Emily Robison loves the first impression the Dixie Chicks makes on guys -- before they even sing a note. No, make that, she lives for it.
"The best part is dispelling the myth about women playing music -- you know, the old stereotypical-blonde thing," she says. "Half the fun is having guys say, 'Oh, God, an all-girl band.' And then blowing their socks off!"
Perched onstage, the Chicks display the perfect blend of energy, style and talent to please fans.
Since their national debut in January 1998, the Dixie Chicks -- Natalie Maines, Martie Seidel and her sister Emily have left millions sockless and breathless. Their flawless harmonies, jammin' instrumental chops and candid comments have added a new dimension of fun to country music.
And when it comes to being hot, the band's temperature is a notch above Texas chili and rising by the minute:
Their first major label album, Wide Open Spaces, has sold a whopping 5 million copies and counting. Their talent on fiddle, Dobro, mandolin, banjo and guitar goes beyond impressive;
The Chicks were 1998's top country group -- out-selling all other country groups combined! What's more, their new album, Fly, to be released Aug. 31, promises to shatter that record;
Their first single, the Top 10 "I Can Love You Better," proved just a warm-up. Three No. 1s in a row -- "There's Your Trouble," "Wide Open Spaces" and "You Were Mine" -- quickly followed. Now, "Tonight the Heartache's on Me" is on course for the top spot.
"The success we are having now," Emily reveals, "says a lot about the people who were there when we were singing in barbecue joints. Those are the people who have stuck with us all these years."
In the past 18 months, America has discovered what their native Lone Star State had known for years: The Chicks are more than a novelty act. Their energy and style grab your attention, and then, their music locks it away for keeps.
"Ain't they something?" crows country veteran Buck Owens. "You tell me where the top is -- and I'll tell you they can go there."
The Chicks have come a long way from playing street corners in Texas for a few bucks. Their musical roots are deep, providing a solid foundation for their sound.
Martie and Emily grew up in Dallas in a family that embraced music. Martie started playing the fiddle at the age of 5 and became a championship fiddle player. Emily learned banjo at age 10 and soon picked up the Dobro and guitar.
Their mom monitored practice sessions with an egg timer. "I'd hear kids outside playing kickball, and I hated that I was inside," recalls Emily. "Now, of course, I'm grateful for it."
Emily, 26, and Martie, 29, honed their harmonies while they toured the country together in Blue Night Express, a teen's bluegrass group, for six years before the Chicks were born.
About 400 miles west in the Texas Panhandle, Natalie launched her singing career as a 3- year-old in Lubbock. She had music in her genes. Her dad, renowned steel guitar player Lloyd Maines, and his band, The Maines Brothers Band, charted six country songs in the '80s.
"Country music was so prevalent in our family that I was fortunate enough to be exposed to it at a very early age," Natalie, 24, explains. "I always knew this is what I wanted to do. In grade school, I remember saying, 'I don't have to learn this because I'm going to be a singer.' "
She tackled piano when she was 12, then acoustic guitar. She won a vocal scholarship to Boston's acclaimed Berklee College of Music.
Meanwhile in Dallas, Emily and Martie and two friends formed an all-girl band in 1989 to play Western swing, cowboy music and bluegrass. They wore red Dale-Evans-style outfits with white fringe and played street corners in Dallas' business district. "We just happened to hit it lucky," recalls Martie. "The first time out, we made about $375 -- most of it in one-dollar bills."
Street corners were only the beginning. They played anywhere they could get booked: private parties, conventions, singing the national anthem at ballgames. Some of their early gigs included a funeral, a grocery store's produce section and a nursing home.
By the early '90s they became one of the most sought-after bands in Texas, opening for Garth Brooks, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Loretta Lynn, George Jones and Emmylou Harris. They played the Grand Ole Opry and for President Clinton's Tennessee Inaugural Ball in 1993.
They developed a fan club with 6,000 members. And from 1990 to 1994, they churned out three independently produced records -- which sold 90,000 copies.
"Those first five or six years as Dixie Chicks happened so fast," recalls Martie. "It was really growing time for the band. We went from street corners to dance halls, from jeans and boots to tailor-made cowgirl get-ups with rhinestones."
Despite their regional success, the Chicks couldn't jump to the next level -- they couldn't land a major record deal. They still needed something.
Natalie's dad, who played on a couple of the Chicks' independent albums, inadvertently gave it to them.
"He gave us his daughter's tape, and we were both secretly listening to it," remembers Martie. "I had to call him and ask for another, because I thought I lost it. It turned out that Emily was hoarding it!"
When Martie and Emily considered adding another voice, Natalie was the natural choice. She joined the band as the lead singer in 1995.
"After finding some fashion sense and evolving musically, we found Natalie," Martie explains. "That was the best thing that ever happened to Emily and me."
Natalie recalls, "I was always impressed at how well Martie and Emily played their instruments." Natalie did have one stipulation. "I wouldn't wear the clothes they were wearing," she says, laughing. "But they were ready for a change anyway."
After Natalie joined the group, Sony Records execs flew to Austin to check them out. The new sound and new look proved irresistible and a record contract soon followed.
