The Chicks

The Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas, composed of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass), Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar), and Emily Strayer (vocals, guitar, banjo, Dobro).

Sisters Martie and Emily Erwin formed the group in 1989 with bassist Laura Lynch and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy. In their early years, the band performed bluegrass and traditional country, busking and touring festival circuits and small venues. After Macy departed in 1992, Lynch became the lead vocalist. Following three independent releases, the band signed with Monument Records Nashville in 1995 and welcomed Natalie Maines as Lynch’s replacement.

The Chicks achieved mainstream success with Wide Open Spaces (1998) and Fly (1999), both certified diamond. In 2003, their criticism of President George W. Bush and the impending Iraq War sparked controversy and backlash, impacting commercial performance of their album Home (2002). They released Taking the Long Way in 2006 before entering a hiatus in 2008, during which Maguire and Strayer recorded as the duo Court Yard Hounds. The group reunited for touring in 2016.

In 2020, they officially shortened their name to The Chicks and released Gaslighter, their first album in 14 years.

The Chicks have charted 22 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including six number-one hits: “There's Your Trouble,” “Wide Open Spaces,” “You Were Mine,” “Cowboy Take Me Away,” “Without You,” and “Travelin' Soldier.” With 33 million certified albums sold and 27.9 million U.S. album sales as of July 2020, they are the best-selling all-woman band and the best-selling country group since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. Their accolades include 13 Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, and eight Academy of Country Music Awards.