DIxie Chicks

THE DIXIE CHICKS have come light years from performing on street corners to the stylish, award-winning chart toppers they are today. Sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison founded the act in the late ’80s, performing and recording with several musicians before Natalie Maines joined them in 1995. When the Chicks picked Austinite Susan Gibson’s “Wide Open Spaces” as the title track for their 1998 major label debut of the same name, they struck platinum — it became the highest-selling album by a country music group. Both “Wide Open Spaces” and their 1999 album “Fly” sold more than10 million copies and won a Grammy for Best Country Album of the Year. With the release of their new album “Taking the Long Way,” the Dixie Chicks became the first female group in chart history to have three albums debut at #1. The Dixie Chicks ended 2006 with the success of their “Accidents and Accusations” world tour, and the release of the documentary feature film SHUT UP AND SING. As the biggest-selling female group in history, they broke new records at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony when they became the first female group ever to take home the big three top Grammy honors: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year.