They began putting together songs for their debut album and drew from diverse musical influences -- from Bob Wills and James Taylor to Patty Loveless, Dolly Parton and Bonnie Raitt.
"A Dixie Chicks song has to have a spark, something that showcases our individual and collective talents," explains Emily.
"The live show is the best part for me," notes Natalie. "Even when I've had a bad day, I can get lost in the music." Martie adds, "It's very rare that we vote differently on a song. We are so alike."
The Chicks evolution from a Texas western music group to country music's dash of sass is chronicled in the shirts they put on their backs. They emblazoned their first slogan "The rooster crows but the hen delivers" on T-shirts.
Today, their T-shirts proclaim "Chicks Rule" and "Chicks Kick Ass." And if you ask any fan, they do both with style.
After doing 160 dates in 1998, the trio really cranked up with this year's mega-successful George Strait tour. Now they've been tapped for Tim McGraw's A Place in the Sun tour.
They're also the first country performers to headline the all-female Lilith Fair tour. Plus, they're performing in Australia, Europe and Canada.
In a scant year and a half, the Chicks have raked in a barnyard full of awards.
They won two Grammys, three ACMs, two CMAs, an AMA and even a British Country Music award.
"If it all ended tomorrow," Martie says, "I'd be OK, because we've been so fortunate. I have a scrapbook of memories."
It won't end tomorrow -- that's for sure -- or any time soon for the Chicks.
"It's important to emphasize the fact that Dixie Chicks are world-class entertainers and that they aren't new to this," states Sony's President Allen Butler. "When they brought in songs for the album, they said, 'This is us. This is who we are.' "
As the Chicks' achievements reach stratospheric heights, there have been changes.
"We can't stay at small hotels in little towns anymore," confides Natalie. "They get too excited. There's always people hanging out, and you get caught without any makeup and wearing fuzzy slippers. It kind of spoils the fantasy."
Fuzzy slippers would cover up the tiny chicken feet tattooed on the tops of their feet representing No. 1 records and gold or platinum albums. They each now sport six tattoos.
But to save skin, they've decided to limit their foot art. They won't get tattoos for multi- platinum albums or awards.
"Emily is the only one of the three," Natalie says, laughing, "whose foot is big enough for that many tattoos."
The trio has made their mark on every late-night talk show. But their appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman is a special victory. While they were still a regional act, a Letterman security guard threatened to call police to halt their uninvited "concert" in the lobby. Exactly five years later, to the day, they were guests on the show . . . Though Martie and Emily are married, all three are flooded with marriage proposals -- and nude photos -- from male fans. "They send them, usually, over the Internet," says Emily. "They're not always totally revealing, but you can always 'get the picture.' " . . . Martie enjoys skiing, horseback riding and golfing -- though Natalie and Emily claim they've never seen her swing a club . . . At the time the girls were featured in a McDonald's commercial for the McRib, Martie was a vegetarian and spit out bites of the sandwich between takes . . . Once Martie had to wear a pair of Neal McCoy's underwear. "I was playing fiddle in one of Neal's videos," she recalls, laughing. "I'd worn hot-pink underwear to the shoot. They put me in this see-through white chiffon skirt. It showed right through. We were trying to decide what to do, and Neal said, 'Try mine.' I squeezed them on. They cut off my circulation, but they got me through the video" . . . Natalie spends her free time decorating her home, reading and going to movies at least twice a week. She even knows every word to the movie Grease . . . Martie's pet peeve is coffee breath. Emily's is bad drivers. Natalie's is people who chew gum . . . Emily can moonwalk forwards and backwards. She also wanted to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and even filled out applications, until she realized her math and science grades weren't up to snuff . . . The Chicks are the flagship act of Monument Records, a division of Sony. The label launched legends such as Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and Larry Gatlin.
Dixie Chicks Chances of Winning Best New Artist Grammy
Dixie Chicks Grab Three Nominations
Dixie Chicks Triple Treat
Country's Hottest Act Hit Triple Platinum With 'Wide Open Spaces'
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Just prior to closing out a year that has yielded one career accomplishment after another, country music's hottest act the Dixie Chicks learned they hit yet another milestone when their debut Monument Records CD ``Wide Open Spaces'' was declared triple platinum, indicative of over three million units sold.
Propelled by three singles, ``I Can Love You Better,'' ``There's Your Trouble'' and the title track -- which topped the singles chart for four consecutive weeks -- the trio saw their debut disc heralded by fans and music critics alike praising its musical originality and creative spunk.
``Despite their refusal to conform to traditional country standards, the Dixie Chicks have become the most celebrated new act of the year,'' observed USA Weekend.
``The success of the Dixie Chicks has become a triumph story that underscores the values of hard work and perseverance,'' proclaimed the Los Angles Times.
The group -- who already sport two CMA Awards for Group of the Year and Horizon Award -- are double nominees in the upcoming American Music Awards scheduled in January. They will also be heading into the studio early in the new year to work on their much anticipated follow-up to ``Wide Open Spaces.''
