Dixie Chicks

The Dixie Chicks rose from relative obscurity in 1998 to become one of the most popular acts in contemporary country music, as well as the highest-selling female group of all time. The band's genesis dates back nearly a decade earlier to 1989, when fiddler Martie Seidel and her banjo-playing sister Emily Erwin formed the group in Dallas, Texas. Bassist Laura Lynch and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy also populated the original lineup. After getting their start on local street corners, the female foursome graduated to clubs and received an enormous boost when Seidel earned third place honors at the National Fiddle Championships. Originally, The Dixie Chicks (whose name was inspired by the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken") promoted a classic cowgirl image, complete with a sound inspired by traditional country, folk, and bluegrass; they even titled their 1990 indie-label debut Thank Heavens For Dale Evans. As the decade progressed, however, the group's image and sound became more contemporary, often bridging the gap between country and pop music.

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