NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When The Chicks decided to drop the word “Dixie” from the band's name, it was the culmination of years of internal discussions and attempts to distance itself from negative connotations with the word.
The 13-time Grammy-winning trio made the switch last month, just weeks before the release of their first new music in 14 years.The band was formed in Dallas, Texas, in the late 1980s by sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer with Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy as a bluegrass band. “We were totally working the kitschy cowgirl clothes and everything at that stage in our career, big hair, you know,” said Strayer. “And so we had like cowboy hats on playing down on street corners.”But they started getting requests for bookings.