Chicks Make The Buck
Country Spice
Dixie Chicks Are Chirpin' Louder Than Ever
The Chicks were the only recording act to win its first-ever CMA award during this year's gala event. Plus, the trio's Horizon win gives them the honor of being only the second group in CMA history to win the prestigious newcomer category. Sawyer Brown walked away with the Horizon crown in 1985.
"I didn't feel specific competition with Sawyer Brown, but I definitely feel excited that a group won the award once again," noted Natalie backstage.
"We'll probably give them a big hug," added bandmate Emily. "They're great guys, and there really is a lot of camaraderie between us."
"Other artists in country music have really been encouraging," continued Martie. "People we don't even know in the business sent us flowers when our album went gold and platinum. I just love that about country music."
Here A Chick, There a Chick, Everywhere a Dixie Chicks by Kimmy Wix
Ah, but witness the Chicks in action, and you'll eat those words. If country ain't your bag, by the time sisters Emily Erwin and Martie Seidel storm their way through their first banjo and fiddle leads and new-Chick-on-the-block Natalie Maines belts out her first chorus of rockin' honky tonk, it may well be.
So as their platinum-certified album continues its stint on the charts and a third single chases after their infectious No. 1 Country hit "There's Your Trouble," check that skepticism at the door and lend an ear to Ms. Maines. Or Country Posh, if you must.
Before you climbed on board, Emily and Martie had been playing as the Dixie Chicks with a different singer for six years. How did you enter the picture?
Well, my dad [famed Texas producer and steel guitarist Lloyd Maines] played on a couple of their albums, but my mom had listened to their music more than I did. When I went to see them live, I was blown away by how well they could play their instruments. And about a month later they called and wanted me to sing a demo of 'You Were Mine.' When we did the demo, I had no idea that it was an audition for me until Martie started asking questions like, 'Would you ever be interested in singing country music? Would you be interested in moving to Dallas?' (Laughs) And they called me about a week after the demo was done and asked if I could drop out of school and move to Dallas and learn thirty songs in four days and do my first gig with them. And I did it. Looking back I see how brave Martie and Emily were to do this. When you go back and listen to what they were doing three years ago, you see how much it has changed. So I respect them a lot that they just handed over this baby that they had had for six years and trusted me to take it to where it is now.
Is it true that you said, 'I'll join your band, but I ain't wearing that cowgirl crap'?
Yeah (laughs). I was telling my mom that I got the job, and she said 'Are you going to wear what they wear?' And I said, 'No, but I'll deal with that when I get there.' And we did a photo-shoot the day after I arrived, and they didn't bring their cowgirl clothes -- they brought jeans and tops and stuff. Still we didn't have a lot of style, but they didn't bring their petticoats and rhinestones. I did wear some satin shirts, though. I had to get my way over a gradual process.
You promised to get little chicken feet tattooed on the top of your feet every time you hit No. 1 or went gold. Do you regret that yet?
We have our gold party tomorrow -- so I'm really nervous about that. We were going to get one for the gold album, one for going No. 1 in Canada, and one for going No. 1 in the United States. But we decided to just do it for the single. So if the single is the No. 1 single, then we'll just get one, even if it's in Canada. But even the tattoo artist was trying to talk us out of getting them on our feet because of the pain, so that's scary. But we've already told everyone we're doing it, and we're Chicks of our word.
As a veteran of the music business, what type of advice did your father give you before you recorded the album?
Just to stay true to the music, and to stay true to Texas. The Texas music industry is very honest. You don't compromise things when it has to do with your soul or your belief. I think that's why we have the album that we have -- we stuck to our guns about a lot of stuff. We were ready to put up our dukes with Sony, and it turned out we didn't have to at all. They were sort of laughing at us because we thought they'd say we couldn't play on the album, and they were saying 'Well of course you can play on the album, that's why we're signing you -- because you *can* play on your album.'
What has been your favorite Dixie Chick moment to date?
The coolest so far was I woke up one morning and I'm watching the Today Show, and you know how the guy tells the weather outside in New York City and all those people hold up signs saying hi to their friends or where they're from? This huge, homemade posterboard sign said 'The Dixie Chicks Love Matt and Katie.' And I started screaming my head off. I called Martie and woke her up, and I was freaking out because that meant so much to us. Those people could have written anything on that sign -- I mean why not write their own names or say hi to their friends? The fact that they would use their one chance on television to advertise for us was amazing to me. It was like we had made it at that point.
Not to burst your bubble, but are you sure they were promoting you and not some college sorority?
Well, I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, maybe they were, but I don't want to know that (laughs).
Though the three Dixie Chicks and their touring band are clearly greater than the sum of their parts, lead singer Natalie Maines commands the most attention on stage. One moment she's crooning a lovely rendition of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," the next she's growling snaggle-throated blues on Bonnie Raitt's "Love Me Like A Man." And the veteran Chicks, who've been playing since '89, are not just about good covers: current hit "There's Your Trouble" and the ballad "You Were Mine" proved the band can deliver originals along with the classics. Natalie head-pumps her way around the stage like a cross between a sorority girl and a Megadeth fan, making wild hand gestures that were equal parts bandleader and cheerleader. She blurs the line between skank and swank and all but tears the roof off the barn.
