks-mn0000162487)
4. [The Chicks Announce Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour, Live Nation Entertainment (2026)](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/the-chicks-announce-taking-the-long-way-20th-anniversary-tour)
5. [About The Chicks, official website](https://thechicks.com/about-1)
6. [TikTokers Use 'Not Ready to Make Nice' by The Chicks to Criticize Kamala Harris, Time](https://time.com/7009832/the-chicks-song-political-history/)
7. [The history behind the backlash against the Chicks, The Philadelphia Inquirer (2026)](https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/the-chicks-backlash-country-music-conservatism-patriotism-war-20261021.html)
8. [The Dixie Chicks change their name to "The Chicks," CBS News (2020)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dixie-chicks-change-their-name-to-the-chicks/)
9. [About the All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Page](https://www.dixie-chicks.com/)
10. [The Chicks interview, The Independent (2020)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-chicks-interview-gaslighter-new-album-trump-george-floyd-bush-a9636596.html)
11. [Shut Up and Sing: why the Chicks' 2006 documentary means more now than ever, The Guardian (2020)](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jul/21/the-chicks-2006-documentary-means-more-now-than-ever)
12. [The Chicks: Taking the Long Way Album Review, Pitchfork (2026)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-chicks-taking-the-long-way/)
13. [The Chicks announce intimate 'Taking the Long Way' 20th Anniversary Tour, The Washington Post / AP (2026)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2026/05/27/chicks-taking-long-way-anniversary-tour-interview/c1faabc0-59d0-11f1-8a9d-afb1148204e1_story.html)
14. [The Chicks: Home Album Review, Pitchfork (2020)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/dixie-chicks-home/)
15. [No CMA for Bey, Axios Nashville (2024)](https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-nashville-317d8640-6ee9-11ef-8853-7556560df693)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Folk, world, and traditional ensembles › Folk, bluegrass, and country groups › Country and country-rock groups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license