Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks became popular as the trio of fiddler Martie Seidel, sister Emily Erwin on banjo, and the brassy, outspoken lead vocalist Natalie Maines (daughter of steel guitar legend and producer Lloyd Maines), but their beginnings go back much further. A decade before they wowed the music world with their major-label debut Wide Open Spaces, Martie and Emily were singing cowboy songs with earlier Chicks Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy. Stories abound about why the group shook itself up, but no matter what the reasons, the results were legend.
Wide Open Spaces went quadruple platinum and spawned a slew of hit singles, earned the Chicks multiple major awards, and turned them into superstars. They immediately followed up with the equally popular Fly, bringing them more platinum and more chart-topping hits. They took a turn back to their roots with the bluegrass-and-western-flavored Home, an acoustic slice of pure talent, showing they are so much more than a pop flash in the pan. Weathering political controversy, the girls continued to perform as well as having kids (all three of them), and released a Live CD/DVD, toured for Rock the Vote, and appeared at a charity concert for victims of Katrina.
Previous Grammy Wins:
- Best Country Album - Wide Open Spaces - 1998
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "There's Your Trouble" - 1998
- Best Country Album - Fly - 1999
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "Ready To Run" - 1999
- Best Country Album - Home - 2002
- Best Country Instrumental Performance - "Lil' Jack Slade" - 2002
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "Long Time Gone" - 2002
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "Top of the World" - 2004
Current Grammy Nominations:
- Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "I Hope"
- Best Country Song - "I Hope"
(Bio courtesy of Kathy Coleman)