Sisters Martie Seidel and Emily Erwin provided the Chicks with good old-fashioned virtuosity as well as heart-stopping visuals (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Martie's superb fiddle breaks, delivered with a beautiful smile and the proud posture of a championship show-horse, were almost too much for a lovelorn country fan to handle. Emily, though all but inaudible on the banjo due to bad acoustics, really shone on the Dobro. Her bluesy solo on "Love Me Like a Man" was one of the highpoints of a set heavy on raw musical intensity.
Rounding out this formidable package was Natalie's father, Lloyd Maines, who sat in on the pedal steel. In addition to being a longtime member of the Joe Ely band, the senior Maines has produced such acclaimed new alternative country acts as Joe Ely, Robert Earl Keen and Richard Buckner. His participation, in addition to fleshing out the band's sound, raised the credibility bar considerably.
From the looks of it, the Dixie Chicks are in for a date with mainstream popularity. Their current single, "There's Your Trouble," is enjoying an extended stay on the Billboard singles chart and the album just hit No. 5 on the country chart. Considering the prodigious musical talent behind the chick schtick, the band could be in for a wild night on the town.
Simply point your finger in their faces and say, "You gals are a little too wild and radical for country music -- just can't quite figure ya out!" Great chances are they'll point right back and say, "Yes siree, we've got us another fan." Of course, the Chicks, who very well could be described as country's Spice Girls, except with a sturdier rack, aren't even close to being that vain. But continuing this routine of reeling in fan after fan after fan has been 'happening heaven' since they first debuted on a Dallas, Texas street corner in 1989.
Such a pace plus an almost mind-bending, three-part talent chemistry has landed the Chicks their first No. 1 single with "There's Your Trouble," a top-selling and gold certified debut album for Wide Open Spaces, two CMA nominations for both Horizon Award and Group of the Year, and a fan base that couldn't be any more booming. True -- their energy on stage is electrifying; they have tattoos on their feet; have been known to do some drama dressing from time to time; and can even play up on the sassy sister attitude, but when it comes to bridging all the gaps in country music history from early traditional origins to today's lava lamp-lit funk-twang, the Dixie Chicks are writing the book. What's so very cool is that folks across the world are reading it devotedly.
"I don't know," says lead vocal chick Natalie. "I think it's because the album has something to offer everyone -- as far as musical styles, the instruments that are on it and the song choices. We get a lot of people who come up and say, 'We don't ever listen to country music, but I love ya'll.' We relate to that, I do especially, because I didn't listen to a whole lot of country. I was a little rebellious against it when I was younger. But that natural twang is just in me," she laughs. "I think it's just the diversity of the album and that was a goal that we set for ourselves. We wanted every song to be different and we wanted a lot of different people to relate to it in their own way.
"And we do have a direct line to our fans, not just only through the shows, but through our e-mail address," Emily adds. "We get hundreds and hundreds of e-mails a week and we're trying to read them all, which is a hard enough task. But they let us know how much they appreciate just the fact that we're doing something that's different. We're not following somebody else's sound. They can't quite put their finger on it, which we like. We don't like to categorize what we do because we like to not be able to be compared to anybody. I think they like the fact that we play our instruments. They've figured out that we're real and not just something that's been put together by Nashville. It took us nine years to get to this point. And even though since the album has been released and wonderful things have happened, it's still taken a long time up until now."
Before now, when the question was asked "Why did the chicks cross the road?" the answer could have easily been "Just to get to play another gig." Today, while in the midst of creating one of the biggest booms country music, their answer is still "Just to get to play another gig." Martie (short do) has played violin since the age of five and has been recognized in several national fiddle competitions. Emily (long do sis) has been playing various instruments professionally since the age of 12. Natalie (Spice Diva), a Lubbock, Texas native and daughter of world renowned steel guitarist Lloyd Maines, is vocally carrying the legacy of West Texas music into the next generation. Combine the Erwins' impeccable harmony blend and amazing musicianship with Berkeley School of Music scholarship honoree Natalie and its easy to see just how confusing it is to put a finer on what the Chicks are about.
In addition to the trio of talent, its the guts-n-glory leap the Chicks continue to take that truly make them excited with what they're doing. While some may call them different, they call it being happy.
"I think people in Nashville especially are ready for new blood," Martie explains, "and I think they felt like things we're getting kinda stagnant the way they were. It was a relief to us that our label was so into us playing on the record and doing our own sound and not just doing the same ole-same ole on the album.
"And when you think about it," adds Natalie, "it's the people who do something new that have the longevity. Shania Twain was the first Shania Twain and anybody who's tried to follow isn't quite Shania Twain or Garth Brooks or George Strait. So we definitely wanted to be the leader in this trio thing. Coming in later I think there are just more obstacles to overcome because of being compared."
The Dixie Chicks so far don't have the comparison blues to sing about. No other act has, is and most likely will not come close. But like many country artists throughout history, if it seems like the Chicks are bending the standard rules a bit in what's often a fenced-in format, they'd be the first to confess. In fact, they'll perhaps admit to having already busted through a few locked gates. If they keep happy and the fans keep coming back for more, mission accomplished. Break a few rules?
