The Chicks, originally from Dallas, have been a force in the music industry since their 1998 album “Wide Open Spaces,” an album that sold more CDs that year than all other country music groups combined. Composed of lead singer Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Emily Strayer (vocals, guitar, banjo, Dobro) and Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar), the band boasts 13 Grammy Awards, including five in 2007 for Album of the Year (“Taking the Long Way”), Record of the Year and Song of the Year (both for “Not Ready to Make Nice”). The group’s hit singles also include “There’s Your Trouble,” “Wide Open Spaces” and “You Were Mine” (from the album “Wide Open Spaces”); “Cowboy Take Me Away,” “Goodbye Earl,” “Ready to Run” and “Without You” (from the album “Fly”); “Travelin’ Solder,” “Top of the World” and “Landslide” (from the album “Home”). These have earned the group multiple Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, American Music and Billboard Music awards.
The Chicks continue to embrace a bluegrass, folk, country and pop sound, while remaining firm in their identity, continuing to spread messages of freedom and evoking change with their music. Earning universal recognition as the biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time, The Chicks have sold more than 30.5 million albums and are among an elite group of artists and the only female group to achieve multiple “diamond” selling (10 million copies) releases. In March 2020, after nearly 14 years, the group released its fifth studio album, “Gaslighter,” to rave reviews. Prior to the album’s release, the band changed its name from Dixie Chicks to The Chicks. The Chicks are embarking on a 37-date mega-tour that kicks off in June in Norway, with stops in the U.K. and Europe before returning to North America.
