Fly followed in 1999, immediately returning the Chicks to the upper reaches of the country charts with the lead single "Ready to Run." Another smash hit was "Goodbye Earl," which spun the tale of an abusive husband who died at the hands of his vengeful wife. Wide Open Spaces went quadruple platinum within its first year and eventually became the best-selling group album in country music history, earning a slew of Grammy and CMA awards along the way. After the leadoff single "I Can Love You Better" became the group's first Top Ten country hit, both "There's Your Trouble" and the winsome title track rose to the top of the Hot Country Songs chart. The lineup switch brought with it a new contemporary wardrobe and an equally modernized country sound still, few predicted the massive success of the Chicks' 1998 major-label debut, Wide Open Spaces. Soon named as Lynch's replacement was 21-year-old lead vocalist Natalie Maines, Lloyd Maines' able-voiced daughter. They signed with Sony's newly revived Monument imprint in 1995, but Lynch left the group shortly thereafter: According to a Decemfeature in The Dallas Observer, both she and Macy were victims of the Erwins' desire to foster a more youthful image. With Lynch now handling lead vocals, the remaining trio resurfaced in 1993 with Shouldn't a Told You That. The move toward a more contemporary sound began with 1992's Little Ol' Cowgirl, a transitional record whose new direction (aided in part by the contributions of several sidemen, including steel guitar legend Lloyd Maines) resulted in Macy's departure.
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As the decade progressed, however, the band's image and sound became more contemporary, often bridging the gap between country and pop music. Originally called Dixie Chicks in homage to Little Feat's 1973 classic song "Dixie Chicken," the group initially promoted a classic cowgirl image, wearing rhinestone-studded regalia and honing a mix of traditional country, folk, and bluegrass the bandmembers even paid homage to Roy Rogers' cowgirl co-star/wife on their independent debut, 1990's Thank Heavens for Dale Evans. Following their high school graduation, the Erwins joined bassist Laura Lynch and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy to form the Chicks.
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Both girls showed a talent for stringed instruments at an early age, with Martie mastering the fiddle and Emily learning the five-string banjo. Sisters Martie and Emily Erwin were raised in Addison, Texas, a suburban town on the northern edge of Dallas. By the time they returned in 2020 with Gaslighter, an album that fully embraced pop, they were hailed as the most influential country band of their generation, cited as an influence by scores of younger musicians.
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The trio rallied for Taking the Long Way, a 2006 album that took home five Grammys including Album Of The Year, but after its release, the Chicks took an extended hiatus. The country music establishment abandoned the Chicks in short order, pulling their music from the airwaves. invasion of Iraq in March of 2003, Maines told a London audience the band were "ashamed" of President George W. The cross-platform success didn't last for long. Home proved it was no fluke: the 2002 album gave the trio two Top Ten pop singles in "Long Time Gone" and "Landslide," while maintaining a robust presence on country radio. Fly inched into the pop mainstream, with its revenge anthem "Goodbye Earl" cracking Billboard's Top 20 and the record itself being nominated for a Grammy Album Of The Year.
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Maines brought a steely defiance and an unorthodox pop/rock sensibility to the band, characteristics that were evident on 1998's Wide Open Spaces, but its 1999 sequel Fly is where this blend reached full bloom.
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Steeped in country tradition - in their earliest incarnation anchored by Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire, they were a western outfit, singing songs by Texan troubadours - the Chicks were transformed when Natalie Maines joined the band in 1995. The Chicks were the preeminent country group of their generation, transforming the sound and sensibility of the genre at the dawn of the 2000s with their multi-platinum albums Wide Open Spaces, Fly, and Home.