"Oh yeah!" exclaims Emily, who's now engaged to new Lucky Dog Records artist Charlie Robison.
"I feel like we're just being ourselves and maybe that's what people are connecting to," Natalie explains. "I look at it like I just get to live this life once and if I can't live it being myself then that's kind of a shame. I mean I get myself in trouble sometimes, but it's worth it, because I'm not going to be something that I'm not. And I think that's one thing that people our age can relate as well."
"We always say that our biggest goal is longevity," admits Martie. "It's the journey and the little things that keep you going. Because we're working so hard right now, we're on the road constantly and have maybe a couple days off a month. So when you hear about CMA nominations or going gold and things like that, it just makes that hard road life so worth it."
Soaking up just a few of the perks that come along with success has also been worth it for the Chicks, who for years roughed it as artists traveling across the country playing one festival, fair and rodeo after another. While Natalie recently purchased a Nashville home, Emily bought a long overdue mattress and Martie is just happy traveling in a real tour bus.
"I did buy a 2,500 dollar mattress," nods Emily. "To me spending that much on a mattress is unimaginable. The funny thing is that I won't spend any time at home to enjoy it."
"We haven't gotten a raise in a year and a half," quips Natalie. "My house is way beyond my means, but I'm taking my manager's word for it that I'll be able to pay for it. I can't believe the bank is giving me the money," she laughs.
"We really haven't seen any perks, because once you get to this level, you have to have so many more people on the road to take care of things. You can't take care of everything yourself. I used to be the road manager, and it just doesn't work when you're so busy. Then you gotta have a bus because you gotta make those long drives and everything. So we're waiting for the day when we can give ourselves a little raise. It's just the little things," she continues. "It's having people on the road to help you out. We used to travel around in an RV, so just having the bus is still great for us, and definitely the nominations are really cool. Because it's other people in the industry who are saying 'Hey, we're taking notice of what you're doing.'
"What I was most impressed with is how many artists who may or may not have even met us before sent us flowers or personal handwritten notes," says Natalie of the Chicks' recent CMA nods.
"One was Steve Wariner," says Martie. "I think we met him years and years ago and he took the time to write this letter of encouragement and congratulations. I just like that about country music. I like it that the artists are so supportive of each other. And being new on the block, you need that reassurance from the other artists because they're your peers and you want to be respected by your peers more than anything. So that's been really neat."
Another "neat" to hit the Chicks' path recently is the release of their latest video for the title track of their Monument debut disc, "Wide Open Spaces." The clip was shot in the Rockies, site of the recent Michael Martin Murphy hosted West Fest, an annual event at which the Chicks have performed for the past four years.
"Well it was raining that day, so we were afraid it was a bad omen," Martie admits. "But it actually turned out great and when we first saw the first cut of it I actually got tears in my eyes just watching it, because I really feel like it sums up where we've been and where we're going. I think that's what we're most proud of.
"And hopefully, it will cast a little light on that we are a little goofy and we like to cut up and have a good time on the road," Emily adds.
"Someone said that with every video," Natalie explains, "a little bit more of our personalities are coming out. Like a lot of times people think that Emily is the nice shy one and in this video you see that she's stranger than any of us," she laughs.
"I'm glad it took place at West Fest," Martie says, "because Michael Martin Murphey used to book us when we were doing our little independent albums and he would let us play his festivals in between someone like Collin Raye and another huge act. He really had a lot of faith in us. That's what's really great about that festival is that it takes people from all genres of country and puts them all together -- whether it be a cowboy poet or straight-ahead top 40 country, or someone a little bit left of center like us or someone with a little bit more bluegrass flavored stuff. This was the first year we got to be there as a major label act."
Besides hit records, gold albums, award nominations, tattoos (part of a pact the girls made for every No. 1 single, gold or platinum album they earned) and Pick Hit videos on CMT, what else are the Chicks blessed with for being on such a roll of success? Answer: Very interesting e-mail messages and attachments.
"There are scary ones; there are funny ones and there are cute ones from kids and lots of marriage proposals," Natalie tells.
"Natalie gets the most marriage proposals," adds Emily, "and the men like to send naked pictures of themselves."
Fortunately though, instead of fearing the future, the Dixie Chicks are looking forward to what tomorrow will hold.
"I don't have any fear," explains Natalie, "not because I believe that we'll be around forever or anything. I just believe you can't worry about stuff like that. We make the music that we want to make and we hope the public accepts it and we're very grateful if they do, but we can't base our entire careers off of making other people happy. So I don't worry about stuff like that. They're either gonna like it or they're not. If they don't like it, then I believe that it means that it's time to just let it be and that's obviously the path that's been chosen for us. If you spend so much time worrying about it, I think it taints the well of what you're trying to do. If you add in worry and uneasiness about doing the right thing, then that automatically is opposite of who we are and what we do.
"I was telling somebody yesterday that I felt very lucky to be in this position and they said 'Well, luck to me means when preparedness and opportunity meet.' So I think we feel prepared for what's about to happen. We just had our little meeting with our producers about songs for the next album and we're not really recording full time until January. It's just something that we can be really proud of and we're not stressing about the sophomore album."
Their new "little chick feet tattoos" will hopefully serve as momentos of both everything they've accomplished as well as those to feats to come.
"I had mentioned this, but I didn't think they'd get one," admits Natalie about getting a tattoo for every No. one single or gold and platinum album. "I already had one, but we were trying to think of some sort of pact we could make with each other, and I just mentioned 'Let's just get a tatoo for every No. 1 or gold or platinum album. They said yes and I couldn't believe it. So I made them stick with it and we started telling everyone and I knew they couldn't turn back. Then they kept labeling me as the veteran who was going to comfort them through it and I got mine seven years ago. I was scared myself and I was thinking who was going to comfort me through it? But it didn't hurt.
"I think it's great to document what's happening," adds Martie, "to us right now because we will never be a new act again. So the first gold, the first No. 1 and all those things are going to be so sentimental to us. Just to have a marking on our body to remember all of that when we're old and gray is just kinda neat.
"But they will probably have sagged down below our foot by then," concludes Emily.
Dixie Chicks threw a wildly energetic party at Western Fair last night.
Led by the raucous pipes of lead vocalist Natalie Maines, she and musician-sisters Martie Seidel and Emily Erwin belted out high-voltage tunes in the crowded Canada Building.
The venue wasn't the best to showcase the subtle side of the three-part harmonies of this Texas trio who are burning up the country charts.
ATTITUDE
But the show was driven as much by sass and attitude as anything else.
They looked like Carmen Miranda headgear in their workout-style tank tops and brightly colored pants or sarong.
Maines kept pumping her arms like a drummer.
But that doesn't mean the musicianship wasn't there.
The Chicks are ferocious instrumentalists with Erwin on banjo and guitar, Seidel on fiddle and Maines with a bright red guitar.
VIGOROUS TUNES
They played through several vigorous tunes from Wide Open Spaces, their debut CD on a major label: an insistent I Can Love You Better Than That, the grooving There's Your Trouble, Give It Up or Let Me Go and the confident title tune.
They also brought in other material including what they call their signature tune, Hey Dixie, which they updated from its old ballad style.
TOP OF CHARTS
Maines profusely thanked Canadians for taking the group to number one in the charts on this side of the border before they hit that spot in the United States.
Maines' assertion Tammy Wynette was "the coolest chick" rang hollow and as did the Chicks' version of her signature tune Stand By Your Man.
But it was the start of a short segment of traditional music which also featured Erwin and Seidel in an instrumental duet.
Texans? Oh yeah. Maines got it going with five "y'alls" in her first greeting to the crowd.
In the opening I Can Love You Better, they come across as a country Wilson Phillips with those lush , tight stylings, though they spice the proceedings with a touch of blues. In a re-make of the Dobie Gray/Elvis Presley classic Loving Arms, they're mindful of The Forester Sisters. In the album's title track, lead singer Natalie Maines becomes a twangy Alanis Morissette - the phrasing and the confidence are there without so much of the attitude. Meanwhile, the country ballad Never Say Die finds Maines a bit mindful of Lee Ann Womack.
The Dixie Chicks cover a lot of territory with this debut: the snarling blues of Give It Up Or Let Me Go, the country shuffle of Tonight The Heartache's On Me and the angelic balladry of I'll Take Care Of You. Invariably, the lush harmonies stamp the songs indelibly, though - unlike Wilson Phillips - The Chicks wisely avoid overusing their uniqueness.
And, unlike the Forester Sisters, who seemingly ran their material through a family values test, The Chicks aren't afraid of a little darkness. Tonight The Heartache's On Me has a rack'em-up-bartender vibe that would've been too unladylike for The Foresters, and when they sing "There is a wound inside me, and it's bleeding like a flood" in Am I The Only One (Who's Ever Felt This Way) - well, it's hard to imagine too many country women willing to take on a line like that.
The Dixie Chicks have the ability to take country's already strong women into even edgier territory.
Floore's Country Store has been the sight of some really great shows this past year. Artists like Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Earl Keen and Gary P. Nunn have played to several sold out crowds. Helotes, Texas has also had the windsong sounds of Dallas' Dixie Chicks float through, to everybody's delight. Sony Music took notice, and everything fell into place. The beautiful result is Wide Open Spaces , their first release with the label.
Named for Little Feat's country-rock favorite Dixie Chicken, the Dixie Chicks formed nearly a decade ago in Dallas, though Wide Open Spaces is the band's major-label debut. It's also the first new album for the revivified Monument Records, one-time home to Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton and Larry Gatlin.
The eclectic tendencies of fiddle/mandolin player Martie Seidel, multi-instrumentalist Emily Erwin and vocalist Natalie Maines (daughter of West Texas steel-guitar legend Lloyd Maines) fit nicely into Monument's legacy of country and pop. The tunes range from hillbilly swing (a cover of Bonnie Raitt's Give It Up Or Let Me Go) to catchy commercial country (There's Your Trouble). The group also covers tunes by Radney Foster, J.D. Souther and Maria McKee. All that, plus the bluesy, rapidly rising single I Can Love You Better, means the Dixie Chicks are shaping up to be the first breakout country act of 1998.
You are the
Though Lauryn Hill is considered a shoo-in, music-industry author Henry Schipper cautions, "Beware of Nashville! Historically, they have voted formidably as a block."
Even without this Grammy feather in their caps, the Dixie Chicks could accrue an impressive nest egg.
"This is the hottest new country act in a long, long time," VH1's Wayne Isaak says. "Even though they're pop-leaning at times, they're smart to retain their country appeal. They're country first, whereas Shania Twain felt pop within five minutes."
Radio-magazine editor Sean Ross agrees. Singer Natalie Maines, fiddler Martie Seidel and banjo/dobro picker Emily Erwin "have very deliberately not tried to cultivate a pop audience. They alone seem to be the torchbearers for what made country radio great in the early '90s. They are proof that people do not want the days of Hot New Country to be over."
However, he adds, "no career is assured until the second album."
"They could have a long career," music consultant Tom Vickers says. "Country audiences are very loyal, and close-harmony-singing females are always a winning formula."
Band manager Martin Kirkup says, "I've heard them described as the country Spice Girls, but that's not quite accurate. They're adding a very interesting modern element and a lot of energy to the country scene."
Pointing to their skilled musicianship, strong vocals and writing talent on Wide Open Spaces, Radio & Records country editor Lon Helton says the Chicks "have all the ingredients to be around in 10 years."
Also brightening the Texas trio's prospects are country's broadening boundaries. " There's tremendous variety in this format," Helton says.
The Chicks rule the roost at the moment. Last year, nine country newcomers collectively sold 2.6 million albums; the Chicks accounted for 2.3 million.
The Dixie Chicks are kicking off 1999 in grand style as they have been nominated for three awards including the prestigious Best New Artist Award in the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. The Chicks are the only country act to be nominated in this category and join such musical heavyweights as Backstreet Boys, Andrea Bocelli, Lauryn Hill and Natalie Imbruglia.
The trio also garnered nominations in the categories of Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for their hit ``There's Your Trouble'' and Best Country Album for their Monument Records debut ``Wide Open Spaces.'' The group, who were on hand in Nashville for the Grammy Awards nomination announcement, was understandably overwhelmed and grateful for their most recent accomplishment.
``I'm excited about the Best New Artist category because of what it means for the country genre,'' said fiddle player Martie Seidel. ``We want to represent country music in a category that is not typically represented by country artists. We hope we represent it well.''
``I think the success we are having now says a lot about the people who were there when we were singing in barbeque joints,'' said an emotional Emily Erwin, banjo/doro player for the group. ``Those are the people that have stuck with us all these years and helped get us to this point.''
``I'm so proud of this album and I'm glad other people within the industry are proud of it too,'' summed up lead singer Natalie Maines.
The ever-growing ``Chick List'' of accomplishments also includes such highlights:
* Dixie Chicks were the best-selling country group of 1998;
* Dixie Chicks were the biggest selling new act of 1998;
* Dixie Chicks distinguished themselves as the highest debuting country group in seven years;
* "Wide Open Spaces" sold more units than all other country groups combined in 1998.
* "Wide Open Spaces" has sold more than three-and-a-half million units.
* Dixie Chicks saw their first three singles sail into the Country Top Ten with the title track holding the No. 1 spot for four consecutive weeks.
* Dixie Chicks won two CMA trophies - Horizon Award and Vocal Group - the first time an act has won both categories in the same year.
* Dixie Chicks are nominated for Favorite New Artist (Country) and Favorite Band, Duo or Group (Country) in the upcoming American Music Awards.
* Dixie Chicks chalked up "Best of '98" honors in a host of national publications such as People, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today.
* Dixie Chicks performed on such television programs as "Live With Regis & Kathie Lee," "The Tonight Show," "Late Show With David Letterman," "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," "The View," "Access Hollywood," "Entertainment Tonight" and "CBS This Morning" among many others.
Not content to rest on their creative laurels, the Chicks are currently in the studio working on the follow-up disc to ``Wide Open Spaces.''
At the Music City party celebrating the gold album certification of the Dixie Chicks' debut disc Wide Open Spaces, country music legend Buck Owens bestowed his signature red, white and blue customized acoustic guitars to the threesome complete with a telegram declaring himself a "Dixie Chicks groupie."
From Newsweek's Newsmakers
Blond, bodacious and besieged by e-mail marriage proposals, the Dixie Chicks could be Nashville's answer to the Spice Girls. As if it needed one. Last week the Texas trio took two Country Music Association Awards, including best voal group. But sisters Emily Erwin, 26, and Martie Seidel, 28, actually play their own insturments, and 23-year-old lead singer Natalie Maines can sing as well as look good in a spaghetti-strp gown. If talent doesn't stand in their way, there'll be no stopping them.
Trio Wins Double Honors at This Year's CMA Awards
By Kimmy Wix & Michael Gray
It was only a year ago that the Dixie Chicks, unhatched and largely unknown, watched the Country Music Association Awards from the nosebleed pew of Music City's Grand Ole Opry House. The sultry-singing trio, however, managed to snag a much better spot in the same venue during Wednesday night's 32nd Annual CMA Awards, telecast live by CBS. Natalie Maines and sisters Martie and Emily Erwin held court behind the winners podium twice, picking up trophies in the Vocal Group of the Year and Horizon Award categories.
The platinum-selling Dixie Chicks now each have three tiny chicken feet tattoos on their ankles. The first two were to celebrate their first No. 1 single and gold album Wide Open Spaces. The latest commemorates the album being certified platinum. PLUS... The Chicks are slated to perform on The Late Show with David Letterman for the second time around on September 21st. This time it will actually be televised. The first time was years ago when the girls tried to stage an impromptu audition and got thrown out by a security guard. Two days afterwards, the Chicks will perform live from Nashville on CBS This Morning and again that evening on the CMA Awards.
There's Your Trouble
by Richard Skanse
From Rolling Stone Magazine
Looking at the cover of the Dixie Chick's smash major label debut, Wide Open Spaces, it's hard not to huff, "How cute, Country Spice Girls." Three attractive, stylin' young blondes strolling confidently along a sidewalk, two with sleeveless tops and big smiles and the third wearing a black suit and a Posh-worthy little smirk. All behind the name "Dixie Chicks." 'Nuff said, right?
No Really We Can Play
By Jamie Cowperthwait
From Rolling Stone
hould you be tempted to write off the three blond lookers in the Dixie Chicks as a "Country Spice" phenomenon, you need only catch one of their shows to realize that these so-called chicks are for real. It's not that these girls aren't above unabashed, Spice-like self-promotion. In fact, the Dixie Chicks rival some hip-hop acts when it comes to brazen stage banter, whether they're inciting the crowd to chants of "Chicks kick ass!" or pretending to hypnotize the concert-goers and commanding them to buy their new album, Wide Open Spaces. But from the first note of the night it was clear that these girls can play. Backed by a tour band that included drums, bass, electric guitar and keyboards, the Dixie Chicks ripped through a set that expertly traversed country, honky-tonk, blues and country-folk, with a nod to bluegrass thrown in for good measure. These Chicks Ain't Whistlin Dixie
by Kimmy Wix
Dumb blond jokes are absolutely out of the question and if you're a firm believer in the cliche' that says "three's a crowd," think twice. Sultry songstress Natalie Maines and the phenomenally talented Erwin sisters, Martie and Emily, have come together full circle, trio style, to give the music world something to scream about. Ironically, the Dixie Chicks keep screaming back with one success story after another.
Sass drives high-flying Dixie Chicks
Music, led by raucous pipes and ferocious playing, was good too
By Sandra Coulson -- London Free Press
Originally appeared at http://www.canoe.ca/JamConcertsA2D/dixiechicks_072498.html
The Tennessean Review
The first release on Sony's reactivated Monument label is a hodge podge of modern female sounds. The Dixie Chicks provide a cool, three-part feminine harmony with a spunky attitude that draws casually on plenty of influences, while keeping a sound all its own.
"Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces"
by John Santos taken from Rooted Magazine
Dixie Chicks consist of Natalie Maines, lead vocals and guitar, Emily Erwin, vocals, dobro and acoustic guitar, and Martie Seidel, vocals, fiddle and mandolin. Their music is not the same run of the mill country twang that is so often mass produced by record companies these days. This really annoys me. So many talented artists change their sound, or are completely created by their record label. Point in fact; I recently read in Country Music Weekly (it was in the HEB checkout line) about a new young singer who grew up idolizing Charlie Rich ("Behind Closed Doors") and Tom T. Hall ("Old Dogs, Wildren, and Watermelon Wine"), 1970's standards that I grew up listening to.
So off to the grazing post of my local Blockbuster Music to check out the young singers' new release. "Do you want to hear the dance mix?", was the question I was met with.
Message to young singers. If you want to honor and respect your elder singing idols, don't let the Dust Brothers remix you. I digress....
Dixie Chicks are the stuff of young cowboys dreams. Steel guitar and fiddle in place, they are a throwback to the lost days of Lacy J. Dalton, Shelly West and the likes. A video for "I Can Love You Better" is currently in super-dura maxi rotation on CMT. The album goes much deeper than that, however. "There's Your Trouble" will hopefully be released sometime, too. This song is another nice blend of what is right about both the current country sound and the 70's stuff I grew up with. Up tempo and full sounding, it has amazing harmony going for it. "Never Say Die" is a smoky dancehall slow-dancer complete with Lloyd Maines-style pedal steel. Good God, I'm smitten!
Okay, so I may not be the best voice to listen to about country music. I still have my Mighty Mighty Bosstones in the CD player at home. This is good stuff! Swear to god! "Tonight the Heartache's For Me" almost made me drink a Lone Star (steady people, I'm talkin' madness.) Take a chance on "Wide Open Spaces" It is twangy enough to make it feel "retro country", but just good enough to listen to alone at home. Wranglers optional.
USA Today Review
When the three members of the Dixie Chicks signed their record deal, they insisted on playing on their album. So in addition to their three-part harmonies on Wide Open Spaces (*** out of four), the three play all its fiddle, dobro, mandolin and banjo parts. And it's those instruments that help give Wide Open Spaces its considerable personality....
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